I'm currently working on a story that is a different interpretation of a pretty well known legend.

I don't feel comfortable giving away the actual story so I'll just use a different example:

If I were to write a script about the rise of King David but focus on the time he spent hiding from Saul and becoming somewhat of an outlaw, painting a portrait of a man who falls into a blood-soaked downward spiral, loses faith in his religion and his King (i.e. David the Atheist) but eventually finds redemption in his own humanity -- would that be considered "immoral"?

In other words, totally butcher a well known legend. Turn a legendary king who's power always seemed to derive from his spirituality into nothing more than a human being like the rest of us.

In this case there is barely any evidence to support the notion he ever existed, so I wouldn't necessarily be rewriting history, but in a way I'm kind of making up an assumption based on my own biased interpretation of reality which I would imagine many people would find pretty offensive, especially religious nuts who revere King David as a demigod.

The point and moral would be that whether or not a flying spaghetti monster exists or not, it is the actions we take in this life that lead us to our destiny.

I hope that was clear enough and I would love to hear some opinions.

Jonathan, I think you basically answered your own question with this comment..."...which I would imagine many people would find pretty offensive, especially religious nuts...".

But, who really cares?  You should write what you want to write. If people are offended, too bad for them.  If people love it, hooray for you.

I personally do not let any assumed morals hold me back when I write...and actually whenever I can push the envelope, I do.

Follow your heart, bud!

Without knowing the actual story it's hard to say.

I agree with Jeff that you should write what you like.

However, aside form morality, I would be unsure in certain circumstances whether completely changing a legend would be a good idea.

EG if you were to re-tell the story of Robin Hood and make Robin an evil, sadistic killer who stole form the poor and turned the Sheriff of Nottingham into the good guy. Regardless of how well you wrote it, the story would alienate your audience who would want to see the story of Robin Hood.

@screenrider, I meant no offense dude. It's not the script I'm working on. Just an example of a well known story to illustrate my point. Maybe "religious nut" was a tad too harsh, my bad, I meant no disrespect, we're all entitled to our opinions .

@Dreamscale, I hear ya. Write what makes you feel. Amen.

@ScarTissueFilms, thanks. When I was thinking of an example the first thing that came to mind was Robin Hood. Maybe the lesson here is to write something that sheds some new insight into the character without falsely portraying him/her.

Thanks guys, that helped a lot.

People gotta stop making threads asking if their scripts are offensive or not. It suggests two things. Either you want to offend people or don't have the guts to take the chance. That's it.

If you have a genuine story to tell, why not tell it? If you want to shock and offend people, I can't imagine your script would be all that great anyway.

It all depends on what your intentions are. You need to figure them out for yourself and decide whether or not you want to act on them. People who get offended by art will always look for and, from time to time, create what's going to offend them. Let them do the offending for themselves. Your priority should be writing.

@James McClung, good advice. Point taken. Thanks man.

@Jonathan

I wouldn't worry about it. Take examples like "The Last Temptation of Christ" which offended the fundamentalists but which portrayed Christ from a human POV. A successful and cult movie.

Also, the period you're talking about has more to do with transformation than "immorality" ; the Hero enters a World (physical) / State (psychological) where the Old Self dissolves away (there is a distinct process of doing this - see Kal Bashir's 510+ stage Hero's Journey at http://www.clickok.co.uk/index4.html).

Good luck.
p.s. the more I write, the more I realise that you shouldn't worry about offending people; but at the same time you have to be aware that you are writing for a market and you don't want to alientate that market. Also, remember that the controversy will get you millions of words of media coverage. In conclusion, pros and cons.

Do you wanna make art? Fine art few are sophisticated enough to appreciate?
Write what you wanna write, print it, bind it, put it on a shelf, try to get your friends to read it occasionally, maybe put it on a wordpress.com site and link it.

Do you wanna have a studio or indie prod to give you money? A reasonable to an absurd amount of money?
Write a story that shows a "different way of looking at the character", but make it marketable - even by going out on creative limb.

It's impossible to make everyone happy.
WalMart crowd won't like a history lesson.
Zealots won't like a deviation from history.
Studios have shareholders to generate EPSs for and employee benefits to pay.
You want some appreciation for your creativity.
So... !
Creatively figure a work-around.
"I'm smart. Well... HOW smart am I?"

I think the moment you begin to think "How would someone else feel about what I'm writing," you automatically limit yourself.  

Write what you want to write.  If others dig it, awesome.  If they don't, screw 'em.

What should morality have to do with screenwriting in the first place?

I think James McClung nailed it when he said that people who make these threads are either looking for attention or looking to alleviate their own deep-seated guilt.

Here's why it doesn't matter - because you're not making a documentary. You're not making a statement that says "King David was just a flawed man". You're making a piece of art, which states "WHAT IF King David was just a flawed man?"

Anthony

Point well taken, ajrscreenworks.

Quoted from JonathanS In other words, totally butcher a well known legend.

This is the movie business. Butchering well know legends / the truth is what you get paid to do. You get paid to romanticise and fictionalise. Relax.

Lol, good point Ralph.