by Phil Galasso
At Writers’ Roundup, we bring you the stories that should be on every screenwriter’s radar, highlighting industry news you may have missed, analysis you can’t afford to, and much more.
What Came First, The Chicken Or The Egg?
There’s no question that Damien Chazelle’s semi-autobiographical screenplay for WHIPLASH is one of the year’s best. But getting the film made wasn’t easy, especially with a young, first-time director at the helm. To prove his worth as a director, Chazelle took an extended scene from his script and turned it into a short film. The plan worked – after premiering the short to raves at Sundance in 2013, Chazelle was back a year later with the completed feature. Since its release in October, the film has been widely praised, particularly for its original screenplay, so it comes as a surprise that the Academy has classified the film as an adaptation. Read all the details at Deadline.
Dead Is Dead, Except When It Isn’t
We’ve all heard about scripts that are “stuck in development hell” or have been “buried by the studio.” But just like in the movies, unless you see a corpse (and really, even then), anything is possible. Sometimes, all it takes is a smart producer to realize that maybe there’s a better way to tell a story. That’s what happened when Legendary’s Thomas Tull proposed turning PACIFIC RIM writer Travis Beacham’s long-thought-dead 2005 script, A KILLING ON CARNIVAL ROW, into a television series for Amazon. The Hollywood Reporter has the full story.
CARNIVAL ROW isn’t the only resurrection story of late. On January 16, Sony will release THE WEDDING RINGER, a new comedy written by Jeremy Garelick and Jay Lavender. THE WEDDING RINGER actually began life in 2002, when the duo sold their spec script (then called THE GOLDEN TUX) to Miramax. The film was developed with Vince Vaughn eyed to star, but when Miramax stopped producing films in 2009, the script was laid to rest in a storage unit in New Jersey. So how did THE WEDDING RINGER go from sleeping with the fishes to being released on 3,000 screens? The New York Times has the answer.
The Hero We Need
Dan Gilroy’s NIGHTCRAWLER is the textbook definition of a sleeper. The darkly comedic thriller starring Jake Gyllenhaal was released by Open Road from seemingly out of nowhere last fall to impressive box office results and now finds itself a serious awards contender. This is a film that breaks all the rules. If you don’t believe us, take a look at the script – where are the scene headings?! Film Crit Hulk dives deep into the film, its decidedly un-heroic main character Lou Bloom, and what we can take away from this very unusual film’s success.
Phil Galasso is a Los Angeles-based writer and filmmaker. He recently wrote and produced the short film ELLEN WIFE DEAD, and is hard at work on a feature-length follow-up. Phil is Director of Studio Relations for Final Draft.