Many people are reporting that Akiva Goldsman has now become the highest paid screenwriter of all time, but it's not true.

Okay, let me clarify.  First of all, Goldsman is far from being the highest paid screenwriter in terms of what he will have made this year. Goldman is being paid $4 million to adapt Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code prequel Angels & Demons. While $4 million for a book to screenplay adaptation is a big chunk of change, it's not the biggest deal of all time (as some are touting it).

Let's take a look at the highest screenwriting deals of all time:

• Star Wars by George Lucas: At the time of the deal Lucas only made $40,000 for the screenplay but with a 40% net profit deal which includes merchandising, it's estimated that he made nearly a a third of a Billion on the first film alone.
• M Night Shyamalan is probably the highest paid screenwriter in the world today:
• The Village: $7.2 million for story rights plus $300, 000 for "all writer's services"; also $3 million producers fee, $221, 000 (DGA scale) for “all director's services” and percentage of gross.
• Lady in the Water: $5 million.
• Unbreakable: $4.7 million for story rights plus $300,000 for "all writer's services"; also $5 million for producing and directing and percentage of gross.
• Signs: $4.7 million for story rights plus $300, 000 for "all writer's services"; also $5 million for producing and directing and percentage of gross.
• King Kong by Peter Jackson: Jackson was paid $20 million (or 20% of the gross, whichever is higher) to write, produce and direct King Kong.
• Spider-Man by David Koepp: In addition to his usual guarantee and bonus, David Koepp made 2% of gross profits after the production budget and prints and advertising budget but before the distributor takes their cut. Given Spider-Man 's combined $189 million cost and its $821.7 million worldwide gross, Koepp would have made an estimated $12.7 million bonus.
• Deja Vu by Terry Rossio & Bill Marsilii: The writers were paid a $2 million guarantee plus $3 million bonus, which is the highest price for a produced screenplay where writers do not also direct.
  

And these are just the produced screenplays which were sold for over $4.5 million.