I’ve written a new movie that I’m planning to direct. It’s called The Shadows. It’s a thriller.
I wouldn’t normally announce something like this so far in advance, but casting is going to be a unique process that will require a major search.
The hero of the film is a 15-year-old girl named Abby. She’s stubborn, resourceful and anxious. She is also blind. I’m looking for a blind actress to play this role.
To learn more, you can read the casting announcement.
So, Aladdin opened this weekend. It’s the #1 movie in the world, and audiences seem to love it. I share writing credit, which surprises many people because I barely talk about it. Here’s the deal.
In September 2015, I was meeting with producers about a different project when they mentioned they were talking with Disney about doing a live-action version of Aladdin, following upon the success of Cinderella. On the spot, I pitched my take. The next week, I went in to pitch at Disney complete with art boards that cribbed heavily from Game of Thrones. It was a charmed process through multiple drafts.
And then it wasn’t.
From 2017 on, my relationship with the movie was me giving notes on cuts. It was frustrating to have my name on something I had no control over, so I didn’t talk about it much, and didn’t do any press.
Here’s the happy news: The movie that came out this week? I honestly like it a lot. It’s goofy and big-hearted in ways I’d feared would be lost. I’m glad that so many people around the world are digging it.
Every screenwriter mourns the movie that existed only in their mind, but in this case I’m really happy with the finished film as well. That doesn’t always happen. So I’m glad my wish came true.
John and Craig head north to host Scriptnotes Live in Seattle. They welcome Emily Zulauf to discuss the process of pitching projects at Pixar, creating stories with heart out of pure misery, and when to admit you “don’t have it” and start over.
We also hold our own Open Writing Assignment and play a game with the audience to create two new movie pitches. Then we answer questions about theme and why you should move to LA.
Thank you to the Northwest Screenwriters Guild and TheFilmSchool for hosting us!
Links:
Email us at ask@johnaugust.com
You can download the episode here.
UPDATE 2-21-19: The transcript of this episode can be found here
If you’re in the Los Angeles area, please come to the launch event for Arlo Finch in the Lake of the Moon. I’ll be signing books and answering questions about the series. I may even be allowed to share some cool news.
The LA event is at:
Chevalier’s Books on Larchmont
Saturday, February 9th at 12:30
website
You can also order the book online or purchase it at many US bookstores.
First week sales are a wonderful thing, because they help more readers discover the book. So does sharing it on social media (#arlofinch) and leaving a review on GoodReads. (The review page for book two is pretty light because it just came out today.)
As I post this, I’m in St. Louis, where I just finished two days of school visits. Tonight, I fly to Seattle, for two more days of school visits and a live Scriptnotes. Then it’s a day in San Francisco before heading home.
The second half of the tour comes in April, when I’ll be headed up and down the East Coast for events at schools and bookstores. For more details, you can check out my Arlo Finch page.