Maguire will do some online soul searching

Gerald Fraller, who is attempting to sell his soul online, has joined the long line of people who've optioned their souls to Hollywood.

Fraller is brokering his soul in a lottery through his Winmysoul.com Web site, and his Web saga caught the attention of Tobey Maguire, who made a deal with him to adapt his story for the bigscreen. Maguire Entertainment's Maguire and Mark Ross will produce with Nash Entertainment's Bruce Nash and Robert Kosberg.

After his dream job in Taiwan didn't pan out, Fraller was an unemployed and depressed 28-year-old when he decided he needed a dramatic life change. He hatched the idea of selling his soul in order to finance the transformation. Fraller claims on his site to have received 3,690 bids and eight marriage proposals. He will name the winner by November and claims he'll donate some of the money to start a foundation to aid people suffering from depression.

Selling his soul is more than symbolic: Among other things, Fraller is promising a percentage of annual future earnings (minimum $500), the right to name future kids and the right to pen the inscription on his headstone.

Kosberg said Nash Entertainment and Maguire Entertainment joined forces after reading stories about Fraller's Web site. The prdoucers aren't sure yet where they will take the story; they'll hire a writer and then try to set up the film at a studio.

"The story might be about someone who does this, and then learns it's perhaps not the best thing to sell one's soul," Kosberg said.

Fraller's becomes the latest oddball Internet tale to sell to Hollywood.

DreamWorks and producers Walter Parkes and Laurie MacDonald are developing "One Red Paper Clip," the Web saga of Canadian Kyle MacDonald, who used a red paper clip to start a series of Internet trades that led to him obtaining a house. Warner Bros. and "Harry Potter" producer David Heyman are developing "All My Life for Sale," a book by John Freyer, who sold all his belongings on eBay and then visited the buyers.


By MICHAEL FLEMING, "Variety"
Printed: Tue., Jan. 29, 2007, Los Angeles