I have a situation
that is very complex. I’m in the process right now of producing a movie with
the mother of a famous rapper who was killed. This will be a feature film about
his life as a youngster up until his death. The problem is, she wants us to
also use the screenwriter who wrote the first draft of the script, who she
has a personal relationship with. How do we deal with this situation once the
director gets involved?
–D
Carefully. And prepare for it to get rough.
I’m including your question not because I can offer you any real help, but
to remind readers that producers don’t have an easy life. Aspiring screenwriters
tend to think of producers as sharks or gurus, but often they’re people like
D struggling to make a movie under difficult circumstances.
Just a guess, but I suspect the screenwriter who wrote the first draft is
inexperienced, and may not be up for the task. If D or the director decides
to replace him, who’s the bad guy? If the mother freaks out, who’s going to
deal with her?
The real world, outside of the safety of 12-point Courier, is chock full of
these uncomfortable situations, and producers aren’t always the bad guys.