Michelle Trachtenberg Was Shopping a Screenplay She Wrote Before Death

Michelle Trachtenberg was on the verge of closing a deal for a screenplay she had been shopping for years before her death, TMZ has learned.

Director and producer Casey Tebo tells TMZ the late actress wrote one of the best screenplays he's ever read -- "Toy Monster," based on the book of the same name -- and they had been close to landing studio support in the weeks before she died.

The biopic-drama follows the controversial life of Jack Ryan -- who left a job designing missiles for the Pentagon during the Cold War to become chief engineer for Mattel during the creation of the Barbie doll, Chatty Cathy and Hot Wheels. Apparently Ryan had a naughty side -- living a life of excess as he was making some of the most significant toys of the century.

Getting the project funded was a roller-coaster for Michelle and Casey. Years ago, the "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" star found a major studio to take on the project ... only to have the studio head leave to manage another company, forcing them back to the drawing board.

However, he says they had another breakthrough just about a month ago ... when a "very successful finance studio" expressed their interest. The project is now on a pause due to Michelle's tragic passing ... but Casey says he is determined to have it made in her honor, adding she 100% wanted to see the movie through.

Casey -- who directed Bruce Campbell in 2021's "Black Friday" and is currently bringing projects to Cross Creek Pictures -- notes the screenplay impressed studios when it was first pitched ... adding that fans will be equally as pleased to learn how "brilliant" of a writer the "Gossip Girl" alum was.

He feels the most "tragic" part of the screenplay is how neglected Michelle's talents were by industry honchos who only saw her as the witty schoolgirl from "Harriet the Spy," the hot girl from "EuroTrip" and the evil genius villain Georgina from "Gossip Girl." He sees this as the project that will give her the recognition she deeply deserved.

As fans know ... the "Ice Princess" star was pronounced dead last Wednesday after her mom found her unresponsive in her New York City apartment. Her family has declined an autopsy, meaning her cause of death is undetermined.

TMZ learned Michelle had a liver transplant just months before her passing, though it's unclear if that played a role in her sudden death.