The Hollywood Reporter announced today Stephen Karam’s off-Broadway play “Speech & Debate” will be adapted into a feature film. Overture (Mad Money, Henry Poole Is Here) and Blumhouse (The Accidental Husband) are producing, while Karam will write the screenplay. It is Karam’s first screenwriting gig.

Described as being in the vein of quirky teen dramedies Juno and Election, the material has “free speech and coming-of-age themes”. Free speech themes?! Maybe 2 Live Crew will do the soundtrack!! The play focuses on a high school drama queen who recruits a set of misfits to join the speech and debate club. Honest to blog it sounds just like Bad News Bears meets Rocket Science. Hopefully there is a new and different twist. And by new and different twist, I mean a character with a speech impediment other than a stutter (crossing my fingers for a lateral lisp!! Those are always fun).

Debate seems to be popular plot theme these days. The Great Debaters and Rocket Science had success amongst critics though they were not successful at the box office due to a limited theater release.

On a side note, I can’t believe I just typed “honest to blog” but I have a feeling that I'll be doing a lot more of that, as everyone snatches up Juno-like scripts. Thanks Diablo.