[B5JMS] ATTN JMS: WWZ - You're out?

[b5jms at mail.fsl.cs.sunysb.edu]

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From: Bill <feline_ranger at yahoo.com>
Date: Sat, 20 Jun 2009 18:40:16 -0700 (PDT)
Lines: 8

I just came from a panel at Wizard World Philly with Max Brooks. He
said that *as far as he knew* you were out as script writer and that
the producers had chosen to bring in somebody else. Please say it
ain't so! TIA

Bill



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From: Joseph Straczynski <jmsatb5 at aol.com>
Date: Sun, 21 Jun 2009 17:14:50 -0700 (PDT)
Lines: 28

On Jun 20, 6:40=A0pm, Bill <feline_ran... at yahoo.com> wrote:
> I just came from a panel at Wizard World Philly with Max Brooks. He
> said that *as far as he knew* you were out as script writer and that
> the producers had chosen to bring in somebody else. Please say it
> ain't so! TIA
>
> Bill

One of the things that distinguishes film from TV is that it's the
norm for a script to go through many, many hands on the way to
production, which is why you see so many writers' names on movies.
(As a parenthetical, so you can follow the process better, when you
see "Written by A & B" it means that A and B were actually
collaborators on the film, whereas "Written by A and B" means that B
was brought in separately.)  Ivan Reitman, for instance, always has
one writer do a pass for character, another does a pass for humor,
another does a pass for action...and so on.  This is just part of the
feature business, especially once a director comes on board, who may
have ideas of his own that he wants to incorporate and the original
writer has gone through all the contractual drafts, so that either you
re-hire the same guy, or bring in fresh eyes.

So yes, another pair of hands is now working to simplify the script,
which has always been as much a political thriller as an action film,
into something a bit more straightforward.

jms