Screenwriter Jeff Bushell’s latest spec has gone to the dogs. But in his case, that’s actually a good thing. Bushell’s comedy spec script Bad Dog is about an adorable mutt who’s also Satan’s favorite hellhound, and it was recently purchased by Lionsgate.

Bushell has pretty good luck with man’s best friend; he’s also the screenwriter behind Disney’s Beverly Hills Chihuahua and wrote and produced the Nickelodeon TV series Bella and the Bulldogs (though the latter isn’t really about the furry kind).

“I don't know why I have this knack for dogs, but I do love to write them,” Bushell said.

“I think that’s because they are such funny, lovable characters who are so expressive. There’s such a fun secret world that dogs seem to be engaging in and that’s endlessly fun. But also, I think that when I do a dog movie I want it to be about something bigger than just fun dog behavior.”

“Bigger” would describe Bad Dog. The movie is about Bub (short for Beelzebub), a bad dog who is, in the words of Bushell, “a total product of his environment, having been consistently rewarded for his awful behavior.” Bub is pushed through the gates of hell to Earth, where he is rescued by a family in crisis. 

“Bub’s only goal is to get back to hell, where he was the number one dog. He doesn’t really get Earth or normal people. But while he attempts his return through various bizarre satanic rituals, he falls in love with the family and inadvertently helps them get over their issues,” Bushell said.

“In the end, he must choose between his old life and new. When he chooses the family, he must defend them from Satan, who is deeply wounded by his dog’s betrayal.”

Bushell said that while he’s had bad dogs himself before, what truly inspired the script was the idea that in many cultures and myths, the lord of death or the devil has dogs.

“There’s something that’s completely hilarious about that to me,” he said.

While Bushell said he understands why ancient Greeks and Vikings thought dogs were menacing, dangerous, and could be useful in hunting souls or guarding the gate to the afterlife, he can’t help but think of how we treat dogs now.

“The pampering, the Instagram dress up videos, the dog bakeries. Then I wondered what happens when this creature of hell ends up with your average American family,” Bushell said.

“And the idea that Satan, the most evil, scheming bad guy of all time, is still also a dedicated dog owner makes me laugh.”

Bushell admits that he wrote Bad Dog quickly. After a disappointment with a show he was working on, he said he needed something to write so he “wouldn’t spend all Christmas and New Year’s sulking.”

“My lawyer, who I love, gave me a pep talk and said, ‘You’ll be okay. Just do me a favor and don’t write a feature because no one is buying them.’ So of course I wrote a feature.”

Altogether, Bushell said scriptwriting took about two months, including a couple of weeks for the draft and then rewrites.

“I also like to give the script to a few people I trust and have them weigh in because I find when writing alone, it’s hard to see certain issues in drafts.”

Describing his writing process, Bushell said he writes every day, even if that means just coming up with concepts.

“That’s always the hardest part for any writer and sometimes it doesn’t feel like writing, it just feels like banging your head against the wall,” he said.

“I try to write as many hours as I can depending on what part of the process I’m doing. I find that story breaking takes the most mental energy so if I’m doing that I usually quit early. But If I’m rewriting or punching, I can do it all day.”

Bushell juggles multiple projects when he’s writing, keeping them in different stages.

“Like trying to come up with a take on a TV show or assignment while writing a script is easier than writing two scripts at once. That’s hell,” he said.

Speaking of hell, Bushell said the script for Bad Dog didn’t change much from the initial concept to what he sold. 

“I think that’s because it’s a strong, simple concept and the idea contains a full film structure,” he said.

“It’s hard to find concepts like that. But when you do, you don’t have to engineer Act Two and Act Three events. They are contained in the concept. My second act problems had more to do with getting the arcs and the family story right.”

The sale of Bad Dog took about a month and half which, Bushell said, seems pretty par for the course these days.

“It used to be when you had a good spec, producers would read the first weekend, they’d get to buyers early the next week, and you might even have an offer by the weekend.”

Now, he said, the film market is slow.

“Especially in comedies because so few studios want to take a chance on original ideas. But even though [Bad Dog] was just a month, it sucked. Waiting always sucks.”

To writers who are struggling with their own specs, Bushell’s advice is to keep going.

“My biggest piece of advice is always to write on spec. I spent so much time over my career taking meetings with producers and working on their ideas and trying to sell them. I’ve been successful at times but never as successful as I’ve been doing my own stuff,” he said.

“Now if you have the chance to get on some awesome IP, go for it but make sure you’re still always writing a spec. It’s the only way to keep reinventing yourself and to do what’s truly personal or just what you really like. And if you’re writing what you really like, it’ll usually turn out well.”