John August

Archives for 2004

Freddie Highmore cast as titular Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Charlie, Projects

highmoreI’m always reluctant to talk much about CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY, because I never know what’s been approved by the studio for public release, and what’s supposed to be kept secret. But since this item showed up in [Variety](http://www.variety.com/index.asp?layout=cannes2004&content=story&articleid=VR1117905345&categoryid=1706&cs=1&query=highmore&display=highmore) this week, I’m probably in clear mentioning that [Freddie Highmore](http://imdb.com/name/nm0383603/) has been cast as Charlie.

Who the hell is Freddie Highmore? Never met him. I saw his screen test, and he was great. Tim likes him; Johnny Depp is already in a movie with him ([J.M. Barrie’s Neverland](http://imdb.com/title/tt0308644/)); the kid looks properly hungry and Dickensian. So cheers all around.

The movie starts shooting this summer at Pinewood Studios outside London.

[Random side note: Fans of [The Office](http://www.bbcamerica.com/genre/comedy_games/the_office/the_office.jsp) will recall that the show is set in Slough, which I always assumed was made-up — it sounds too gratingly pedestrian to be a real city. But it is real. You pass through it on the way to Pinewood.]

Do screenwriters make anything from video rentals?

Film Industry, QandA

You are so honest about how much money you got from the sales of Big Fish, and I want to thank you for that because that was always a question I wondered but never knew who to ask. My question is:

Do screenwriters make anything from movie rentals? Big Fish sold 2 million in its first week, but it also took in an estimated $13.5 million in gross rental revenue. Do you see a dime of any of that?

–Peter

Shortest answer yet: No.

The writer doesn’t get residuals on rentals, except for whatever Blockbuster paid for each videotape or DVD it bought it from Sony. Those 10 copies of BIG FISH on the shelf net me $0.50, if that. This disparity is one reason DVD has been a windfall for almost everyone: many people buy the disk, rather than just renting. Sucks for Blockbuster, though.

Sending a script to an actor

Film Industry, QandA

As a writer without an agent or manager, would it be beneficial to me in any way to send a script to an actor via his/her agent? If I did send it, is there a possibility it may actually get to him?

–Chris Storer
Chicago

The odds are pretty slim, but there are a few cases where it might make sense:

**1. For actors with very unique attributes.**
[Matthew McGrory](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0570067/), who plays Karl the Giant in BIG FISH, will be on the casting list for any movie involving a giant. So if you’ve written an acromegaly gangster drama called BIGFELLAS, it may make sense to send it to him. And, obviously, [John Malkovich](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000518/) would be a prescient choice for BEING JOHN MALKOVICH.

**2. For stars who can’t find roles.**
[Angela Bassett](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000291/) is a star, no question. But there aren’t a lot of great roles written for 46-year old African-American actresses. So if you’ve written one, it’s worth a shot.

**3. For actors with a special affinity for the subject matter.**
If you find out that [Reese Witherspoon’s](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000702/) family is Armenian, and you’ve written the definitive wacky Armenian ethnic comedy, go for it. (By the way, I’m pretty certain Ms. Witherspoon is not of Armenian descent, but just by typing that last sentence, I suspect I’ll find “Reese Witherspoon Armenian” among the search engine phrases in the referrer log.)

In other words, Chris, if you’ve written a role that’s “perfect for Tom Cruise,” you have almost zero chance of getting it to him. But the more specialized the actor you’re targeting, the more reasonable it is to try.

Article about Rawson Thurber in the June issue of Premiere

News

[dodgeball](http://www.dodgeballmovie.com/)The June issue of Premiere magazine — *on newstands now!* — has a nice article on Rawson Thurber, who longtime readers will recall was my faithful assistant from ’99 to ’02. He wrote and directed this summer’s [DODGEBALL: A TRUE UNDERDOG STORY](http://www.dodgeballmovie.com/), which I’ve seen twice and highly recommend. If you watch television, you’ve already seen his work; Rawson created the [Terry Tate: Office Linebacker](http://www.returnofterrytate.com/) series of ads for Reebok.

DODGEBALL, which unfortunately couldn’t keep its original-and-better title of UNDERDOGS, began as a spec script Rawson wrote while he was working for me. In stark contrast to all the advice I give on this site, he wrote it specifically for Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughn. Since he wanted to direct it himself, he had the foresight to create a funny and award-winning commercial campaign (Terry Tate), so that people would take him seriously as a director. He got an agent, got the script to Stiller’s production company, and within a year had a movie in production. It’s a helluva story.

This same issue of Premiere also features the annual Power List, which is always entertaining. So pick up a copy.