Barrie Osborne Sets Up Beggars Inc.

According to Variety, producer Barrie Osborne has partnered with Gotham-based writers Bob and Dick Kalich to mount "Beggars Inc.," an original high-concept comedy script penned by the siblings.

Osborne, who was a producer on The Lord of the Rings trilogy -- he won an Oscar for The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King -- and who also served as a producer on "Face/Off," has branched out into generating his own projects.

He has had a long association with Bob Kalich, whose novels include "The Handicapper," and Dick Kalich, whose first novel was "The Nihilesthete."

In "Beggars Inc.," a Harvard Business School grad can't make a living and decides to use his smarts to empower the panhandlers he sees lining the streets. He sets up a business using sophisticated methods that motivate panhandlers to give the public value for their money. The entrepreneur's scheme leads to a love triangle and a showdown with a rival.