Screenplays from Novels...

[Daughter of Lir]

Abject apologies if this has been covered, but how DOES one go about making a screenplay from a modern novel? If this has already been discussed, point me to the right thread.

I would *never* be so presumptuous as to assume I am a skilled enough writer in my current larva stage to take on a "famous" modern book and do the screenplay, but if I *were* to try my hand in the future, whats the procedure? Do you have to write the author and ask permission first? Do you write it first and THEN try to "wow" them with your skills? Whats the legality issues/proper channels here?

Muchas smoochas to all who give help, and again, point me in the right direction if this has already been gone over (I have a memory like a sieve sometimes...)

Tapadh leibh, a chariad!

[Bill Marquardt]

I was going to say, "First, read the book," and then remembering a few films I've seen, realize that is not a pre-requisite at all. First, find out who owns the movie rights to the book by contacting the publisher. You might be wasting your time.

[Daughter of Lir]

read the book inside out and sideways, Bill, but I got the point. ;) And yeah, I'll contact the publishers about that... the book's been out prolly 10 years, but I know that doesnt mean a thang. I'd just like to see it *done*, whether by me or someone else.

Thanks Bill!

[PteranoDon]

Please tell me what the novel is: pteranodon@xena.com

[Daughter of Lir]

No worries, Don, it was "The Feast of All Saints", as we were talking about on the "Taboo" thread. I'm so bitter it got picked up! <laugh> After 22 years, and me waiting for at least 16 years, someone is finally going to do it. See, if I'd gotten off my ass 5 years ago and started screenplays, I might have gotten it... <just kidding> At least NOW I'll finally get to enjoy it. ;)

Guess I'll go work on those Poe re-writes instead... wasnt there a rule for works over a hundred years old/dead authors? Do I still try and find out who has the rights, and how can I when there's a 100 publishers who have done Poe... <hanging head for feeling dumb>

Lir

[steeves]

If I remember correctly, Goldman (in one of his books) said, and this is only rough paraphrasing: "You read the book - I think he suggested once only - then skim it, pen in hand, circling key passages that put across your perspective of the story... then you write THAT story".

He also said that you can't do the whole book - that sometimes "based on" is just that.

If it wasn't Goldman, then oops. And even if I am wrong about who it was, well, I know read it somewhere about someone of value saying it.
And it makes sense, given a lot of adaptations that I have seen of books that I read: Tom Clancy, for example... anyone of his books could make a 12 hour miniseries - to make a movie of one of his books alot must be pared off - lots! If you've read his books and seen the movies you know what I mean.

[ToddinHB]

Here's a quick, mostly unknown, fact - DIE HARD was based on the novel NOTHING LASTS FOREVER by Roderick Thorpe (I think that was the novel and his name). I don't remember it being a best-seller, so that isn't necessarily a prerequisite.

[wcmartell]

Years ago in Creative Screenwriting magazine I did a history of DIE HARD (and an anlysis of why the film works - which is in my book). I'd talked with Thorp at an MWA meeting, and he told the story...

He had written a big best seller called THE DETECTIVE that had been bought by 20th Cent Fox and made into a film with Frank Sinatra. The film was a hit, and Fox asked Thorp if he was working on a sequel novel. He said "Yes", then went home and started to work on it. Fox bought the sequel, and the publisher decided to wait until the film deal was set so they could put a blurb on the dust jacket saying it was soon to be a film from Fox starring Frank Sinatra.

Only Sinatra decided not to do the film.
Fox took the project to Robert Mitchum... he passed.

The film project got shelved, and the book publisher decided not to print as many copies or treat it as a potential best seller. The book flopped (even with great reviews) and it's largest print run was in paperback a few years later.

There are different stories about who "discovered" NOTHING LASTS FOREVER at Fox almost 2 decades later... but it was rescued from oblivion.

They sent the script out to actors, starting with Frank Sinatra... who passed on it. Then it went to Mitchum again, who passed, then it went to a number of other older actors.

Why the old farts? Well, THE DETECTIVE was about a NYPD Detective facing retirement with a wife who doesn't love him and a hippy daughter in college who hates him because he's "the man". NOTHING LASTS FOREVER has him fly to LA to try and patch things up with his daughter who is now a yuppie working in that Nakatomi Tower and then terrorists invade and... (Well, you've seen the movie).

After all of the old farts turned the script down, they did a rewrite changing it from a father/daughter to a husband/wife and paid Bruce Willis an outrageous $5 million to star.

And Rod Thorp's novel was rereleased in papaerback and went through the roof. Thorp's career was re-established and he wrote several best sellers after that. He passed away a couple of years ago.

That's the DIE HARD story (short version).

- Bill