By Jay A. Fernandez and Borys Kit

In a competitive-bidding environment, DreamWorks Studios has picked up a pitch from screenwriter Andrea McCloud called “I Saw You.”

Based on a comics anthology edited by Julia Wertz, the pitch involves four intersecting love stories derived from missed-connections ads. George Tillman Jr. is developing the project to direct.

The pitch sale was in the mid-six figures.

State Street Pictures partners Tillman, Bob Teitel and Matthew Pritzker originally optioned the book. Tillman and Teitel will produce; Pritzker and Wertz will executive produce. Rene Rigal will co-produce.

Wertz’s “I Saw You…” collected comics based on real-life missed-connection ads run on Craigslist and in local papers. Random House’s Three Rivers Press imprint published the trade paperback in February.

The emsemble romantic comedy has become a subgenre unto itself lately, with films such as “Love Actually,” “He’s Just Not That Into You” and the forthcoming “Valentine’s Day” using the intertwining-storyline format.

As it moves back into film production, the newly independent DreamWorks is fashioning a number of potential comedy projects. The studio has in development Chris McCoy’s untitled college-set comedy; Mike Culbert and Mike Pellettieri’s workplace comedy “Forever 21,” with Elizabeth Banks attached to star; Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley’s comedy about a stranded reality TV star, “Cal of the Wild”; and Michael Besman, Michael Zam and Jaffe Cohen’s action comedy, “Wife vs. Ninja.”

McCloud, a relative newcomer who is repped by WME and Energy Entertainment, wrote “Cover Your Assets” for Lionsgate. The writer originally drew buzz for her screenplay, “ABBIE+WEBBER 4EVER.”

The CAA-repped Tillman directed “Notorious,” “Men of Honor” and “Soul Food.”