Courtesy photo/Shutterstock

EXCLUSIVE: The hot pitch package Booker has been won at auction by Sony Pictures Entertainment, with Davis Entertainment aboard to produce, sources said. Deadline revealed the auction last night when it had five bids on the table for a John Wick-esque hard-boiled action film with an African American male lead. Derek Kolstad, who scripted the first two John Wick films, is writing this one with Gerard McMurray, who’ll direct the film as his followup to The First Purge. He is currently helming an episode of Jordan Peele’s Twilight Zone revival.

John Davis and John Fox will be the producers and Derek Kolstad is producing with McMurray, who will also be involved in a producing capacity, I’m told. Jeremy Stein at Davis Entertainment is also producing.

Sony was vying for the project along with Amazon, Netflix, Universal and Lionsgate, sources said last night.

There are several actors out there who would thrive in a gritty action vehicle like this — anyone say Michael B. Jordan or Idris Elba? — but there is currently not an actor attached to star.

WME, Artists First and Gang Tyre’s Bianca Levin rep McMurray, while APA, Circle of Confusion and Behr Abramson Levy rep Kolstad. Stay tuned.