John August

John

O Great Rosenfeld!

News

[rosenfeld](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000A0F6O0/ref=amb_center-4_10060921_35/102-1160785-5416147)The fifty or so friends and family on my Christmas card list this past year got signed copies of Daniel Wallace’s O Great Rosenfeld!, which tells the story of a hapless prehistoric tribe.

Daniel describes it as a kid’s book for adults. Being a crass Hollywood type, I say it’s [Quest for Fire](http://imdb.com/title/tt0082484/maindetails) meets [The Office](http://imdb.com/title/tt0290978/maindetails).

Either way, it’s very funny.

[Daniel](http://www.danielwallace.org/), you may recall, wrote Big Fish: A Novel of Mythic Proportions, which became the film of the same title (though not subtitle). My adaptation of his novel was the first screenplay he ever read. He liked the format so much he became a screenwriter himself. (He’s also a witty illustrator, which benefits Rosenfeld greatly.)

As of last Christmas, O Great Rosenfeld! hadn’t yet been officially published, so Daniel and I did a special press run, with numbered copies. Friends who got the book would always ask me where they buy it for their friends, but Daniel was always a little evasive on the answer. He said something unusual was happening with it, and that he’d tell me when he could.

It turns out, Amazon bought the book as part of its new Amazon Shorts project.

Most of the stuff available on Amazon Shorts is bonus material from top authors: essays, short stories, deleted chapters. Think of them as the literary equivalent of DVD extras. Everything on Amazon Shorts is delivered electronically, and best of all, it only costs 49 cents. (Of that, the writer gets a very significant portion, since there’s no printing or storage costs.)

Daniel’s O Great Rosenfeld! is divided into two parts, so it costs a whopping 98 cents to find out what ever becomes of “Our Esteemed Leader, Rosenfeld, and His Tribe of 33 and 1/2 Followers” as they strive to protect Sally, the most beautiful woman in their tribe. It’s money very well spent.

And if you’d like Daniel to sign it, he probably will. He’s a friendly guy.

Abolish the states, mate

First Person

Australian John AugustIn an article published today, one of the [other John Augusts](http://johnaugust.com/archives/2004/my-namesake-also-a-screenwriter) argues persuasively that [the states should be abolished](http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=3705).

Before you take up arms against him, you should know that he’s Australian, and he’s talking about “states” like New South Wales and Queensland. Which sound like made-up [Risk](http://www.thegamesjournal.com/articles/Risk.shtml) territories, if you ask me.

It’s important that you not be confused by the other side’s rhetoric. For instance, listening to them you might think all of the members of [Beyond Federation](http://www.beyondfederation.org.au/)…

* are cheering Howard;
* hail from Whitlam;
* claim a monopoly on wisdom;
* only have advocates in New South Wales and Victoria;
* ignore the need for independent regional initiative;
* refuse to acknowledge population differences within Australia;
* and are “centralists”.

I have no idea what this means.

Ever since I first fired up Netscape lo these many years ago, I’ve been following the career of this other John August like he’s my long-lost brother. (He’s not, incidently.) I’ve seen him posting in scientific Usenet groups. Once, he even acknowledged that there’s an American screenwriter with whom he shares a name.

But what to make of his desire to abolish the Australian states? Is he a Socialist, a conservative, a progressive, a forward-thinker, a wacko? I don’t know, because I have zero understanding of Australian politics.

From the picture, he looks like a friendly sort, capable of telling jokes that a specific subset of friends would find hilarious. (For instance, people who know Monty Python backwards-and-forwards.) Also worth noting: he seems to have more hair than he knows what to do with. I do not.

I guess I’m saying, I want him to be good. I don’t need an evil twin. That’s what my subconscious is for.

[His name is my name, too](http://johnaugust.com/archives/2004/my-namesake-also-a-screenwriter)

Project update

Projects

After a month of [baby duty](http://johnaugust.com/archives/2005/two-big-debuts), it’s back to work. This seems the perfect time to take stock of all the projects I have out there, and figure out exactly what their status is.

★ ACTIVE ★

__Prince of Persia__
[Jordan Mechner](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jordan_Mechner), who created the videogame, wrote the movie adaptation, which he and I are executive producing with Jerry Bruckheimer Films at Disney. The script is great. Next step is to get a director. That discussion is just beginning.

I get more [comments and suggestions](http://johnaugust.com/archives/2004/prince-of-persia-announced) about this project than any other. So let me clarify what I know, and what I don’t know. First, the movie is much more like The Sands of Time than Warrior Within. Second, we have no idea who will star in it, nor where we will shoot it. Third, that’s all I know. Or at least, all I can say.

__Ops__
This is the Fox TV show that Jordan and I set up last year about two guys who work as private military contractors. For various reasons, we didn’t end up shooting the pilot during the usual production schedule. Instead, Jordan and I ended up writing an almost entirely new pilot script which we (and Fox) are a lot happier with. Now there’s talk about shooting the pilot outside of the normal schedule, which would be fine with us. Or it could go away completely. That’s show business.

__The Eye__
I did a few weeks’ of work on [this thriller](http://imdb.com/title/tt0406759) at Paramount, an American remake of [the Pang brothers movie](http://imdb.com/title/tt0325655/). I’m happy with the work I did, but it’s not my movie in any creative-ownership sense.

__Father Knows Less__
I rewrote Father Knows Less ((May 3, 2011 Update: IMDb listing now inactive)), set to star Dustin Hoffman as a second-time dad, for New Line. Director [Shawn Levy](http://imdb.com/name/nm0506613) left the project, so I suspect they’re looking for a replacement. (Actually, I know they are, because I’ve talked to two friends who were sent it.)

__Untitled Broadway Musical__
I’m writing the book for a Broadway musical currently in very, very early stages of development. It’s been interesting adapting to the challenges of storytelling on the stage. No, I can’t say what the project is, or whether it will ever happen. Based on the very busy schedules of everyone involved, it could take years.

__How to Eat Fried Worms__
This project, an adaptation of Thomas Rockwell’s book, was the very first script I was ever hired to write, way back in 1995. Originally, the project was set up at Imagine, then it migrated to Nickelodeon. I assumed the project was dead and gone, when suddenly I [read that it was filming](http://www.hdforindies.com/2005/08/ok-now-they-are-shooting-movie-in-my) in Austin.

[Bob Dolman](http://imdb.com/name/nm0231190/), who was brought in to rewrite the script after me, is directing. Producer [Mark Johnson](http://imdb.com/name/nm0425741/) called to tell me filming was going well. I haven’t read the shooting script — or any script at all — so I don’t know how much resemblance it bears to the movie I wrote so many years ago.

★ FINISHED ★

__Charlie and the Chocolate Factory__
[The movie](http://imdb.com/title/tt0367594/) is now out in almost every market, and looks to be closing in on $200 million domestic box office. I’ve seen the special features for the DVD, which are quite cool, although I don’t know the exact release date for the disc. But something tells me it would be a great stocking stuffer. Hint.

When I did Q&A’s for the film, many people asked if we were going to make a sequel, such as Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator. As far as I know, no. That was never in the plans. Tim and I have never talked about it.

__Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride__
[The film](http://imdb.com/title/tt0121164/) is now finished, and ready for its debut at the Toronto Film Festival. I’m really happy with how the film turned out. I didn’t originate the project — I came on board after they had started filming — but I enjoyed working with the team to figure out how to get it in its best shape. In addition to shared screenwriting credit (along with Caroline Thompson and Pamela Pettler), I share lyric credit on several of the songs.

__Charlie’s Angels__
I keep getting questions about whether there will be a third one. I doubt it. I love the characters, and I love the people involved, but we’re all off doing other things now. I don’t foresee getting back together to make another one.

★ LIMBO ★

__Tarzan__
My modern-day, pan-African adaptation of Tarzan is in a (permanent?) holding pattern at Warner Bros. Last year, we started to go out to directors, but now it’s not clear what the next step is. There’s disagreement about many things, including my basic take on the entire movie.

It’s frustrating, because Tarzan is one of the best things I’ve ever written. It’s certainly one of the most difficult. You have a hero who grows from an infant to a man, and doesn’t learn how to speak until page 40. A lot of it plays like a silent movie, yet it has big [Joseph Campbell-y hero themes](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hero_with_a_Thousand_Faces) that I generally avoid, but which work great for a film like this.

I really wanted this to be a trilogy. Now, I’d settle for a mono-gy.

__Untitled Zombie Western__
Largely due to readers’ terrific [suggestions for a new title](http://johnaugust.com/archives/2005/a-movie-by-any-other-name), I’m seriously considering dusting off this long-buried spec. Not that I think anybody’s itching to make a zombie movie after the disappointing returns for [Land of the Dead](http://imdb.com/title/tt0418819/maindetails). But I’ll at least add it to the [Library](http://johnaugust.com/library) section once I get it cleaned up.

__Fury__
There’s been some discussion about turning this unsold spec — the most violent thing I’ve ever written — into a graphic novel or a videogame. Both ideas make sense; the story is sort of a cross between [Grand Theft Auto](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Theft_Auto_%28series%29) and [The Terminator](http://imdb.com/title/tt0088247/maindetails). But there are other projects that require my immediate attention, so I may just let this back-burner for a while.

★ QUESTION MARKS ★

__Alice__
This adaptation((May 3, 2011 Update: IMDb listing now inactive)) of [American McGee](http://americanmcgee.com)’s videogame was looking pretty dead, when it suddenly sprang back to life with the announcement that [Marcus Nispel](http://imdb.com/name/nm1197971/) would be directing, with [Sarah Michelle Gellar](http://imdb.com/name/nm0001264/) in the title role. The Hollywood Reporter article lists [Erich and Jon Hoeber](http://imdb.com/name/nm0388377/) as the screenwriters.

Back in 2000, the project was set up at Dimension, with [Wes Craven](http://imdb.com/name/nm0000127/?fr=c2l0ZT1kZnx0dD0xfGZiPXV8cG49MHxrdz0xfHE9d2VzIGNyYXZlbnxmdD0xfG14PTIwfGxtPTUwMHxjbz0xfGh0bWw9MXxubT0x;fc=1;ft=20;fm=1) attached to direct. I wrote a long treatment — not a full script, as the Hollywood Reporter article states — and left the project under less-than-felicitous circumstances. But I’ve kept up with American McGee, who’s a friggin’ rock star.

I have no idea whether the movie will incorporate any of the material from my treatment, or if the current incarnation even has the applicable rights. If you’re interested in tracking the progress on the project, [American’s site](http://americanmcgee.com) is your best bet.

__Barbarella__
Oh, sweet Barbarella. This adaptation of the French comic book series about a sexually-liberated space explorer was set to star [Drew Barrymore](http://imdb.com/name/nm0000106/), but a tangle of rights issues got in the way. It was tremendous fun to write. Of all my unproduced projects, it’s probably my favorite.

There were [rumors](http://filmforce.ign.com/articles/622/622650p1.html) recently that [Lindsay Lohan](http://imdb.com/name/nm0517820/) was going to play the part. I think that was just fanboy fantasy. Although, honestly, last-year’s Lindsay (the nice girl who was in [Mean Girls](http://imdb.com/title/tt0377092/)) would have been great.

My agent got a call a few months ago from a producer who claimed to have the rights to Barbarella. I doubt he had all the right he thought he had, and he certainly didn’t have the right to my script, which is co-owned by Fox and Warner Bros. So I don’t see this getting made any time soon. (Although I would have said the same about How to Eat Fried Worms.)

★ PRESUMABLY DEAD ★

__Thief of Always__
An adaption of Clive Barker’s novel. The first project I was ever fired off of.

__Untitled John August Thriller__
[This Sony project](http://filmforce.ign.com/articles/036/036258p1.html) was intended to be a big summer event movie, but a competing project suddenly roared to life. I never ended up writing the script. In many ways, that’s good, because I don’t think our movie would have gotten made anyway.

__Demonology__
This Paramount thriller is about two prep school girls who have to save Manhattan from the Apocalypse. Sort of a cross between [Clueless](http://imdb.com/title/tt0112697/) and [Aliens](http://imdb.com/title/tt0090605/), which is why it will never get made.

__Fantasy Island__
A big-budget feature adaptation of the classic TV show. My version was a lot like [Lost](http://imdb.com/title/tt0411008/), except that Lost is a lot better than my movie would have been.

__Fenwick’s Suit__
Based on the book by David Small, a family comedy about a guy whose suit develops a life of its own. The studio gave up on it, but I think it could have worked.

__Bad Hospital__
An HBO dramedy about a terrible hospital. Not haunted, not evil, just really crappy. It was created by Julie Siege; I was executive-producing. Ultimately, we never made it out of development, but Julie landed a spot on [Invasion](http://imdb.com/title/tt0460651/).

When should a writer become a corporation?

Film Industry, QandA

questionmarkMy writing partner and I have sold a few projects, with, hopefully, a few more to come. The question is, at what point should we incorporate into a film company? Before we’ve sold the next project or after? Once we’re more established as a team? When we start making greater than a certain amount of money per year? What are the perks and drawbacks to making such a move?

–Dara
Los Angeles

Most screenwriters who find themselves making a living at the craft end up incorporating at some point — as do actors, directors, and other relatively well-paid professions in the film industry. I became a corporation shortly after Go.

The idea is that the studios don’t hire you directly. Rather, the studio makes a deal to “borrow” your services from a corporation that you’ve created. These one-person corporations are called “loan-outs,” because loaning out your time and talent is all they really do.

What’s the point? Well, there are two main advantages.

The first is financial. Because the studio is paying you as a corporation, rather than as an individual, it’s easier to deduct business expenses, such as office space, assistants and computers. Your corporation can set up a pension plan for its sole employee: you. You can also avoid paying personal income tax on the money for a longer period of time. (Though you do eventually have to pay it.)

The second advantage is liability. Let me first invoke my I’m Not a Lawyer Disclaimer — so don’t bank on what I’m saying. But the corporation can help shield your personal assets (your house, your car, your toothbrush) from lawsuits that might come up relating to your screenwriting career. If I’m a bit fuzzy on the details, it’s because I never, ever want to be sued.

The only real drawbacks of incorporating is the expense and the additional paperwork — quarterly statements and such. Although some writers manage to keep up with it themselves, I couldn’t imagine doing it without a business manager and an accountant. (Which are not-insignificant expenses.)

As for what point it makes sense to incorporate, the rule of thumb I heard was when your annual income consistently exceeds $200,000 per year, it’s time to form a loan-out. But that was 1999, so who knows what the current figure is.

My suggestion would be to talk with your attorney, and get his advice. He’s the one who would actually be filing the paperwork with the state to get it all set up.

Also, if you’re living outside the U.S., all bets are off. You’ll need to find someone familiar with the specific rules of your country. For instance, Ireland has amazing tax breaks for writers. I suspect becoming a corporation there would be a terrible idea — but you’d need an expert to tell you.