Sony has acquired Golf Trip, an adult comedy project developed by Mortal Media and still in the early stages of writing. Max Searle, a writer and showrunner with a background primarily in television, will pen the screenplay, while no director, cast, or timeline for production and distribution have been announced. The news was reported by Deadline; Sony has not commented on the deal.
The film originated as a pitch—an idea presented to studios prior to the existence of a full screenplay. This is an important distinction to properly understand the scope of the announcement: the acquisition provides the project with a studio home and initiates development, but does not yet equate to a greenlight for filming. In American cinema, especially for original comedies, the path between acquiring a concept and actual production can be long and depends on the strength of the script, budget, casting decisions, and the positioning the studio identifies for the film.
A reunion that shifts gears
At the center of Golf Trip are three longtime friends, the last remaining members of their regular golf group who still make the effort to carve out time for the annual trip. When one of the three refuses to let the tradition die, he persuades the others to travel with him to one of Scotland's oldest and most exclusive clubs.
The premise, at least on paper, uses a male friendship ritual as a narrative catalyst. However, golf and the trip do not seem to be the true destination of the story: the getaway lands the trio in an environment dominated by ostentatious wealth and an aristocracy described as increasingly absurd, putting pressure on the relationship between the protagonists. The R-rated classification also suggests that Sony and Mortal Media are envisioning a tone geared toward adults, with greater freedom of language and content compared to mainstream comedies built for all audiences.
This combination places the project firmly in the buddy comedy tradition, but within a sharply defined social context: on one hand, three friends trying to hold on to a habit and, perhaps, an earlier version of themselves; on the other, an elite British microcosm viewed from the outside. For now, no details are available regarding the characters, the era in which the film will be set, or the brand of satire Searle will choose to develop. These elements will depend on the screenplay and the studio's subsequent creative decisions.
Why Sony buys a pitch and what needs to happen next
The interest of a studio like Sony in an original idea is a concrete signal, but it must be distinguished from a production greenlight. At this stage, Sony secures control of the project and tasks Searle with turning the concept into a film with defined structure, characters, and tone. Only after that work is completed can decisions be made—should the project move forward—regarding directing, cast, financial planning, and release windows.
For the industry, deals like this also show how important source material remains in a market often dominated by franchises, adaptations, and established intellectual properties. Golf Trip was not pitched as a remake, sequel, or adaptation: its initial value lies in an easily communicable premise and the creative leeway it affords comedic performers, even before it is known who might take on the three lead roles.
Opting for an R-rated comedy potentially narrows the audience compared to a family-oriented title, but it can provide a sharper identity if the film manages to find a distinct voice. It is also an arena where casting is critical: the chemistry among the leads, their commercial clout, and their ability to carry the satirical edge could determine the project's trajectory far more than can be assessed from a pitch alone.
No details have been disclosed regarding the budget or the project's ultimate release path. Sony, which operates as a film studio with theatrical distribution and relationships across diverse partners, has not indicated whether Golf Trip is intended primarily for theatrical release or another distribution model. Until further information emerges, assigning a specific release strategy to the film remains premature.
Max Searle comes from the world of series
The screenplay was entrusted to Max Searle, a figure who has built much of his experience in television comedy. Searle is the co-creator and showrunner of Neon, a Netflix comedy series, and is among the writers working on the upcoming series adaptation of Barbershop for Amazon. Previously, he served as co-showrunner on the second season of Chad for Roku and co-executive producer of Only Murders in the Building on Hulu.
His credits also include Dave, Based on a True Story, The Wonder Years, Lady Dynamite, The Ranch, and Two and a Half Men. For his work on Only Murders in the Building, he earned Emmy and Producers Guild Awards nominations, while for Dave he received a nomination at the Writers Guild Awards. These credentials point to a familiarity with ensemble comedies, flawed characters, and narrative devices built on the friction between personal relationships and increasingly out-of-control circumstances.
The shift to a feature film does not on its own guarantee the final tone of Golf Trip, but it clarifies the interest in a writer accustomed to weaving together ensembles and eccentric situations. In a story centered on three friends and their relationship with an unfamiliar environment, the script will have to balance group dynamics and satire, ensuring the Scottish setting does not remain merely a picturesque backdrop.
Mortal Media expands its scope
Behind the project is Mortal Media, a company founded by former NFL center Ryan Kalil and former NBA All-Star Blake Griffin. The company has already worked on productions such as the Apple TV sci-fi dramedy Hello Tomorrow!, starring Billy Crudup, and the White Men Can’t Jump reboot developed for 20th/Hulu starring Jack Harlow.
Recently, Mortal Media launched We Are Osos, its first docuseries with YouTube, focused on a professional football team in Mexico co-owned by Griffin and Kalil. The company also announced the development of the animated series Swap Meet for Hulu and the action-thriller film Carrier for New Regency. The lineup under development thus spans episodic live action, documentary, animation, and cinema, without being limited to sports content despite the public profile of its founders.
Golf Trip adds an original comedy destined for a major studio to that lineup. For Mortal Media, the move is significant because it brings its own concept into Sony's development pipeline; for Sony, on the other hand, it represents an initial investment in a recognizable narrative format, though one whose details remain to be defined. The next truly substantial updates will be the potential completion of the script, the attachment of producers or a director, and, above all, the decision to greenlight the film into production.
