In a pre-emptive purchase, New Line Cinema has scored with "Heckled," picking up the comedy script from the writing team of Jeremy Haft and Ed Gonzalez.

The revenge tale centers on a heckler who causes an NBA superstar to get suspended only to find his own life in chaos when the roles are reversed and the heckler becomes the heckled. The project has been developed with an eye for Vince Vaughn to star as the heckler, sources said.

The project was brought into the studio by Karz Entertainment, which has a first-look deal at New Line. The company's Mike Karz will produce, with Russell Hollander serving as executive producer. At New Line, executives Mark Kaufman, Matt Moore and Luke Ryan are overseeing for production Toby Emmerich.

Karz said that after developing the project for about a year -- always with Vaughn in mind to play the lead -- the deal came together rather quickly. "We've always loved this idea -- we loved it since the first time Jeremy and Eddie brought it to us," he said. "As soon as it was finished, the first person I called was Eric Gold (Vaughn's manager), who read it quickly and was very enthusiastic about it for Vince."

This is the first script sale for Haft and Gonzalez. Gonzalez previously set up "Homecoming Dance" with Showtime based on his family's story living in Compton during the Watts riots. Haft has directed music videos and the MTV series "Surf Girls." He is in preproduction to direct Armada Entertainment's horror thriller "Tamara" for Lions Gate Films.

The two are repped by Sandy Weinberg at the Summit Agency and manager Matt Luber at Nine Yards Entertainment.

Karz produced the upcoming Katie Holmes starrer "First Daughter" for Regency Enterprises and 20th Century Fox. That film is due in theaters Sept. 24.