Breaking News: Universal Pictures Pays $1.2 Million for SECTION 6 Script

According to published reports, Universal Pictures made a deal late on Friday night for a script by newbie writer Aaron Berg, entitled Section 6. The Studio will pay $1.2 million, against $2 million "with a progress to production set in motion after a rewrite step." according to the Hollywood Reporter.

For a breathless, behind the scenes version of how it went down, Mike Fleming Jr. has the scoop over at Deadline as well.

Marc Platt and Adam Siegel will produce along with Lawrence Grey. The story is said to revolve around the creation of the British Spy Agency, MI6 which was founded during World War I and the film centers on Sir George Mansfield Cumming, the first director of the agency.

According to Wikipedia, The service is derived from the Secret Service Bureau, which was founded in 1909.The Bureau was a joint initiative of the Admiralty and the War Office to control secret intelligence operations in the UK and overseas, particularly concentrating on the activities of the Imperial German Government. The bureau was split into naval and army sections which, over time, specialised in foreign espionage and internal counter-espionage activities respectively. This specialisation was because the Admiralty wanted to know the maritime strength of theImperial German Navy. This specialisation was formalised before 1914. When the First World War started, the two sections underwent administrative changes so that the foreign section became the Directorate of Military Intelligence Section 6 (MI6), the name by which it is frequently known in popular culture today.

Its first director was Captain Sir George Mansfield Smith-Cumming, who often dropped the Smith in routine communication. He typically signed correspondence with his initial C in green ink. This usage evolved as a code name, and has been adhered to by all subsequent directors of SIS when signing documents to retain anonymity.