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Project update

August 22, 2005 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/).

Formatting for sign language

February 4, 2005 Formatting, QandA

question mark I’m having a little trouble with this current script that I am writing. A character in my story is deaf and uses sign language to communicate. I have no idea what the proper writing format is for that and I was wondering if you can help me. That character also reads lips and I do not know how to incorporate that into my script as well. Please tell me the answer oh great one.

–Donnie Nguyen

Just this week, I encountered a similar challenge, with a mute child who uses sign language to communicate with her parents. In these situations, you really have two problems: how to show it on the page, and how to make sure the audience understands what the deaf/mute/whatever character can and cannot do.

Let’s take the second problem first. You need to set up a situation that makes it clear to the audience what’s up with this character. In John Logan’s [The Aviator](http://imdb.com/title/tt0338751/combined), Howard Hughes’s partial deafness is first set up at a movie premiere, when the character obviously can’t make out what the presenter is saying. The extent of his hearing impairment is left a little ambiguous, but we get the sense (backed up with a later scene), that the problem only really manifests when many voices are speaking at once.

Since your character reads lips, you should try to make this clear as soon as possible. Here’s one possibility:

CARL SCHWARTZKOPF is looking through the neatly-folded sweaters on the table. A SALESWOMAN comes up behind him.

SALESWOMAN

Can I help you find a size?

Carl doesn’t answer her. In fact, he doesn’t acknowledge her at all. Not certain he heard her, she repeats herself, louder:

SALESWOMAN

Sir, can I help you find a size?

She’s about to tap his shoulder when he turns around. He jumps, startled to see her.

SALESWOMAN

Sorry, I didn’t mean to…

CLOSE ON her lips. We’re in Carl’s POV as she continues to speak, but there’s no sound. He’s reading her lips.

BACK TO SCENE

Carl waves a hand, somewhat dismissively: no, he doesn’t need help. He heads over to the wall of khakis.

In terms of writing out the dialogue that is meant to be sign-language, you have many options. If two deaf characters are carrying on a conversation in sign language, you’re probably going to want to subtitle it. Before the conversation starts, just write, “In sign language, SUBTITLED…” Then write dialogue as usual. The reader will understand.

If one character is speaking aloud (such as William Hurt’s character in [Children of a Lesser God](http://imdb.com/title/tt0090830/combined)), you may want to format the deaf character’s sign language dialogue differently to keep the distinction. In these situations, I often use italics:

SHERYL

Who told you?

CARL

MARGARET.

SHERYL

Margaret wasn’t there! She couldn’t have known.

Notice that in these scenes, the speaking character’s dialogue needs to help us understand the lines we’re not hearing.

Transcript of my first meeting with Daniel Wallace

September 9, 2004 Big Fish, Projects

I first met [Daniel Wallace](http://danielwallace.org), the author of BIG FISH, on October 26, 1998. We met at an IHOP in Richmond, Virginia, and talked about his book and the prospect of making a movie from it.

I had this interview up at the old site, but it was kind of buried. So here it is, reformatted and reader-friendly.

John: What was your original intention with Big Fish? Did you sit down thinking, “I’m going to make a novel about this,” or was it pieces that came together?

Daniel: It started with bits and pieces. Originally, the very beginning was my interest in myth. I’ve always thought of myth as being a way to explain things that we can’t understand otherwise.

John: Like, why there’s thunder.

Daniel: That’s exactly right. It’s always easier to have some sort of explanation, even when you may know it’s not quite accurate or not quite real. It satisfies something. Anything’s better than not understanding. Even untruth sometimes is better than not knowing anything.

John: Did you write it from beginning to end, or did you write in bits and pieces?

Script adaptations

September 10, 2003 Adaptation, QandA

How does someone go about adapting a written
story to film format? Thanks.

–Sam Ruin

Probably half the movies made are adaptations of one sort or another. The
original source material might have been a novel, a short story, an article
or even a 1970’s TV show (such as "Charlie’s Angels," coming to a theater near
you November 3).

Sorry for the blatant plug. Back to the question.

The first issue you face with any adaptation is rights. The author of the
original material generally holds the copyright, which means he or she has
say over whether or not a movie can be made based on the material, and for
what price. So if you’re serious about adapting the work, you’ll want to check
with the original author’s publisher (in the "sub-rights" department)
and get contact information so you can start the process of buying or optioning
these rights. ("Optioning" is something like "leasing-to-buy," where
you pay a fraction of the money up front, with a promise to pay more later
if the movie gets made.)

It’s important to note that copyright expires, so if you’re looking at adapting
something originally written in the 1800’s, there’s a good chance the work
is considered to be "in the public domain," which means you won’t
have to secure any rights at all.

Of course, there’s a big difference between having the rights to a story and
actually having a movie to make. Adapting a story into movie form is a lot
harder than it might seem at first.

The basic problem is that movies work so differently than most fiction or
other prose.

In novels or short stories, the prose is the final product. Screenplays, on
the other hand, are blueprints. They’re a plan for making a movie, but not
the movie itself. While the author of a novel has the final say about everything
that happens in a story, the screenwriter is by default only one of many hands
in making the movie, and everyone who becomes involved with the project will
change it in one way or another. Thus the screenplay has to communicate the
overall vision for the movie, above and beyond all the details of character,
plot and theme. In short, a book is just a book, but a screenplay has to be
a story, a plan, a sales tool and a mission statement all in one.

Fiction can ramble. Screenplays have to be ruthlessly efficient.

In fiction, the author can say what a character is thinking. In movies, a
screenwriter doesn’t have that option, without resorting to some device like
a voice-over or flashback.

The reader of a book can put a book down and think about it, or flip back
a few pages if something was confusing. Sitting in the theater, the audience
doesn’t have that opportunity. The movie keeps going, 24 frames per second,
no matter what. Therefore, the screenwriter has to be extra attentive to make
certain the audience will be able to follow the story at every moment.

Finally, movies are fundamentally a visual medium, so the screenwriter has
to be able to tell the story with images. Yes, there’s sound and dialogue,
but the picture is king. In a book, the author can say what a character tastses
or smells or feels. In a movie, all the audience can experience is sight and
sound, so the screenwriter needs to communicate everything through only these
two senses.

Given these challenges, it becomes clear why adapting a book into a movie
isn’t a matter of feeding the pages into a projector. It also explains why
so many bad movies are made from good books.

So how do you begin an adaptation? The most important thing is to approach
the project as a movie, with all the strengths and limitations of the medium,
rather than as a novel or short story. Focus on the primary characters, their
goals and obstacles. Rather than trying to winnow down the source material
to fit into 120 pages, try to invite in only the elements you really need;
that is, build up rather than strip down.

And most importantly, remember that adaptation isn’t any easier than writing
a screenplay from scratch. So don’t beat yourself when certain aspect worked
in the novel but not in your script. They’re different beasts.

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