Pages: 1, 2, 3 : All |
Author |
What script would have never been made? (currently 1464 views) |
dresseme |
Posted: June 24th, 2009, 9:11pm |
|
|
Guest User
|
This isn't always the case, but sometimes, when a writer/director gets too big, they can basically make whatever they want. And in this case, scripts that would have never gotten a second read (or even a full read, for that matter) make it to production.
What are some examples of films you think would have never been made had the writer/director been a nobody?
I put my vote in for "Southland Tales". There's no way anyone would have waded through that massive, convoluted script and pushed it to production had Kelly not just come off of "Darko". |
|
Logged |
|
|
|
|
Grandma Bear |
Posted: June 24th, 2009, 9:13pm |
|
|
Administrator
LocationThe Swamp... Posts7967 Posts Per Day 1.35 |
To me, The Strangers was a really bad script. Okay film, but the script was horrible. IMO. |
| |
|
Logged |
|
|
|
Reply: 1 - 30 |
|
|
dresseme |
Posted: June 24th, 2009, 10:18pm |
|
|
Guest User
|
To me, The Strangers was a really bad script. Okay film, but the script was horrible. IMO. |
Yeah, but wasn't that by a first-timer? |
|
Logged |
|
|
|
Reply: 2 - 30 |
|
|
Grandma Bear |
Posted: June 24th, 2009, 10:22pm |
|
|
Administrator
LocationThe Swamp... Posts7967 Posts Per Day 1.35 |
|
Logged |
|
|
|
Reply: 3 - 30 |
|
|
dresseme |
Posted: June 24th, 2009, 10:26pm |
|
|
Guest User
|
According to this, it made it through the Nicholls competition and that was the reason it went on to be made. I'm talking about scripts that are only made because a writer/director is popular and has sway. Unless I'm missing something here. |
|
Logged |
|
|
|
Reply: 4 - 30 |
|
|
Grandma Bear |
Posted: June 24th, 2009, 10:38pm |
|
|
Administrator
LocationThe Swamp... Posts7967 Posts Per Day 1.35 |
It was in the top 300 (I think). The writer was allowed to direct it because he had some "in" as a cinematographer. Read it and I think you'll agree. |
| |
|
Logged |
|
|
|
Reply: 5 - 30 |
|
|
steven8 |
Posted: June 24th, 2009, 10:45pm |
|
|
Old Timer The Ed Wood of Simply Scripts
LocationBarberton, OH Posts1156 Posts Per Day 0.22 |
Cliffhanger - Sylvester Stallone |
| ...in no particular order |
|
|
|
Reply: 6 - 30 |
|
|
Grandma Bear |
Posted: June 24th, 2009, 11:00pm |
|
|
Administrator
LocationThe Swamp... Posts7967 Posts Per Day 1.35 |
|
Logged |
|
|
|
Reply: 7 - 30 |
|
|
steven8 |
Posted: June 24th, 2009, 11:17pm |
|
|
Old Timer The Ed Wood of Simply Scripts
LocationBarberton, OH Posts1156 Posts Per Day 0.22 |
This is going to be another see-saw thread! One person's junk is another person's treasure! |
| ...in no particular order |
|
|
|
Reply: 8 - 30 |
|
|
sniper |
Posted: June 25th, 2009, 1:19am |
|
|
Old Timer My UZI Weighs A Ton
LocationNorthern Hemisphere Posts2249 Posts Per Day 0.48 |
Off the top of my head...
- Death Proof - No Country For Old Men - Terminator Salvation
and, of course
- The Happening |
| Down in the hole / Jesus tries to crack a smile / Beneath another shovel load |
|
Logged |
|
|
|
Reply: 9 - 30 |
|
|
dresseme |
Posted: June 25th, 2009, 1:59am |
|
|
Guest User
|
What have I started? |
|
Logged |
|
|
|
Reply: 10 - 30 |
|
|
steven8 |
Posted: June 25th, 2009, 2:11am |
|
|
Old Timer The Ed Wood of Simply Scripts
LocationBarberton, OH Posts1156 Posts Per Day 0.22 |
I hated No Country for Old Men. I thought it was a worthless movie. I'll second that. |
| ...in no particular order |
|
|
|
Reply: 11 - 30 |
|
|
dresseme |
Posted: June 25th, 2009, 2:18am |
|
|
Guest User
|
I hated No Country for Old Men. I thought it was a worthless movie. I'll second that. |
I'll have to politely disagree. Also, the films I'm thinking of don't necessarily have to be seen in a negative light either. I'm sure there are tons of really good films that just never would have seen the light of day unless a popular filmmaker was attached. One of my favorite films, "The Fountain", probably never would have been made had Aronofsky not been coming off of "Requiem". |
|
Logged |
|
|
|
Reply: 12 - 30 |
|
|
steven8 |
Posted: June 25th, 2009, 2:29am |
|
|
Old Timer The Ed Wood of Simply Scripts
LocationBarberton, OH Posts1156 Posts Per Day 0.22 |
Quoted from dresseme
I'll have to politely disagree.
Also, the films I'm thinking of don't necessarily have to be seen in a negative light either. I'm sure there are tons of really good films that just never would have seen the light of day unless a popular filmmaker was attached. One of my favorite films, "The Fountain", probably never would have been made had Aronofsky not been coming off of "Requiem".
|
Respectfully disagree on that one as well, I'd have to add The Fountain on this list, as I felt it shouldn't have been made either. |
| ...in no particular order |
|
|
|
Reply: 13 - 30 |
|
|
dresseme |
Posted: June 25th, 2009, 2:44am |
|
|
Guest User
|
Respectfully disagree on that one as well, I'd have to add The Fountain on this list, as I felt it shouldn't have been made either.
|
I don't know if this should necessarily be an argument of what shouldn't have been made, more of a discussion on what wouldn't have been made. EDIT: For example, you argue that "The Fountain" wouldn't have been made because it's a bad film. I argue it wouldn't have been made because it's a very complicated film that doesn't really appeal to a lot of people that I could see a lot of execs easily dismissing. On this, both of us are arguing why it wouldn't have been made. Arguing why it shouldn't have been made is a different thing altogether. |
|
Logged |
|
|
|
Reply: 14 - 30 |
|
|
steven8 |
Posted: June 25th, 2009, 2:51am |
|
|
Old Timer The Ed Wood of Simply Scripts
LocationBarberton, OH Posts1156 Posts Per Day 0.22 |
Quoted from dresseme I don't know if this should necessarily be an argument of what shouldn't have been made, more of a discussion on what wouldn't have been made. EDIT: For example, you argue that "The Fountain" wouldn't have been made because it's a bad film. I argue it wouldn't have been made because it's a very complicated film that doesn't really appeal to a lot of people that I could see a lot of execs easily dismissing. On this, both of us are arguing why it wouldn't have been made. Arguing why it shouldn't have been made is a different thing altogether. |
You're absolutely right. |
| ...in no particular order |
|
|
|
Reply: 15 - 30 |
|
|
Zack |
Posted: June 25th, 2009, 4:35am |
|
|
January Project Group
LocationErlanger, KY Posts4504 Posts Per Day 0.68 |
Rob Zombies Halloween. Nuff said.
~Zack~ |
|
Logged |
|
|
|
Reply: 16 - 30 |
|
|
George Willson |
Posted: June 25th, 2009, 8:48am |
|
|
Of The Ancients Doctor who? Yes, quite right.
LocationBroken Arrow Posts3591 Posts Per Day 0.50 |
For a director specifically? Hm...
Kill Bill wouldn't have because it was a two part film that was ultra stylistic. The two part bit would have killed it for a reader.
Star Wars was only made because of American Graffiti, and still there were reservations.
Halloween (the Carpenter version) was only made because Mustapha Akkad had some leftover money and he'd seen Assault on Precinct 13.
For one that's a head scratcher, how about The Hills Have Eyes 2 (Craven's 1985 version, not the remake...which was a hundred times better)? That load of poop shouldn't have slid off his desk, but hey, he had The Last House On The Left, The Hills Have Eyes, and Nightmare on Elm Street, so he must know what he's doing, right? Right? (shudder...)
Or there's The Adventures of Shark Boy And Lava Girl. If it wasn't Robert Rodriguez, we would never have seen the...um...creativity of his children who came up with the story. Surely, the innovative creator of El Mariachi would never give us crap.
Those are off the top of my head. |
| |
|
|
|
Reply: 17 - 30 |
|
|
Zack |
Posted: June 25th, 2009, 8:53am |
|
|
January Project Group
LocationErlanger, KY Posts4504 Posts Per Day 0.68 |
I was gonna mention the Kill Bill films as well, but didn't wanna get raped by QT fans...
~Zack~ |
|
Logged |
|
|
|
Reply: 18 - 30 |
|
|
Shelton |
Posted: June 25th, 2009, 9:09am |
|
|
Of The Ancients
LocationChicago Posts3292 Posts Per Day 0.48 |
I'll go with Paradise Alley Stallone made it between Rocky and Rocky 2, and had trouble getting it financed until he agreed to star in it himself. I remember reading something about a weird scenario with this script and the script for Rocky. I'll have to see if I can dig it up. |
| Shelton's IMDb Profile
"I think I did pretty well, considering I started out with nothing but a bunch of blank paper." - Steve Martin |
|
|
|
Reply: 19 - 30 |
|
|
Aaron |
Posted: June 25th, 2009, 9:55am |
|
|
New That's me
LocationSpring Hill, FL Posts425 Posts Per Day 0.08 |
Angels & demons, the script has horrible. I was appalled when I read it. The movie was good though |
| Isle 10- A series I'm currently writing with my friend Adam and it will go into production soon. Think The Office meets 10 Items or Less.
|
|
|
|
Reply: 20 - 30 |
|
|
dresseme |
Posted: June 25th, 2009, 10:26am |
|
|
Guest User
|
Angels & demons, the script has horrible. I was appalled when I read it. The movie was good though |
The script maybe (I haven't read it or seen the film), but given the popularity of the book series, it was really only a matter of time before the film was made. |
|
Logged |
|
|
|
Reply: 21 - 30 |
|
|
dresseme |
Posted: June 25th, 2009, 10:27am |
|
|
Guest User
|
I was gonna mention the Kill Bill films as well, but didn't wanna get raped by QT fans...
|
Once again, I can agree, even though I like the film, "Kill Bill" would have never been made; mainly because of the massive length of the script. |
|
Logged |
|
|
|
Reply: 22 - 30 |
|
|
bert |
Posted: June 25th, 2009, 11:06am |
|
|
AdministratorBuy the ticket, take the ride
LocationThat's me in the corner Posts4233 Posts Per Day 0.61 |
"Passion of the Christ".
Well, it might have been made -- but with a limited DVD release in niche stores.
But on the big screen? No way.
Not dissing the film here -- just saying this is an example of a film you would never have heard of without its champion behind it. |
| Hey, it's my tiny, little IMDb! |
|
Logged |
|
|
|
Reply: 23 - 30 |
|
|
George Willson |
Posted: June 25th, 2009, 12:18pm |
|
|
Of The Ancients Doctor who? Yes, quite right.
LocationBroken Arrow Posts3591 Posts Per Day 0.50 |
I was gonna mention the Kill Bill films as well, but didn't wanna get raped by QT fans...
~Zack~ |
I wasn't dissing the first few films in my list. I liked Kill Bill. I figured I'd hit some examples of some good films that would never have been made had the director been a nobody. If young QT had that one first, he would be working at a call center somewhere, and we'd've never seen it. |
| |
|
|
|
Reply: 24 - 30 |
|
|
michel |
Posted: June 25th, 2009, 1:32pm |
|
|
Old Timer
LocationFrance Posts1156 Posts Per Day 0.18 |
Every remakes made lately. |
| |
|
Logged |
|
|
|
Reply: 25 - 30 |
|
|
Zack |
Posted: June 25th, 2009, 2:10pm |
|
|
January Project Group
LocationErlanger, KY Posts4504 Posts Per Day 0.68 |
I wasn't dissing the first few films in my list. I liked Kill Bill. I figured I'd hit some examples of some good films that would never have been made had the director been a nobody. If young QT had that one first, he would be working at a call center somewhere, and we'd've never seen it.
|
I liked the first one, I just don't think anyone would have made it had QT's name not been on it. It would have been to risky. ~Zack~ |
|
Logged |
|
|
|
Reply: 26 - 30 |
|
|
dresseme |
Posted: June 25th, 2009, 3:14pm |
|
|
Guest User
|
Oh man, I thought of another one.
"Punch Drunk Love" (which is a film I like) would have never been made without Paul Thomas Anderson being a big deal. The film works so well because of the style he brings to it, and I just don't think the script would have turned a lot of heads. |
|
Logged |
|
|
|
Reply: 27 - 30 |
|
|
Murphy |
Posted: June 25th, 2009, 7:35pm |
|
|
Guest User
|
James Cameron's Avatar
Death Proof, most definitely.
Synedoche, New York.
Eyes wide shut.
The Godfather, well in a way, without Coppolla at the helm it was going to be updated and set in the 1970's. urrghh, he had to fight tooth and nail to get that movie made the way he wanted. The studio wanted Warren Beaty to play Michael!!
|
|
Logged |
|
|
|
Reply: 28 - 30 |
|
|
Why One |
Posted: June 25th, 2009, 8:01pm |
|
|
New
Posts57 Posts Per Day 0.01 |
I guess it depends on whether you think people in the industry would be willing to risk their careers to back a dead horse. The way I see it, scripts get produced because someone believed in them. It doesn't matter how "in" you are. Even a megastar like Tom Cruise can get dropped by a studio the moment they show signs of conflicting personal career interests. It's like taking out a new mortgage just to back your brother's business idea of selling ice on the internet. I read an interesting Q&A with A-list writer Terry Rossio a couple of weeks ago that highlights this: http://simborgpeanutgallery.blogspot.com/2009/05/awesome.html"JRM: How did you break in, and how did you come to be where you are now?
Terry Rossio: I'm going to try to not give the usual boilerplate answers in this interview, and that means not going along with false presumptions, no matter how seemingly benign. The question about breaking in seems perfectly legit, but really it's not. A writer must create compelling work, and then try to sell it. Once sold, the writer has to do the same thing again. It's really not true that the writer 'breaks in' - that's an artifact of the belief that the person is being judged, not the work, and also of the belief that there is an inside and an outside, which I don't think exists. There are too many screenwriters out there with only a single credit for there to be an inside, and too many writers on the outside making sales, to too many markets which are either new, changing, or undefined.
In truth buyers are just not that organized, your buyer is not my buyer, or in some cases, you can become your own buyer. Courtney Hunt was nominated for an Academy Award this year for best screenplay for Frozen River, and she's never sold a screenplay. Is she on the inside or the outside? In truth, anyone, at any time, can come up with South Park or Superman or Sandman, and that's all that matters.
I know writers want to think it's all about access, and it's true that for me, at this point, I can get a screenplay read, far easier than most. But that doesn't mean much if it doesn't sell, and no writer is so inside that anything they write sells. Lawrence Kasdan has three unsold specs. Shane Black has films he wants to get made he can't get made. When every studio passes on your project, let me tell you, that feeling of being on the inside disappears fast." |
|
Logged |
|
|
|
Reply: 29 - 30 |
|
|
michel |
Posted: June 25th, 2009, 11:40pm |
|
|
Old Timer
LocationFrance Posts1156 Posts Per Day 0.18 |
every Steven Seagal's film |
| |
|
Logged |
|
|
|
Reply: 30 - 30 |
|
Pages: 1, 2, 3 : All |