Screenwriting
Jackie Gleason : "You're in the Picture"
Uploaded by werquin. - Discover more animation and arts videos.
20th Century Fox has hired Rupert Wyatt to develop and direct a prequel to Planet of the Apes. Wyatt directed The Escapist which premiered at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival to medium buzz and decent reviews. I wasn’t taken by the movie, but I know it was one of Alex from FirstShowing’s favorite movies of that year. The screenplay, titled Caesar (named after the ape who leads the rebellion against the humans in Conquest), was written by screenwriters Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver (The Hand That Rocks the Cradle, The Relic).
The film won’t have talking monkeys and will not end with chimps taking over Earth. Instead the film will be a hard science fiction film about humans that use science to create hyper-intelligent chimpanzees. Fox’s Tom Rothman has said the film takes place before the first film, and that it will be “a return to the social thematics that mark the first one, but with an entirely contemporary setting - Earth 2009.” Of course, he said that last year, so I’m assuming that will be updated to 2010 or 2011. The Lookout writer/director Scott Frank (The Lookout) was previously developing the film for Fox.
I’m still not convinced that we need another Planet of the Apes reboot at this point. The general public is going to need more time to forget Tim Burton’s remake. And the original films still work.
source: Fleming
Here are more Friday questions answered. From rockfish:
Being in both writing and sports, do you know why sports has rarely translated into a successfully popular TV show?
TV tends to shy away from sports-themed shows because they can be way expensive. At some point you need to see the games and that requires crowds, a lot of production, and MONEY. There have been some attempts but they tend to be too costly to justify their ratings. The worse ever was a sitcom on CBS adapted from the Jim Bouton book BALL FOUR. They did it as a multi-camera taped show all set in the locker room. You never saw them play. It was insane… but cheap.
FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS proves you can make a great sports-themed show. I just wish more people watched it. And there have been others. THE WHITE SHADOW for one. I'm sure you can come up with two or three more.
M. Shawn wonders:
What exactly is the job of a Television Producer? I know what a Director & Writer does, but I'm ignorant to what a Producer does?
Unlike in features this is a hazy area. In features a producer puts together the whole package – finds or develops the material, champions the project until the studio greenlights it, hires the director, and cast, manages the budget, and in some cases raises the financing. In television the show runner acts as the overseer of the production and in most cases he is a writer.
But then there are the non-writing producers (or “pods”). Here’s where it gets real murky. These are generally former network or studio executives who are given sweet production deals. And studios are now forcing writer/producers to attach themselves to these pods because the studio is paying for these pods. So in many cases these “producers” merely add another level of interference and take part of your profits for the privilege. There’s nothing they do that the writer/producer couldn’t do without them, and has been doing without them very successfully for fifty years. Executive Producer: Tony Soprano.
And finally, from YEKIMI:
What teacher did you "love" the most...someone in grade school? high school? college? or someone in the industry who may have "taught" you some things you would have never learned anywhere else?
The best teacher I ever had was a high school history teacher named David Solkovits. He made the subject come alive and kindled an interest in history I have to this day.
Along the way I have been incredibly fortunate to learn the craft of comedy writing from Larry Gelbart (pictured), James L. Brooks, the Charles Brothers, Tom Patchett & Jay Tarses, Gene Reynolds, and Jerry Belson. My directing gurus were James Burrows and David Lee.
There’s not a single English teacher I can point to in high school or college who really made a positive impact. But there was a radio newsman named Bruce Anson who taught me more about writing than anyone else. Here’s the post I once did about him.
What are you pondering these days?
Here are more Friday questions answered. From rockfish:
Being in both writing and sports, do you know why sports has rarely translated into a successfully popular TV show?
TV tends to shy away from sports-themed shows because they can be way expensive. At some point you need to see the games and that requires crowds, a lot of production, and MONEY. There have been some attempts but they tend to be too costly to justify their ratings. The worse ever was a sitcom on CBS adapted from the Jim Bouton book BALL FOUR. They did it as a multi-camera taped show all set in the locker room. You never saw them play. It was insane… but cheap.
FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS proves you can make a great sports-themed show. I just wish more people watched it. And there have been others. THE WHITE SHADOW for one. I'm sure you can come up with two or three more.
M. Shawn wonders:
What exactly is the job of a Television Producer? I know what a Director & Writer does, but I'm ignorant to what a Producer does?
Unlike in features this is a hazy area. In features a producer puts together the whole package – finds or develops the material, champions the project until the studio greenlights it, hires the director, and cast, manages the budget, and in some cases raises the financing. In television the show runner acts as the overseer of the production and in most cases he is a writer.
But then there are the non-writing producers (or “pods”). Here’s where it gets real murky. These are generally former network or studio executives who are given sweet production deals. And studios are now forcing writer/producers to attach themselves to these pods because the studio is paying for these pods. So in many cases these “producers” merely add another level of interference and take part of your profits for the privilege. There’s nothing they do that the writer/producer couldn’t do without them, and has been doing without them very successfully for fifty years. Executive Producer: Tony Soprano.
And finally, from YEKIMI:
What teacher did you "love" the most...someone in grade school? high school? college? or someone in the industry who may have "taught" you some things you would have never learned anywhere else?
The best teacher I ever had was a high school history teacher named David Solkovits. He made the subject come alive and kindled an interest in history I have to this day.
Along the way I have been incredibly fortunate to learn the craft of comedy writing from Larry Gelbart (pictured), James L. Brooks, the Charles Brothers, Tom Patchett & Jay Tarses, Gene Reynolds, and Jerry Belson. My directing gurus were James Burrows and David Lee.
There’s not a single English teacher I can point to in high school or college who really made a positive impact. But there was a radio newsman named Bruce Anson who taught me more about writing than anyone else. Here’s the post I once did about him.
What are you pondering these days?
While there is nothing concrete, industry insiders and Deadline are speculating that Steven Spielberg might make Robopocalypse his next directorial feature film. DreamWorks Studios and Doubleday have acquired the property in November in a pre-emptive deal. Daniel H. Wilson’s unpublished manuscript (due in 2011), Robopocalypse tells the story of “the fate of the human race following a robot uprising.” Cloverfield screenwriter Drew Goddard has been hired to pen the big screen adaptation. Spielberg directing a film about the robot apocalypse written by Goddard? Consider me excited!
Robopocalypse won’t be a hugely fantastical tale of the robot uprising, but aims to be more realistic. Wilson has a background in robotics and artificial intelligence which Doubleday Executive Editor and Vice President Jason Kaufman claims “grounds his story with a frightening level of realism and he has created an exhilarating story that we think audiences will really respond to.” Wilson has a Ph.D. in robotics from Carnegie Mellon University’s Robotics Institute, is a contributing editor to “Popular Mechanics,” and hosted a show on the History Channel called “The Works.” So yeah, expect something a lot more realistic than Transformers or Terminator Salvation.
You might recognize Wilson’s name as his name is all over a bunch of those novelty survival guide books, including the 2005 book “How to Survive a Robot Uprising: Tips on Defending Yourself Against the Coming Rebellion,” which was optioned by Paramount Pictures, and “Where’s My Jetpack?: A Guide to the Amazing Science Fiction Future That Never Arrived,” “How To Build a Robot Army: Tips on Defending Planet Earth Against Aliens, Ninjas, and Zombies,” and “The Mad Scientist Hall of Fame: Muwahahaha!” His next book, titled “Bro-Jitsu: The Martial Art of Sibling Smackdown,” which has already been optioned by Nicalodeon Movies, is scheduled for release next year.
Jason Segel (Forgetting Sarah Marshall, I Love You Man) and Ed Helms (The Office, The Hangover) have signed on to star in The Duplass Brothers’ stoner comedy Jeff Who Lives at Home. The Duplass brothers, Jay and Mark Duplass are writing and directing for producers Jason Reitman via his Right of Way Films and John Malkovich via his Mr. Mudd shingle.
The film has been described as a Sword in the Stone-style quest movie about a stoner’s search for some wood glue. The story takes place over the course of one day, and follows two brothers, “one a loser who lives at home” (Segel) and the other “more together but overbearing” (Helms). The role of their mother has not yet been cast. Judy Greer is in talks to play Helms’ wife. Shooting is set to begin in Louisiana in April 2010.
The Duplass Brothers broke onto the scene as part of the indie mumblecore movement (The Puffy Chair, Baghead…etc) working on mostly improvised scripts with unknown indie actors and consumer-grade digital video camera. I really love their style and the very real moments that result from their shooting style. The brothers have since been making the quasi-transistion into Hollywood.
Their latest film Cyrus premiered at Sundance (watch our video blog review here) and stars John C. Reilly, Marisa Tomei, Jonah Hill, and Catherine Keener.I think everyone will agree that Cyrus, the brothers’ Hollywood experiment works on all levels. I hope people see it when Fox Searchlight releases the film later this year (no release date announced).
source: THR
Jason Segel (Forgetting Sarah Marshall, I Love You Man) and Ed Helms (The Office, The Hangover) have signed on to star in The Duplass Brothers’ stoner comedy Jeff Who Lives at Home. The Duplass brothers, Jay and Mark Duplass are writing and directing for producers Jason Reitman via his Right of Way Films and John Malkovich via his Mr. Mudd shingle.
The film has been described as a Sword in the Stone-style quest movie about a stoner’s search for some wood glue. The story takes place over the course of one day, and follows two brothers, “one a loser who lives at home” (Segel) and the other “more together but overbearing” (Helms). The role of their mother has not yet been cast. Judy Greer is in talks to play Helms’ wife. Shooting is set to begin in Louisiana in April 2010.
The Duplass Brothers broke onto the scene as part of the indie mumblecore movement (The Puffy Chair, Baghead…etc) working on mostly improvised scripts with unknown indie actors and consumer-grade digital video camera. I really love their style and the very real moments that result from their shooting style. The brothers have since been making the quasi-transistion into Hollywood.
Their latest film Cyrus premiered at Sundance (watch our video blog review here) and stars John C. Reilly, Marisa Tomei, Jonah Hill, and Catherine Keener.I think everyone will agree that Cyrus, the brothers’ Hollywood experiment works on all levels. I hope people see it when Fox Searchlight releases the film later this year (no release date announced).
source: THR
Jason Segel (Forgetting Sarah Marshall, I Love You Man) and Ed Helms (The Office, The Hangover) have signed on to star in The Duplass Brothers’ stoner comedy Jeff Who Lives at Home. The Duplass brothers, Jay and Mark Duplass are writing and directing for producers Jason Reitman via his Right of Way Films and John Malkovich via his Mr. Mudd shingle.
The film has been described as a Sword in the Stone-style quest movie about a stoner’s search for some wood glue. The story takes place over the course of one day, and follows two brothers, “one a loser who lives at home” (Segel) and the other “more together but overbearing” (Helms). The role of their mother has not yet been cast. Judy Greer is in talks to play Helms’ wife. Shooting is set to begin in Louisiana in April 2010.
The Duplass Brothers broke onto the scene as part of the indie mumblecore movement (The Puffy Chair, Baghead…etc) working on mostly improvised scripts with unknown indie actors and consumer-grade digital video camera. I really love their style and the very real moments that result from their shooting style. The brothers have since been making the quasi-transistion into Hollywood.
Their latest film Cyrus premiered at Sundance (watch our video blog review here) and stars John C. Reilly, Marisa Tomei, Jonah Hill, and Catherine Keener.I think everyone will agree that Cyrus, the brothers’ Hollywood experiment works on all levels. I hope people see it when Fox Searchlight releases the film later this year (no release date announced).
source: THR
Jason Segel (Forgetting Sarah Marshall, I Love You Man) and Ed Helms (The Office, The Hangover) have signed on to star in The Duplass Brothers’ stoner comedy Jeff Who Lives at Home. The Duplass brothers, Jay and Mark Duplass are writing and directing for producers Jason Reitman via his Right of Way Films and John Malkovich via his Mr. Mudd shingle.
The film has been described as a Sword in the Stone-style quest movie about a stoner’s search for some wood glue. The story takes place over the course of one day, and follows two brothers, “one a loser who lives at home” (Segel) and the other “more together but overbearing” (Helms). The role of their mother has not yet been cast. Judy Greer is in talks to play Helms’ wife. Shooting is set to begin in Louisiana in April 2010.
The Duplass Brothers broke onto the scene as part of the indie mumblecore movement (The Puffy Chair, Baghead…etc) working on mostly improvised scripts with unknown indie actors and consumer-grade digital video camera. I really love their style and the very real moments that result from their shooting style. The brothers have since been making the quasi-transistion into Hollywood.
Their latest film Cyrus premiered at Sundance (watch our video blog review here) and stars John C. Reilly, Marisa Tomei, Jonah Hill, and Catherine Keener.I think everyone will agree that Cyrus, the brothers’ Hollywood experiment works on all levels. I hope people see it when Fox Searchlight releases the film later this year (no release date announced).
source: THR
Jason Segel (Forgetting Sarah Marshall, I Love You Man) and Ed Helms (The Office, The Hangover) have signed on to star in The Duplass Brothers’ stoner comedy Jeff Who Lives at Home. The Duplass brothers, Jay and Mark Duplass are writing and directing for producers Jason Reitman via his Right of Way Films and John Malkovich via his Mr. Mudd shingle.
The film has been described as a Sword in the Stone-style quest movie about a stoner’s search for some wood glue. The story takes place over the course of one day, and follows two brothers, “one a loser who lives at home” (Segel) and the other “more together but overbearing” (Helms). The role of their mother has not yet been cast. Judy Greer is in talks to play Helms’ wife. Shooting is set to begin in Louisiana in April 2010.
The Duplass Brothers broke onto the scene as part of the indie mumblecore movement (The Puffy Chair, Baghead…etc) working on mostly improvised scripts with unknown indie actors and consumer-grade digital video camera. I really love their style and the very real moments that result from their shooting style. The brothers have since been making the quasi-transistion into Hollywood.
Their latest film Cyrus premiered at Sundance (watch our video blog review here) and stars John C. Reilly, Marisa Tomei, Jonah Hill, and Catherine Keener.I think everyone will agree that Cyrus, the brothers’ Hollywood experiment works on all levels. I hope people see it when Fox Searchlight releases the film later this year (no release date announced).
source: THR
