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Portrait of a Screenwriter as a Young Man
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It is said that the great John Hughes wrote 25 scripts before the first one was produced. I am not surprised. In his book Outliers: The Story of Success author Malcolm Gladwell posits the 10,000 Hour Rule, which claims that 10,000 hours of deliberate practice is necessary to become a world class master in any field. Screenwriting is no exception.
Forgive me if I sidestep the issue of whether writing is a talent or simply a skill that anyone can master over time. Regardless, no one can deny that a talent or a skill can be honed with practice. Many people believe I am successful because I have written fourteen produced feature films and won a number of awards. Many people desire to have the same or greater success. My question is: How hard are you willing to work to achieve that goal?
To illustrate how hard I had worked, I am going to list the screenplays and novels I wrote prior to my first production. (Not counting college projects and commercials.) The more cynical of you could call my list a string of failures, but each one of these works was a success. Each script or novel taught me something. Each project gave me an opportunity to hone my skills. This list should prove I put in my 10,000 hours.
John Hughes had his 25 scripts. These are mine. How many are you willing to write to reach your dreams? Will you give up after five? Or ten? Or thirty? Or do you have the persistence to succeed?
1. FORTY-FOUR
--screenplay--
Genre: Cop Thriller
December 1985
This was my first completed long form piece. I wrote it while I was temporarily laid off from my job at the advertising agency Smith Burke & Azzam. I wrote the entire script in one week. I was amazed at my accomplishment. To my knowledge, no one I personally knew had written a feature length screenplay. The script itself wasn't very good. It was merely a collection of cop film tropes, which will never be produced. But I loved writing it. I was looking forward to writing the next one.
2. THE MARK
--Screenplay--
Genre: Thriller
March 27, 1986
With this script, I almost invented the End Times genre long before the novel Left Behind was published. This script actually got me true Hollywood attention. An agent, who did not handle writers, tried to put a deal together with this script and one of his directors. He was Jewish, but the openly Christian themes didn't bother him. He considered it a Twilight Zone-ish allegory about the Holocaust. Sadly, by the time I started writing faith-based films, this tale had become old hat.
Read the first five pages here: The Mark
This script got me a lot of Hollywood attention. It was first handled by a Hollywood lawyer. She said she couldn't legally pitch it for me. Only agents could pitch. She could only negotiate if someone was interested. However, she said she had no problem sending it around to see if anyone would be interested in negotiating for it. (She just couldn't call it a pitch.) Through her, I got my first letter on big studio stationary. An executive at Paramount liked the script, but he felt it was too similar to the upcoming Near Dark. Later in 1989, Creative Artists Agency expressed interest in representing the script with some minor revisions. I didn't follow up with them in order to go with another agent with another script. This script would be optioned many years later. I believe it still will be produced, but I am holding it back. I want to write a new version of the novel first.
It's really kind of amazing that two of my first three scripts got legitimate Hollywood interest. Around this time, things were looking easy but I still had a LONG way to go!
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| Artwork by Belinda Butler |
3. THEN THE JUDGEMENT
--Screenplay--
Genre: Horror
July 7, 1986
***OPTIONED***
It's really kind of amazing that two of my first three scripts got legitimate Hollywood interest. Around this time, things were looking easy but I still had a LONG way to go!
Read the first five pages here: Then The Judgement
In this script, an air traffic controller learns that American airspace is about to be closed due to a virulent pandemic secretly spreading abroad. He leaves work and drives to pick up his daughter at an out of state college, hoping to get her home before panic breaks out. He does not succeed and must battle for his life. I was not really fond of the finished script. It never got beyond the first draft, and I never showed it to anyone.
I really liked the characters in Then The Judgement and I wanted to continue their story. This was only a first draft, but I could easily polish it up in a couple of weeks. One of the reasons I am holding back the screenplay of TTJ until I finish the new novel is because I think the story could continue through a whole series of books. I have a second sequel fully formed in my mind. I have just never had the time to write it down.
A newlywed husband loses his wife in a car accident and quickly spirals down into depression and madness. This is an extremely dark and personal script. I used this tale to work through my sorrow about my failed relationship that I discussed in my memoir The Promise, or the Pros and Cons of Talking with God. Three of my readers said they actually cried while reading it. This was the first thing I wrote that inspired that depth of emotional response. The mother of the girl who broke up with me also read the script. Her one word review was: "Disturbing." This is the best of my scripts that I never attempted to market. I considered adapting this story as a novel as a follow-up to Chapel Street, but the material is still too dark for me to deal with now.
(BTW, I think I was still using the program Paperback Writer on my Commodore 128 when I wrote this script.)
My first attempt at writing a novel. Although I haven't read it since I wrote it, I believe it suffers from my attempt to find the right "voice." Instead of trusting myself and my own instincts, I tried to write my early novels in a style consistent with the genre. I wish I would have pursued this at the time. It might have been a hit.
Margot Amelia, an account executive at Smith Burke & Azzam, dropped this book on my desk about the Nazi war criminal because she thought I would find it interesting. I did. While I read it, I thought of an unique way to tell the story, and, although I didn't own the rights, I wrote an adaptation of the book. Afterwards, I contacted the publisher, who put me in touch with Posner's agent. They found my approach interesting and wanted to read the script. This, however, is where I made my big mistake. My script was essentially a first draft. I should have polished the thing before I sent it. Had I sent them a better version, my career might have been made. This mistake inspired my blog Hone Your Scripts! (Sadly, I would make the same mistake again later!)
David Butler was one of my best friends since college and we both worked in the broadcast department of Smith Burke & Azzam. One of our former instructors from Towson State, Brian Keller, also joined us there. He told us about a funny book his cousin Andrea wrote about her weird romantic relationship with her psychiatrist. He suggested that David and I write it as a screenplay. We did. I don't remember exactly why we never really tried to market it. If I remember correctly, it was pretty funny. Perhaps it was a case of too many chefs. Then again, I was probably preoccupied with....
When I previously discussed Then The Judgement, I said I was holding it back until I wrote the new novel. Well, this is the old novel. It probably isn't bad, but I was still struggling to find my "voice" as a novelist. I think I might have tried unsuccessfully to find a literary agent for it. I doubt I ever got anyone to read it. But I didn't work too hard at it. Things were about to take off in the screenwriting world.
I loved writing. When I didn't have an original screenplay idea ready to go, I would adapt a book I loved just for practice. I always loved this novel about the battle of Gettysburg so I decided to adapt it. I would drive up to Gettysburg after work to do research while writing the script. It was fun and utterly stress free. I knew no one would ever consider making a movie based on this book. Then they did! When I heard about the looming production, I got my script to one of the producers. He said he liked my traditional two-hour script better than the four-hour monstrosity they ended up shooting.
I read this fabulous redemptive ghost story by Russell Kirk in a horror anthology and decided to adapt it as a script strictly as an exercise. I wrote it as a short film, but I have long toyed with the idea of acquiring the rights and adapting it as a feature. I think it would make an excellent film. If I only had more time.....
The leader of a tiny, mythical Eastern European communist bloc country sneaks away from his embassy to experience the joys of the West while addressing the UN in New York. David and Tom were fellow Towson State classmates. They had also both visited Russia in their post college days. Tom, who I believe had just come back from the director's program at the AFI in Los Angeles, had the idea for the script but didn't want to write it. David and I did. I didn't have an agent at the time, but I started querying production companies just as the Berlin Wall came down. The script suddenly became highly-topical and we got a lot of reads. Sadly, the fall of the Berlin Wall also made the script totally irrelevant! This was an excellent case of both great and horrible timing!
The Long Drive follows the adventures of a disillusioned former President, desperate to escape his celebrity, who bonds with an irreverent Secret Service agent on an impromptu drive across the country.
This script was inspired by a road trip I took after I bought my first new car. I used to drive around aimlessly, just turning down roads I had never traveled on. One afternoon, I ended up in a very sleepy little town along the Susquehanna River. I began wondering how the people would react if a huge celebrity suddenly showed up. That got me thinking: Who is the biggest celebrity in the country? The President! The character of the Secret Service agent came to me on the trip home. I knew I had something good. Something different than everything else I had previously written.
This was the big one. This was the script that ultimately led to my "success." This was also my first truly character-driven script. It takes a lot of courage to abandon the narrative safety of a proven genre. When you work in a genre, you can always count on the established tropes help carry you forward. On a script like this, it is all about the characters you create. (That's really true of all scripts, but it is more nakedly obvious in a character study.)
This script came at a great time. I was considering leaving the advertising agency to work as a freelance film editor. I also wanted to see if I honestly had a chance to be a writer. So I start querying agents about this script and Then The Judgement. Stu Robinson, of Robinson Weintraub and Gross, later Paradigm, requested this script and loved it at the same time CAA was expressing interest in TTJ. I told Stu my dilemma and he asked to read TTJ. He liked TTJ too, but he said if it were my first sale, I would forever be typecast as a horror writer. He said I could do anything after The Long Drive. He said the ability to write convincing drama with humor is the most marketable writing skill in Hollywood. I went with Stu.
I got a lot of great reads from A-list people. The first person to read it was Academy-Award winner Barry Levinson, who praised my writing. For a while, the script was even briefly pushed as a reunion vehicle for Paul Newman and Tom Cruise. But some producers suggested that a terrorist subplot to make the narrative more forceful. I asked Stu whether I should change the script. He said he liked it the way it was. He said it would sell. Until Guarding Tess, a story about a disgruntled Secret Service Agent played by Nicholas Cage and an irascible Former First Lady played by Shirley MacLaine, went into production. That film, I must add, had a kidnapping subplot to make the narrative more forceful.
Guarding Tess relegated The Long Drive to the sidelines, but the script remained the gift that kept on giving. When I finally visited Hollywood a few years later I randomly meet a couple of people who asked, even I was introduced to them, if I was The Sean Murphy who wrote The Long Drive. They had worked at different production companies and read the script and remembered it fondly. I was very touched. As recently as five years ago, one of the producers of Titanic tried to develop the script as a possible starring vehicle for Jeff Bridges. That was my happiest experience working with a producer. Every one of his suggestions enhanced the script. Sadly, his money people nixed the deal. They didn't think a film about a former President of the United States would have sufficient appeal to the international market. The producer suggested that I try to get the script into HBO. I asked him if he was interested in taking it there himself. He said, "No, I don't do cable."
Oh well. I suspect this film could still be made if I rewrote it for the Trumpian age!
I read this book about the political and military turmoil concerning the surrender of Japan during World War II and, well, you know me, I couldn't resist adapting it on a lark. I'm surprised no one ever told this story. We have ton of films about the Hitler bunker, but none about the Japanese surrender. In many ways, this is a more fascinating story. Never attempted to contact the publisher or author. Never submitted it anywhere. It was just an exercise.
I read an article in an advertising trade magazine about some people who drove around the west with a studio and a post production facility in a trailer and made TV commercials for companies in small markets. That sounded cool to me since I worked in the business. I brought David onto the project to write it with me. This was the first project after The Long Drive that I sent to my new agent. Stu didn't think it worked as a feature, but he thought it might be great as a series pilot. So....
Stu asked us to rewrite our feature script as a pilot for a one camera series. He sent it around during pilot season, but nothing came of it. It probably didn't help that David and I structured the pilot like a short feature rather than using television structure and breaking up the acts with cliffhangers.... Oh well, I wasn't familiar with the format. There really weren't any books on the subject out yet.
Moby Dick is my favorite novel. I decided to explore its rich themes in this tale about a group of radical Greenpeace-like environmentalists who set out to sink a Japanese whaler on the high seas. Stu liked this script, but he never treated it more than a writing sample. He didn't think the subject matter would generate much interest, especially since almost the entire film took place at sea. That made the project cost prohibitive. (What would be the chances of me making that mistake again....)
I was inspired to write this script, about a powerful lawyer walking down the aisle for the fourth time with his much younger secretary, after videotaping the wedding of my former boss, a powerful adman walking down the aisle for the fourth time with his much younger secretary.
Although this script was inspired by my boss' wedding, this was a very personal script to me. If my previous script A Call of Love showed me wallowing in lost love, this script showed me prepared to move on. Also, if The Long Drive was the script that built my reputation, The Fourth Mrs. Jones looked like the one that would make me rich. This script was getting the same outstanding reads as TLD. A-Listers like producer Richard Zanuck were praising "my ear for dialogue." Then I got the big call from Stu on a certain Wednesday. The production company Haft/Nasatir wanted to buy the script as the follow-up to their hit The Dead Poets' Society. He said they were signing the deal Friday afternoon. I waited by the phone all day. No call. Monday I called Stu. He said the deal fell through at the last minute.... Oh well. I had written nineteen scripts in about five years. I hadn't hit the big time yet, but it felt close enough to taste. If you told me it would be over ten years before I would have a script produced, I would have said you were crazy!
(BTW, I am sporadically working on a re-write of his script with my friend and longtime reader Trish Schweers. We're into the second act and I believe it is much, much better than the original.)
I never attempted to market my first script. I knew its limitations, However, after I read an ad about a new publisher who wanted short, pulpy crime thrillers, I decided to pull the story out of mothballs. It never got published, but I think it was my best novel to date. My skill and confidence as a writer was improving. Ten thousand hours, baby!
I had such a good time adapting Forty-Four into a novel, I decided to give The Long Drive the same treatment. I wasn't quite as happy with the result. I think it was a matter of confidence rather than quality. I trusted myself to write character driven screenplays now, but I felt I still needed the crutch of a genre for prose writing....
This superhero spoof, which follows much the same path as the future hit The Incredibles, was the brain child of fellow adman Andy Stoller, or, as we liked to call him "The Ad Doctor." I thought the script was very funny. Stu didn't like it. He only sent it around to a few companies and said the response was not good. He said we should pull it. We did. Too bad. This was one of the films that made me wary of writing straight comedy. My rule of thumb on comedy was to always have three laughs per page. Obviously, the readers didn't have the same sense of humor as I did! (Or Andy.)
Writer/Producer Loretta Gubernatis offered my friend David Butler the chance to direct this film. The money was supposedly already in place. (Never believe that! See my blog The Shark and The Dreamer.) David only had one problem. He didn't like the script. He asked if I could re-write it. I said I would, if I could do it in one week. And I did.
It was a fascinating experience. I literally only used one line of dialogue from the original. I actually felt the script had its moments. The villain is perhaps the most evil character I have ever worked on, and the plot is absurdly twisted. Too bad it didn't get made. Needless to say, the money was not in place! It never is!
Around this time, my writing career began going off the rails commercially for two reasons. One, after so many near misses, I just wanted to make a film. Any film! So I started believing anyone who told me to they had the money or a deal in place. This lead to a lot of unpaid assignments that I never mentioned to my agent because I knew he would advise against doing them.
Secondly, my economic circumstances had changed. I loved working for the advertising agency, but it didn't pay much. When I left to become a freelance film editor, my income increased dramatically. Therefore, I no longer felt the financial need to write a blockbuster. I felt I could take time off to write projects for friends and explore non-commercial ideas. I still wanted to "succeed," but the hunger had subsided.
For a while, I worked a great deal at a recording studio owned by John Palumbo, the chief singer and songwriter of the band Crack The Sky. Although they never really took off on a national basis, it would be hard to overstate their popularity in the Mid Atlantic area. For me, sitting around with John Palumbo was the equivalent of sitting around with Mick Jagger (although he would probably prefer to be compared to David Bowie.)
I loved hearing his stories about the music business and they inspired this script about a one-hit wonder who gets a second chance at success when a popular group covers one of his songs. However, during his years away from music, he started a family and a business and became a much better person. The question was would he being willing to sacrifice this new life to finally fulfill his youthful dreams?
I really liked this story, but the script proved to be my first disappointment. Stu didn't like it. This was my first solo screenplay he didn't care for. He thought I told the wrong story. Instead of concentrating on the family man, he thought I should have told the story of another member of the band who had been striving to succeed the whole time.
Stu was wrong. Not about whether the script was any good. No, he was right that it had problems, but he misdiagnosed them. The first problem was that I sent him, essentially, a first draft. My normal policy had always been to write a script, then write another script before I went back to re-write the previous one. I felt that gave me the necessary distance to really evaluate the first script properly. I was so excited about this script that I just typed Fade Out and sent it to him. That was same mistake I made with my script Mengele.
But that wasn't the real problem. I wasn't able to diagnosis the real problem until years later by reading scripts by other writers. My main problem was that I liked all of the characters too much to hurt them or make them look like jerks. I was so sympathetic to everyone that the conflict and drama suffered as a result. I still believe this would make a great movie. I even pitched it to John Schneider, of Dukes of Hazard fame, on the set of my film Holyman Undercover. A singer himself, John seemed very interested, especially if he could direct! (Everyone wants to direct but me!) Sadly, I never pursued it. I never had the time to re-write it!
I remember practically nothing about this project or how it came into being. Someone, I can't remember who, had the rights to the book and approached me about adapting it. I couldn't find the digital file anymore, but, just to make sure I wasn't misremembering the whole thing, I ventured down to the filing cabinet in my basement and found a dot matrix printout of the first act. There must be a finished script somewhere. I made it a point of finishing everything I started. Needless to say, the movie wasn't made, and, based on the few pages I just read, my script wasn't very good. Oh, well. You can't hit a home run every time!
The first, essentially, solo script I wrote in a very long time (although David Butler contributed with the story.) This was a straight-up thriller about a group of travelers to a remote island off the coast of Maine who are framed for a heinous crime by the corrupt sheriff and face the rage of the community.
In retrospect, I think the action worked but in this script the main characters were weak. It suffered from the same problem as my previous solo script The Stray Characters. The main emotional conflict was between a couple on the verge of divorce, but I liked them too much to make either of them appear unsympathetic. That killed the conflict. It was bad storytelling. I must not have been very confident about this script. I literally have no memory of sending it to Stu. I could probably fix this one if I had the time! It has the bones of a good story.
I was approached by a producer friend Carol Flaisher who asked if I was interested in working on a script for a friend of hers. Her friend was the former head of production at Morgan Creek, which was a top production company at the time. I said yes. I went to Hollywood to meet with him. (My first trip to LA.) The guy's wife was a big supporter of a charity that trained and provided service dogs. He wanted to produce a film that showed how it worked. There would be no upfront payment. However, in return for my labors, he would let me write an episode for a series he was developing at Showtime about items left at the Vietnam Wall. I said count me in!
Carol's treatment dealt with a troubled twelve-year-old girl named Jenny dealing with anger issues after the death of her mother. Her psychiatrist convinces her to join the dog training program. The girl and the dog bond, but, eventually the lovable beast must be given to its final owner. This would allow the girl to deal with her issues regarding loss, and hopefully inspire a tear or two in the audience.
Obviously, if you read the descriptions of my previous scripts, this subject matter wasn't necessarily in my wheelhouse. Then my sister Laura died leaving a twelve-year-old daughter. Suddenly, this commissioned project became very personal to me as I observed my niece during this period. I even let her read the script to see if it emotionally real to her. Sadly, the Hollywood producer didn't like the final script. He wanted something bigger, more Hollywood. I couldn't deliver that. I didn't want to deviate away from what felt real to me. (Later I would learn to always make the changes!)
The drawback of writing something based on other people's work or ideas is that you ultimately don't own the property in the end. I definitely believe I could sell this script today with a little updating, but there is no point trying. The ownership is too tangled.
I don't know who turned me onto Cormac McCarthy. It was either Chuck Regner or Trish Schweers, but I became an instant fan. His appeal to me can summed up by this comment from a critic: "McCarthy makes the nature supernatural and the supernatural nature." Another critic also remarked that someone always meets the devil in his books. I like that, too.
I first read his novel Blood Meridian: Or Evening Redness in the West. It was fantastic. I wanted to immediately adapt that one, but I heard the rights had already been acquired. (Where's the movie, Hollywood? You've had more than enough time!) I chose to do an adaptation of this novel instead. It is a very dark piece featuring incest, cannibalism and, of course, meeting the Devil. If you're reading this, and you own the rights to this novel, send me an email. I have an excellent adaptation for you.
4. THE FIRE
--Screenplay--
Genre: Thriller
October 24, 1986
In this script, an air traffic controller learns that American airspace is about to be closed due to a virulent pandemic secretly spreading abroad. He leaves work and drives to pick up his daughter at an out of state college, hoping to get her home before panic breaks out. He does not succeed and must battle for his life. I was not really fond of the finished script. It never got beyond the first draft, and I never showed it to anyone.
5. THE ELDER
--Screenplay--
Sequel to THEN THE JUDGEMENT
Genre: Horror
December 9, 1986
I really liked the characters in Then The Judgement and I wanted to continue their story. This was only a first draft, but I could easily polish it up in a couple of weeks. One of the reasons I am holding back the screenplay of TTJ until I finish the new novel is because I think the story could continue through a whole series of books. I have a second sequel fully formed in my mind. I have just never had the time to write it down.
6. A CALL OF LOVE
--Screenplay--
Genre: Horror
July 19, 1987
A newlywed husband loses his wife in a car accident and quickly spirals down into depression and madness. This is an extremely dark and personal script. I used this tale to work through my sorrow about my failed relationship that I discussed in my memoir The Promise, or the Pros and Cons of Talking with God. Three of my readers said they actually cried while reading it. This was the first thing I wrote that inspired that depth of emotional response. The mother of the girl who broke up with me also read the script. Her one word review was: "Disturbing." This is the best of my scripts that I never attempted to market. I considered adapting this story as a novel as a follow-up to Chapel Street, but the material is still too dark for me to deal with now.
(BTW, I think I was still using the program Paperback Writer on my Commodore 128 when I wrote this script.)
7. THE MARK
--Novel--
Genre: Thriller
November 26. 1987
My first attempt at writing a novel. Although I haven't read it since I wrote it, I believe it suffers from my attempt to find the right "voice." Instead of trusting myself and my own instincts, I tried to write my early novels in a style consistent with the genre. I wish I would have pursued this at the time. It might have been a hit.
8. MENGELE
--Screenplay--
aka A LONELY DEATH IN SAO PAOLO
An adaptation of "Mengele: The Complete Story"
by Gerald Posner and John Ware
Genre: Docudrama
December 30, 1987
Margot Amelia, an account executive at Smith Burke & Azzam, dropped this book on my desk about the Nazi war criminal because she thought I would find it interesting. I did. While I read it, I thought of an unique way to tell the story, and, although I didn't own the rights, I wrote an adaptation of the book. Afterwards, I contacted the publisher, who put me in touch with Posner's agent. They found my approach interesting and wanted to read the script. This, however, is where I made my big mistake. My script was essentially a first draft. I should have polished the thing before I sent it. Had I sent them a better version, my career might have been made. This mistake inspired my blog Hone Your Scripts! (Sadly, I would make the same mistake again later!)
9. A CLOSER LOOK
--Screenplay--
with David Butler
Based on the unpublished memoir by Andrea Rouda
Genre: Comedy
May 16, 1988
David Butler was one of my best friends since college and we both worked in the broadcast department of Smith Burke & Azzam. One of our former instructors from Towson State, Brian Keller, also joined us there. He told us about a funny book his cousin Andrea wrote about her weird romantic relationship with her psychiatrist. He suggested that David and I write it as a screenplay. We did. I don't remember exactly why we never really tried to market it. If I remember correctly, it was pretty funny. Perhaps it was a case of too many chefs. Then again, I was probably preoccupied with....
10. THEN THE JUDGEMENT
--Novel--
Genre: Horror
June 8, 1988
When I previously discussed Then The Judgement, I said I was holding it back until I wrote the new novel. Well, this is the old novel. It probably isn't bad, but I was still struggling to find my "voice" as a novelist. I think I might have tried unsuccessfully to find a literary agent for it. I doubt I ever got anyone to read it. But I didn't work too hard at it. Things were about to take off in the screenwriting world.
11. THE KILLER ANGELS
--Screenplay--
Based on the novel "The Killer Angels" by Michael Shaara
Genre: War
July 27, 1988
I loved writing. When I didn't have an original screenplay idea ready to go, I would adapt a book I loved just for practice. I always loved this novel about the battle of Gettysburg so I decided to adapt it. I would drive up to Gettysburg after work to do research while writing the script. It was fun and utterly stress free. I knew no one would ever consider making a movie based on this book. Then they did! When I heard about the looming production, I got my script to one of the producers. He said he liked my traditional two-hour script better than the four-hour monstrosity they ended up shooting.
12. A SIGNAL ACT
--Short Screenplay--
Based on the short story "There's A Long, Long Trail A-Winding" by Russell Kirk
Genre: Horror
September 25, 1988
I read this fabulous redemptive ghost story by Russell Kirk in a horror anthology and decided to adapt it as a script strictly as an exercise. I wrote it as a short film, but I have long toyed with the idea of acquiring the rights and adapting it as a feature. I think it would make an excellent film. If I only had more time.....
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| Tom Brandau |
13. THE PREMIER
Screenplay with David Butler. Story by Tom Brandau
Genre: Comedy
February 13, 1989
The leader of a tiny, mythical Eastern European communist bloc country sneaks away from his embassy to experience the joys of the West while addressing the UN in New York. David and Tom were fellow Towson State classmates. They had also both visited Russia in their post college days. Tom, who I believe had just come back from the director's program at the AFI in Los Angeles, had the idea for the script but didn't want to write it. David and I did. I didn't have an agent at the time, but I started querying production companies just as the Berlin Wall came down. The script suddenly became highly-topical and we got a lot of reads. Sadly, the fall of the Berlin Wall also made the script totally irrelevant! This was an excellent case of both great and horrible timing!
14. THE LONG DRIVE
--Screenplay--
Genre: Drama/Comedy
August 27, 1989
***DEVELOPED***
The Long Drive follows the adventures of a disillusioned former President, desperate to escape his celebrity, who bonds with an irreverent Secret Service agent on an impromptu drive across the country.
This script was inspired by a road trip I took after I bought my first new car. I used to drive around aimlessly, just turning down roads I had never traveled on. One afternoon, I ended up in a very sleepy little town along the Susquehanna River. I began wondering how the people would react if a huge celebrity suddenly showed up. That got me thinking: Who is the biggest celebrity in the country? The President! The character of the Secret Service agent came to me on the trip home. I knew I had something good. Something different than everything else I had previously written.
This was the big one. This was the script that ultimately led to my "success." This was also my first truly character-driven script. It takes a lot of courage to abandon the narrative safety of a proven genre. When you work in a genre, you can always count on the established tropes help carry you forward. On a script like this, it is all about the characters you create. (That's really true of all scripts, but it is more nakedly obvious in a character study.)
This script came at a great time. I was considering leaving the advertising agency to work as a freelance film editor. I also wanted to see if I honestly had a chance to be a writer. So I start querying agents about this script and Then The Judgement. Stu Robinson, of Robinson Weintraub and Gross, later Paradigm, requested this script and loved it at the same time CAA was expressing interest in TTJ. I told Stu my dilemma and he asked to read TTJ. He liked TTJ too, but he said if it were my first sale, I would forever be typecast as a horror writer. He said I could do anything after The Long Drive. He said the ability to write convincing drama with humor is the most marketable writing skill in Hollywood. I went with Stu.
I got a lot of great reads from A-list people. The first person to read it was Academy-Award winner Barry Levinson, who praised my writing. For a while, the script was even briefly pushed as a reunion vehicle for Paul Newman and Tom Cruise. But some producers suggested that a terrorist subplot to make the narrative more forceful. I asked Stu whether I should change the script. He said he liked it the way it was. He said it would sell. Until Guarding Tess, a story about a disgruntled Secret Service Agent played by Nicholas Cage and an irascible Former First Lady played by Shirley MacLaine, went into production. That film, I must add, had a kidnapping subplot to make the narrative more forceful.
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| Hiss! Boo! |
Oh well. I suspect this film could still be made if I rewrote it for the Trumpian age!
15. THE FALL OF JAPAN
--Screenplay--
Adaptation of "The Fall of Japan" by William Craig
Genre: Docudrama
March 30, 1990
I read this book about the political and military turmoil concerning the surrender of Japan during World War II and, well, you know me, I couldn't resist adapting it on a lark. I'm surprised no one ever told this story. We have ton of films about the Hitler bunker, but none about the Japanese surrender. In many ways, this is a more fascinating story. Never attempted to contact the publisher or author. Never submitted it anywhere. It was just an exercise.
16. MOBILE ONE
--Screenplay--
with David Butler
Genre: Comedy/Drama
August 1990
I read an article in an advertising trade magazine about some people who drove around the west with a studio and a post production facility in a trailer and made TV commercials for companies in small markets. That sounded cool to me since I worked in the business. I brought David onto the project to write it with me. This was the first project after The Long Drive that I sent to my new agent. Stu didn't think it worked as a feature, but he thought it might be great as a series pilot. So....
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| Sean and Dave, aka The Blues Brothers |
17. MOBILE ONE
--Teleplay--
with David Butler
Genre: Comedy/Drama
September 1990
Stu asked us to rewrite our feature script as a pilot for a one camera series. He sent it around during pilot season, but nothing came of it. It probably didn't help that David and I structured the pilot like a short feature rather than using television structure and breaking up the acts with cliffhangers.... Oh well, I wasn't familiar with the format. There really weren't any books on the subject out yet.
18. CRUSADER
--screenplay--
Inspired by the novel "Moby Dick" by Herman Melville
Genre: Drama/Thriller
November 28, 1990
19. THE FOURTH MRS. JONES
--Screenplay--
Genre: Drama/Comedy
November 28, 1990
I was inspired to write this script, about a powerful lawyer walking down the aisle for the fourth time with his much younger secretary, after videotaping the wedding of my former boss, a powerful adman walking down the aisle for the fourth time with his much younger secretary.
Although this script was inspired by my boss' wedding, this was a very personal script to me. If my previous script A Call of Love showed me wallowing in lost love, this script showed me prepared to move on. Also, if The Long Drive was the script that built my reputation, The Fourth Mrs. Jones looked like the one that would make me rich. This script was getting the same outstanding reads as TLD. A-Listers like producer Richard Zanuck were praising "my ear for dialogue." Then I got the big call from Stu on a certain Wednesday. The production company Haft/Nasatir wanted to buy the script as the follow-up to their hit The Dead Poets' Society. He said they were signing the deal Friday afternoon. I waited by the phone all day. No call. Monday I called Stu. He said the deal fell through at the last minute.... Oh well. I had written nineteen scripts in about five years. I hadn't hit the big time yet, but it felt close enough to taste. If you told me it would be over ten years before I would have a script produced, I would have said you were crazy!
(BTW, I am sporadically working on a re-write of his script with my friend and longtime reader Trish Schweers. We're into the second act and I believe it is much, much better than the original.)
20. FORTY-FOUR
--Novella--
Genre: Police Thriller
September 9, 1991
I never attempted to market my first script. I knew its limitations, However, after I read an ad about a new publisher who wanted short, pulpy crime thrillers, I decided to pull the story out of mothballs. It never got published, but I think it was my best novel to date. My skill and confidence as a writer was improving. Ten thousand hours, baby!
21. THE LONG DRIVE
--Novel--
Genre: Drama/Comedy
December 28, 1991
I had such a good time adapting Forty-Four into a novel, I decided to give The Long Drive the same treatment. I wasn't quite as happy with the result. I think it was a matter of confidence rather than quality. I trusted myself to write character driven screenplays now, but I felt I still needed the crutch of a genre for prose writing....
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| The Ad Doctor, Chris Scharpf, and Mrs Ad Doctor |
22. SUPERGUYS
--Screenplay--
with Andrew Stoller
Genre: Comedy
February 6, 1992
This superhero spoof, which follows much the same path as the future hit The Incredibles, was the brain child of fellow adman Andy Stoller, or, as we liked to call him "The Ad Doctor." I thought the script was very funny. Stu didn't like it. He only sent it around to a few companies and said the response was not good. He said we should pull it. We did. Too bad. This was one of the films that made me wary of writing straight comedy. My rule of thumb on comedy was to always have three laughs per page. Obviously, the readers didn't have the same sense of humor as I did! (Or Andy.)
23. HOUSE OF SADISM
--Screenplay--
Based on the script "Every Woman Bleeds The First Time" by Loretta Gubernatis
Genre: Thriller
August 10, 1992
Writer/Producer Loretta Gubernatis offered my friend David Butler the chance to direct this film. The money was supposedly already in place. (Never believe that! See my blog The Shark and The Dreamer.) David only had one problem. He didn't like the script. He asked if I could re-write it. I said I would, if I could do it in one week. And I did.
It was a fascinating experience. I literally only used one line of dialogue from the original. I actually felt the script had its moments. The villain is perhaps the most evil character I have ever worked on, and the plot is absurdly twisted. Too bad it didn't get made. Needless to say, the money was not in place! It never is!
Around this time, my writing career began going off the rails commercially for two reasons. One, after so many near misses, I just wanted to make a film. Any film! So I started believing anyone who told me to they had the money or a deal in place. This lead to a lot of unpaid assignments that I never mentioned to my agent because I knew he would advise against doing them.
Secondly, my economic circumstances had changed. I loved working for the advertising agency, but it didn't pay much. When I left to become a freelance film editor, my income increased dramatically. Therefore, I no longer felt the financial need to write a blockbuster. I felt I could take time off to write projects for friends and explore non-commercial ideas. I still wanted to "succeed," but the hunger had subsided.
24. THE STRAY CHARACTERS
--Screenplay--
Genre: Drama
December 12, 1992
For a while, I worked a great deal at a recording studio owned by John Palumbo, the chief singer and songwriter of the band Crack The Sky. Although they never really took off on a national basis, it would be hard to overstate their popularity in the Mid Atlantic area. For me, sitting around with John Palumbo was the equivalent of sitting around with Mick Jagger (although he would probably prefer to be compared to David Bowie.)
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| Crack The Sky |
I really liked this story, but the script proved to be my first disappointment. Stu didn't like it. This was my first solo screenplay he didn't care for. He thought I told the wrong story. Instead of concentrating on the family man, he thought I should have told the story of another member of the band who had been striving to succeed the whole time.
Stu was wrong. Not about whether the script was any good. No, he was right that it had problems, but he misdiagnosed them. The first problem was that I sent him, essentially, a first draft. My normal policy had always been to write a script, then write another script before I went back to re-write the previous one. I felt that gave me the necessary distance to really evaluate the first script properly. I was so excited about this script that I just typed Fade Out and sent it to him. That was same mistake I made with my script Mengele.
But that wasn't the real problem. I wasn't able to diagnosis the real problem until years later by reading scripts by other writers. My main problem was that I liked all of the characters too much to hurt them or make them look like jerks. I was so sympathetic to everyone that the conflict and drama suffered as a result. I still believe this would make a great movie. I even pitched it to John Schneider, of Dukes of Hazard fame, on the set of my film Holyman Undercover. A singer himself, John seemed very interested, especially if he could direct! (Everyone wants to direct but me!) Sadly, I never pursued it. I never had the time to re-write it!
25. THE DELICATE DEPENDENCY
--Screenplay--
Based on the novel "The Delicate Dependency" by Michael Talbot
Based on the novel "The Delicate Dependency" by Michael Talbot
Genre: Horror
Circa 1993
I remember practically nothing about this project or how it came into being. Someone, I can't remember who, had the rights to the book and approached me about adapting it. I couldn't find the digital file anymore, but, just to make sure I wasn't misremembering the whole thing, I ventured down to the filing cabinet in my basement and found a dot matrix printout of the first act. There must be a finished script somewhere. I made it a point of finishing everything I started. Needless to say, the movie wasn't made, and, based on the few pages I just read, my script wasn't very good. Oh, well. You can't hit a home run every time!
26. WINDWARD ISLE
--Screenplay--
Story by Sean Paul Murphy and David Butler
Genre: Thriller
April 16, 1994
The first, essentially, solo script I wrote in a very long time (although David Butler contributed with the story.) This was a straight-up thriller about a group of travelers to a remote island off the coast of Maine who are framed for a heinous crime by the corrupt sheriff and face the rage of the community.
In retrospect, I think the action worked but in this script the main characters were weak. It suffered from the same problem as my previous solo script The Stray Characters. The main emotional conflict was between a couple on the verge of divorce, but I liked them too much to make either of them appear unsympathetic. That killed the conflict. It was bad storytelling. I must not have been very confident about this script. I literally have no memory of sending it to Stu. I could probably fix this one if I had the time! It has the bones of a good story.
27. JENNY
--Screenplay--
Based on a treatment by Carol Flaisher
Genre: Family Drama
June 6, 1994
I was approached by a producer friend Carol Flaisher who asked if I was interested in working on a script for a friend of hers. Her friend was the former head of production at Morgan Creek, which was a top production company at the time. I said yes. I went to Hollywood to meet with him. (My first trip to LA.) The guy's wife was a big supporter of a charity that trained and provided service dogs. He wanted to produce a film that showed how it worked. There would be no upfront payment. However, in return for my labors, he would let me write an episode for a series he was developing at Showtime about items left at the Vietnam Wall. I said count me in!
Carol's treatment dealt with a troubled twelve-year-old girl named Jenny dealing with anger issues after the death of her mother. Her psychiatrist convinces her to join the dog training program. The girl and the dog bond, but, eventually the lovable beast must be given to its final owner. This would allow the girl to deal with her issues regarding loss, and hopefully inspire a tear or two in the audience.
Obviously, if you read the descriptions of my previous scripts, this subject matter wasn't necessarily in my wheelhouse. Then my sister Laura died leaving a twelve-year-old daughter. Suddenly, this commissioned project became very personal to me as I observed my niece during this period. I even let her read the script to see if it emotionally real to her. Sadly, the Hollywood producer didn't like the final script. He wanted something bigger, more Hollywood. I couldn't deliver that. I didn't want to deviate away from what felt real to me. (Later I would learn to always make the changes!)
The drawback of writing something based on other people's work or ideas is that you ultimately don't own the property in the end. I definitely believe I could sell this script today with a little updating, but there is no point trying. The ownership is too tangled.
28. OUTER DARK
--Screenplay--
Adaptation of the novel "Outer Dark" by Cormac McCarthy
Genre: Gothic Drama
November 17, 1994
I don't know who turned me onto Cormac McCarthy. It was either Chuck Regner or Trish Schweers, but I became an instant fan. His appeal to me can summed up by this comment from a critic: "McCarthy makes the nature supernatural and the supernatural nature." Another critic also remarked that someone always meets the devil in his books. I like that, too.
I first read his novel Blood Meridian: Or Evening Redness in the West. It was fantastic. I wanted to immediately adapt that one, but I heard the rights had already been acquired. (Where's the movie, Hollywood? You've had more than enough time!) I chose to do an adaptation of this novel instead. It is a very dark piece featuring incest, cannibalism and, of course, meeting the Devil. If you're reading this, and you own the rights to this novel, send me an email. I have an excellent adaptation for you.
Read the first five pages here: Outer Dark
Although the former head of production of Morgan Creek didn't like the script Jenny, he kept his word and let me write an episode of his proposed Showtime series about the story of items left behind at the Vietnam Memorial. The series was intended to be a writers' showcase, so I was delighted to be involved. Sadly, however, it never became a series. Showtime made it as a standalone feature instead, which did not use my segment. I am not sure they even saw it. The producer I was working with must have been forced out because his name never even ended up in the credits. Still, it was a great experience. I did a lot of research. I extensively interviewed a number of veterans of the Vietnam War, including my late uncle Doug Sartor, and really gained an understanding of the sights, sounds, smells and feel of the war. Thank you all for your service!
30. ROSES IN JUNE
This script was about a wagon train of women being sent to a western mining town to serve as brides for the miners. Someone said they had the money to make the film and I fell for it (again). In my defense, it wasn't a bad idea or a bad script, and I always wanted to write a western. But it was a wasted effort.
In this script, the mafia and the police team up to catch serial stalking the streets of New York after a mob boss' daughter is murdered.
This script, inspired by the classic German film M, marked a strong return to form for me after spending years working on other people's supposedly surefire projects. This is the first script I sent to my agent Stu Robinson, who was now at Paradigm, since The Stray Characters. He really liked it, but he felt I spent to much time on the action. He said, "Sean, anyone can write a car chase. Your strength is your characters." Thanks, man!
Sadly, Stu was not able to sell the script, but it was nice being back in the game. A few years later I got it optioned by a production company in New York, but it was never produced. Or should I say it hasn't been produced yet.... This script is definitely worth a second look.
29. TIME
--Teleplay--
Genre: War
December 6, 1994
Although the former head of production of Morgan Creek didn't like the script Jenny, he kept his word and let me write an episode of his proposed Showtime series about the story of items left behind at the Vietnam Memorial. The series was intended to be a writers' showcase, so I was delighted to be involved. Sadly, however, it never became a series. Showtime made it as a standalone feature instead, which did not use my segment. I am not sure they even saw it. The producer I was working with must have been forced out because his name never even ended up in the credits. Still, it was a great experience. I did a lot of research. I extensively interviewed a number of veterans of the Vietnam War, including my late uncle Doug Sartor, and really gained an understanding of the sights, sounds, smells and feel of the war. Thank you all for your service!
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| Uncle Doug Sartor |
30. ROSES IN JUNE
--Screenplay--
Story by Ray Hepinstall and Loki Mulholland
Genre: Western
July 1995
This script was about a wagon train of women being sent to a western mining town to serve as brides for the miners. Someone said they had the money to make the film and I fell for it (again). In my defense, it wasn't a bad idea or a bad script, and I always wanted to write a western. But it was a wasted effort.
31. MR. INSIDE
aka MGK (Machine Gun Killer)
--Screenplay--
Genre: Thriller
June 2, 1997
***OPTIONED***
In this script, the mafia and the police team up to catch serial stalking the streets of New York after a mob boss' daughter is murdered.
This script, inspired by the classic German film M, marked a strong return to form for me after spending years working on other people's supposedly surefire projects. This is the first script I sent to my agent Stu Robinson, who was now at Paradigm, since The Stray Characters. He really liked it, but he felt I spent to much time on the action. He said, "Sean, anyone can write a car chase. Your strength is your characters." Thanks, man!
Sadly, Stu was not able to sell the script, but it was nice being back in the game. A few years later I got it optioned by a production company in New York, but it was never produced. Or should I say it hasn't been produced yet.... This script is definitely worth a second look.
Read the first five pages here: Mr. Inside
32. SKIPJACK
--Screenplay--
Genre: Drama
June 22, 1998
***OPTIONED***
In this script set on Maryland's rural Eastern Shore, a high school graduate, much to the chagrin of his parents and college-bound girlfriend, refuses to continue his education in order to become a waterman like his father and grandfather.
I wrote this screenplay as a test of my skills. After my action-oriented previous script, I wanted to write one where the conflict was almost entirely internal. I believe I succeeded, but, films aren't the best format for internal struggles! Stu liked it, but he didn't think it was edgy enough for the teen market at the time. (This script, like The Stray Characters and Windward Isle, suffered from my desire to make everyone too nice and understandable.)
The script was optioned by old friend David Butler, who arranged a table read with local union actors. It was an illuminating experience. Here's what I expected: I thought the male protagonist was drawn with a great deal of depth. He was foolish and insecure, but a good guy underneath. I thought the female protagonist was a little vague and underdeveloped. I hoped the read would give me insight into her.
Enter the actors. The guy playing the male lead was completely prepared. The girl playing the female lead thought she was reading a supporting role, so she was cold for the lead. Guess what? With every line the guy read, I hated the character (and my script) more and more. Meanwhile, the young lady read her character with such warmth and intelligence, that I fell in love with the character (and my script) more and more with each line. That served as a very stark reminder that a screenplay is only an intermediate document. We writers are dependent upon others to bring our vision to life. A bad actor will make you cringe and want to pull your hair out. A good actor, however, can give your character depth you never imagined. I've had my share of both!
The film was never produced. The script problems could be solved, but, like Crusader, too much of the action took place on the water. It was too cost prohibitive for a local, independent production.
33. MR. KENNETH
aka CANDIDO
--Screenplay--
Genre: Crime Drama
July 8, 1998
A friend of mine worked as a book keeper at a mob-owned restaurant supply company in Queens. Her tales inspired me to write this film about an aging mafioso who tries to change his life after falling in love with the recently-divorced manager of a nearby supermarket.
Technically speaking, this film is part of an intended mafia trilogy, along with Mr. Inside, centered around my fictional Semenza Family. It is an oddball trilogy because the stories are totally unrelated, but they all take place in the same criminal universe. The only common character would be Pete Ricco, a grandfatherly figure who is deceptively calculating and vicious. Pete would appear as a supporting character in all three films. (I haven't written the third one yet.)
I also approached this script, like Skipjack, as a writing exercise. I wanted to write a crime film where you didn't hear a gunshot until the third act. In other words, I wanted to sell the story through character only rather than action. I believe I succeeded, although I suspect most people who like mob films want gunshots throughout!
I recently heard an interview with John Lennon recorded during the Beatles controversial 1966 North American tour. (This was right after the "We're bigger than Jesus" comment.) A snarky reporter asked him how he felt about their declining popularity. Lennon said it didn't bother him because their music was getting better. That's how I felt around this time. Objectively speaking, I thought I had better ideas ten years earlier, but my actual writing was much stronger now.
Stu liked the script, but he didn't think it had a shot. He thought it was too serious for the current marketplace. He was familiar with the upcoming Billy Crystal mob comedy Analyze This and the upcoming series The Sopranos (which he thought would be played more for laughs.) He thought Hollywood was only in the mood for mob comedies. That said, I did have a fascinating discussion with the legendary casting director/producer Lou Digiaimo, who requested to read the script, about how difficult it was finding financing for films with an older cast.
This would be the last script I sent to the mighty Stuart Robinson. My next couple scripts would be written with Lee Bonner, who was repped by The Gersh Agency. If we needed an agent, we went with them. When next I called Stu, I was told he had passed away. A pity. I believe I owe him my writing career. I went through some awfully lean years as a writer, and who knows if I would have continued if it weren't for his encouragement and faith in me.
The irony is that I never met him in person. Even when I went to LA. I thought we had a great relationship and I didn't want to jinx it by meeting him in person.
Rest In Peace, Stu.
Read the first five pages here: Candido
Remember when I said The Long Drive led to my first produced film? Here's how.
Lee Bonner, aside from being the writer of the song Nobody But You that the Beatles used to cover in the clubs, was the top commercial director in the Mid-Atlantic area. I knew him from my earliest days in the broadcast department at Smith Burke & Azzam. I also knew that he knew Barry Levinson. So when Stu sent me Levinson's kind letter about The Long Drive, I took it over to Lee to verify the signature. Lee declared it authentic. And Levinson's seal of approval brought me new stature in Lee's eyes.
I did a lot of editing work for Lee in the coming years. The first possibility of us writing together involved the film Home Fries, which eventually starred Drew Barrymore and Luke Wilson. Levinson's production company, Baltimore Pictures, had acquired the script by Vince Gilligan, who later created the series Breaking Bad. Lee was originally slated to direct the picture and he wanted to know if I wanted to help re-write the script. I said yes, but the project went away. Oh well. That's life.
Skip ahead around eight years. Lee had branched out from directing commercials to episodic television shows like Homicide: Life on the Streets, Moloney, Profiler and The Practice. He had an idea for a feature film. Lee is an avid sailor who lives in Annapolis. He invented a slacker named West Rhodes, a water cop who only pulled over boats to confiscate beers from teens or meet girls, who injects himself into a murder investigation. Think the Dude from The Big Lebowski as a cop, but with less ambition. I loved the character and working with Lee. Lee is an avid reader of mysteries and that's all he ever wanted to write. He is also very funny, and our senses of humor really meshed. Our scripts tended to be very funny, if I must say so myself.
In this film, two detectives investigate the murder of a female student at a College of the Arts where a professor of dance has a history of becoming obsessed with certain students. The situation becomes more complicated when the younger detective becomes romantically involved with the next potential victim, leading to what would become a four-sided love triangle.
This film almost got made. It was my closest call since The Fourth Mrs. Jones. We got the script to Christopher Walken, who agreed to play the obsessive dance instructor. (I couldn't imagine better casting!) But things had to happen fast. Perhaps too fast. It looked like SAG was about to strike and we would have squeeze the film in before it happened. The project fell apart, but not only because of the impending strike. Lee had another idea he wanted to explore instead.
(BTW, this would not be the end of the road for our two detective heroes. We would lift those characters out of this film and plunk them down in 21 Eyes.)
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| With Lee Bonner and David Butler at the Kennedy Center for 21 Eyes. |
34. WEST RHODES
--Screenplay--
With Lee Bonner
Genre: Mystery
Circa 2001
Lee Bonner, aside from being the writer of the song Nobody But You that the Beatles used to cover in the clubs, was the top commercial director in the Mid-Atlantic area. I knew him from my earliest days in the broadcast department at Smith Burke & Azzam. I also knew that he knew Barry Levinson. So when Stu sent me Levinson's kind letter about The Long Drive, I took it over to Lee to verify the signature. Lee declared it authentic. And Levinson's seal of approval brought me new stature in Lee's eyes.
I did a lot of editing work for Lee in the coming years. The first possibility of us writing together involved the film Home Fries, which eventually starred Drew Barrymore and Luke Wilson. Levinson's production company, Baltimore Pictures, had acquired the script by Vince Gilligan, who later created the series Breaking Bad. Lee was originally slated to direct the picture and he wanted to know if I wanted to help re-write the script. I said yes, but the project went away. Oh well. That's life.
Skip ahead around eight years. Lee had branched out from directing commercials to episodic television shows like Homicide: Life on the Streets, Moloney, Profiler and The Practice. He had an idea for a feature film. Lee is an avid sailor who lives in Annapolis. He invented a slacker named West Rhodes, a water cop who only pulled over boats to confiscate beers from teens or meet girls, who injects himself into a murder investigation. Think the Dude from The Big Lebowski as a cop, but with less ambition. I loved the character and working with Lee. Lee is an avid reader of mysteries and that's all he ever wanted to write. He is also very funny, and our senses of humor really meshed. Our scripts tended to be very funny, if I must say so myself.
We were both very satisfied with the script, but, like my previous scripts Crusader and Skipjack, all of the action on the water made it cost prohibitive to film independently. He thought we should write something cheaper.
Read the first five pages here: West Rhodes
35. THE FOUR SIDED TRIANGLE
--Screenplay--
With Lee Bonner
Genre: Mystery
May 14, 2001
In this film, two detectives investigate the murder of a female student at a College of the Arts where a professor of dance has a history of becoming obsessed with certain students. The situation becomes more complicated when the younger detective becomes romantically involved with the next potential victim, leading to what would become a four-sided love triangle.
This film almost got made. It was my closest call since The Fourth Mrs. Jones. We got the script to Christopher Walken, who agreed to play the obsessive dance instructor. (I couldn't imagine better casting!) But things had to happen fast. Perhaps too fast. It looked like SAG was about to strike and we would have squeeze the film in before it happened. The project fell apart, but not only because of the impending strike. Lee had another idea he wanted to explore instead.
(BTW, this would not be the end of the road for our two detective heroes. We would lift those characters out of this film and plunk them down in 21 Eyes.)
Read the first five pages here: The Four Sided Triangle
In addition to mysteries, Lee also loved spy thrillers. Although he read the James Bond books, he was a bigger fan of the Len Deighton novels about the spy Harry Palmer, who was memorably brought to the screen in the person of Michael Caine. Lee wanted to write a movie about a Harry Palmer like spy whose retirement is threatened by a nemesis from the past. To make our task even more difficult, Lee only wanted to do the film if we could get Michael Caine to play the lead! And, believe it or not, we almost pulled it off. We got the script to Caine's agent, who approved it. He sent it to Caine's manager, who also approved it. The manager sent it to Caine, who would read it over the Christmas Holidays. He did, but he opted against doing it.
Crestfallen, Lee decided we should write a low budget film that we could make ourselves without any backing. That lead to....
Finally! A real production. You can read all about the making of this film in a series of blogs starting here: 21 Eyes, A History.
Okay, okay. John Hughes beat me. It only took him 25 scripts before he got the first one produced. It took me 33 scripts (and four novels.) Granted, the comparison isn't completely fair, I wrote a number of those scripts simply as exercises with no intention whatsoever to sell them.
Since that time, I have written an additional 36 scripts, both long and short, of which 25 have been produced. I have also written two books, one of has been published and I am currently pitching the second one.
I know what you're asking: Was the struggle of writing thirty-seven projects over the course of almost twenty-years worth it?
Of course it was! For one thing, it was never a struggle. I love to write so I was only doing what I loved to do. How can you beat that? Also, being young and single, I didn't really sacrifice anything for the craft either. I lived my life every day, not postponing my pleasures until I achieved some abstract goal. I worked all day and went out with my friends in the evening. But when I got home, I would stick an episode of MST3K in the VHS player and start writing. Plus, I never labored over those scripts for months at a time. I'm not that kind of writer. Most of my scripts were written in a few short weeks, even if those weeks ever scattered over a few months because of my other responsibilities. That said, if I had a wife and children during that period, things night have been different. I would have still written, but I definitely would have been more selective about what I wrote.
It also really helped that I received significant encouragement by people in Hollywood like Stu early in my career and at certain key moments afterwards. Trust me, those letters from Barry Levinson and Richard Zanuck stayed tacked on my wall for a long time! Their encouragement gave me the faith to continue on, instead of devoting my time to some other "hobby" I enjoyed just as much.
However, if you're only writing because you think it's a good way to make money, I doubt you will stick with it long enough to succeed. Nor should you. Find something else to do that you can enjoy for its own sake instead. Life's too short not to be doing something you love!
If you're writing only because you want to direct something, I would ask: Why? If it's not your passion, don't bother. Go on InkTip to find a script to direct. Or The Black List. Or put a post up on Craig's List. There are plenty of passionate, talented writers who would be happy to work with you.
Here's my more recent scripts. The list does not include non-narrative films, commercials and films I did paid rewriting upon. (I am only crediting the actual co-writers of the scripts):
Echo of the Thin Man, 2003, with Lee Bonner. The Red Death, 2004. I, John, 2005. Desecrated, 2005 (pre-production.) Hidden Secrets, 2006, with Tim Ratajczak. A Song For Christmas, 2006, with Tim Ratajczak. I Will Not, 2006, with David Butler. An Italian Restaurant, 2006, with Lee Bonner and an uncredited rewrite by Barry Levinson. Eradication, 2007. Maestro Percival, 2007. Untitled Film, No. 9, 2007. Bag, 2007, with Tim Ratajczak. Holyman Undercover, 2008, with Tim Ratajczak. Judy, 2009, with Lee Bonner. Sarah's Choice, 2009, with Tim Ratajczak. The Encounter, 2010, with Tim Ratajczak. Proof, 2010, with Tim Ratajczak. We're Gonna Die, 2010, with Lee Bonner. Run On, 2011 with Tim Ratajczak, Brad Stine and Tommy Blaze. Betrayed, 2011. Marriage Retreat, 2011, with Tim Ratajczak and Tommy Blaze. Unburied, 2011. Sacred Ground: The Battle For Mount Auburn Cemetery, 2012. Brother White, 2012 with Matt Richards and Tommy Blaze. The Encounter Paradise Lost, 2012. The Promise, or the Pros and Cons of Talking with God, 2012 (Memoir), published by TouchPoint Press. Revelation Road: The Beginning of the End, 2013, with Gabriel Sabloff. Revelation Road 2: The Sea of Glass and Fire, 2013, with Gabriel Sabloff. Shallow Grave, 2013, with Gabriel Sabloff. Open My Eyes, 2014, with Tim Ratajczak. Game of Pawns: The Glenn Duffie Shriver Story, 2014. Revelation Road: The Black Rider, 2014, with Gabriel Sabloff. The Company Man, 2015. Life-Like (Screenplay), 2015. The Coming Storm, 2015. Made In America, 2016. Redemption, 2016, Chapel Street (Novel), 2017, Published by TouchPoint Press. Magic Under Glass, 2018, with Michael Kline and Jaclyn Dolamore (Stage Musical). Chapel Street (Screenplay) Optioned, 2019. Runaway Heart, 2018, with Jennifer Healy Gloeb. The Nevernight Connection, 2019, with Jarett Melville. ScareBnB, 2019 (Short). Texas Two Step, 2020, with Jennifer Healy Gloeb, work in progress. The Park Family Cemetery, 2022 (Short Story) to be published in the anthology Nightmares of Strangers, Vol. 2, Final Table, 2023, with Deborah Lynn Murphy, Optioned. Life-Like (Novel), 2023, To Be Published by TouchPoint Press.
Other Writing Tips:
36. OUT IN THE COLD
--Screenplay--
With Lee Bonner
Genre: Spy Thriller
November 2002?
In addition to mysteries, Lee also loved spy thrillers. Although he read the James Bond books, he was a bigger fan of the Len Deighton novels about the spy Harry Palmer, who was memorably brought to the screen in the person of Michael Caine. Lee wanted to write a movie about a Harry Palmer like spy whose retirement is threatened by a nemesis from the past. To make our task even more difficult, Lee only wanted to do the film if we could get Michael Caine to play the lead! And, believe it or not, we almost pulled it off. We got the script to Caine's agent, who approved it. He sent it to Caine's manager, who also approved it. The manager sent it to Caine, who would read it over the Christmas Holidays. He did, but he opted against doing it.
Crestfallen, Lee decided we should write a low budget film that we could make ourselves without any backing. That lead to....
37. 21 EYES
aka REPLAY
--Screenplay--
With Lee Bonner
Genre: Mystery
April 23, 2003
***PRODUCED***
Finally! A real production. You can read all about the making of this film in a series of blogs starting here: 21 Eyes, A History.
Okay, okay. John Hughes beat me. It only took him 25 scripts before he got the first one produced. It took me 33 scripts (and four novels.) Granted, the comparison isn't completely fair, I wrote a number of those scripts simply as exercises with no intention whatsoever to sell them.
Since that time, I have written an additional 36 scripts, both long and short, of which 25 have been produced. I have also written two books, one of has been published and I am currently pitching the second one.
I know what you're asking: Was the struggle of writing thirty-seven projects over the course of almost twenty-years worth it?
Of course it was! For one thing, it was never a struggle. I love to write so I was only doing what I loved to do. How can you beat that? Also, being young and single, I didn't really sacrifice anything for the craft either. I lived my life every day, not postponing my pleasures until I achieved some abstract goal. I worked all day and went out with my friends in the evening. But when I got home, I would stick an episode of MST3K in the VHS player and start writing. Plus, I never labored over those scripts for months at a time. I'm not that kind of writer. Most of my scripts were written in a few short weeks, even if those weeks ever scattered over a few months because of my other responsibilities. That said, if I had a wife and children during that period, things night have been different. I would have still written, but I definitely would have been more selective about what I wrote.
It also really helped that I received significant encouragement by people in Hollywood like Stu early in my career and at certain key moments afterwards. Trust me, those letters from Barry Levinson and Richard Zanuck stayed tacked on my wall for a long time! Their encouragement gave me the faith to continue on, instead of devoting my time to some other "hobby" I enjoyed just as much.
However, if you're only writing because you think it's a good way to make money, I doubt you will stick with it long enough to succeed. Nor should you. Find something else to do that you can enjoy for its own sake instead. Life's too short not to be doing something you love!
If you're writing only because you want to direct something, I would ask: Why? If it's not your passion, don't bother. Go on InkTip to find a script to direct. Or The Black List. Or put a post up on Craig's List. There are plenty of passionate, talented writers who would be happy to work with you.
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| With Tim Ratajczak, playing each other in Holyman Undercover |
Echo of the Thin Man, 2003, with Lee Bonner. The Red Death, 2004. I, John, 2005. Desecrated, 2005 (pre-production.) Hidden Secrets, 2006, with Tim Ratajczak. A Song For Christmas, 2006, with Tim Ratajczak. I Will Not, 2006, with David Butler. An Italian Restaurant, 2006, with Lee Bonner and an uncredited rewrite by Barry Levinson. Eradication, 2007. Maestro Percival, 2007. Untitled Film, No. 9, 2007. Bag, 2007, with Tim Ratajczak. Holyman Undercover, 2008, with Tim Ratajczak. Judy, 2009, with Lee Bonner. Sarah's Choice, 2009, with Tim Ratajczak. The Encounter, 2010, with Tim Ratajczak. Proof, 2010, with Tim Ratajczak. We're Gonna Die, 2010, with Lee Bonner. Run On, 2011 with Tim Ratajczak, Brad Stine and Tommy Blaze. Betrayed, 2011. Marriage Retreat, 2011, with Tim Ratajczak and Tommy Blaze. Unburied, 2011. Sacred Ground: The Battle For Mount Auburn Cemetery, 2012. Brother White, 2012 with Matt Richards and Tommy Blaze. The Encounter Paradise Lost, 2012. The Promise, or the Pros and Cons of Talking with God, 2012 (Memoir), published by TouchPoint Press. Revelation Road: The Beginning of the End, 2013, with Gabriel Sabloff. Revelation Road 2: The Sea of Glass and Fire, 2013, with Gabriel Sabloff. Shallow Grave, 2013, with Gabriel Sabloff. Open My Eyes, 2014, with Tim Ratajczak. Game of Pawns: The Glenn Duffie Shriver Story, 2014. Revelation Road: The Black Rider, 2014, with Gabriel Sabloff. The Company Man, 2015. Life-Like (Screenplay), 2015. The Coming Storm, 2015. Made In America, 2016. Redemption, 2016, Chapel Street (Novel), 2017, Published by TouchPoint Press. Magic Under Glass, 2018, with Michael Kline and Jaclyn Dolamore (Stage Musical). Chapel Street (Screenplay) Optioned, 2019. Runaway Heart, 2018, with Jennifer Healy Gloeb. The Nevernight Connection, 2019, with Jarett Melville. ScareBnB, 2019 (Short). Texas Two Step, 2020, with Jennifer Healy Gloeb, work in progress. The Park Family Cemetery, 2022 (Short Story) to be published in the anthology Nightmares of Strangers, Vol. 2, Final Table, 2023, with Deborah Lynn Murphy, Optioned. Life-Like (Novel), 2023, To Be Published by TouchPoint Press.
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| with Jaclyn Dolamore |
Preview my horrifying new novel Chapel Street on Amazon:
Listen to me read some chapters here:
Chapel Street - Prologue - My Mother
Chapel Street - Chapter 1 - RestingPlace.com
Chapel Street - Chapter 2 - Elisabetta
Chapel Street - Chapter 3 - The Upload
Chapel Street - Chapter 4 - The Kobayashi Maru
Let's stay in touch:
Chapel Street - Prologue - My Mother
Chapel Street - Chapter 1 - RestingPlace.com
Chapel Street - Chapter 2 - Elisabetta
Chapel Street - Chapter 3 - The Upload
Chapel Street - Chapter 4 - The Kobayashi Maru
Let's stay in touch:
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