The Writer plucked out of obscurity by Singer

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  • The Writer plucked out of obscurity by Singer

    I remember reading an article that made me want to kill myself about the development of X-Men. Supposedly Singer was chatting up a P.A. on the ride to the set, and he needed a new scene. He casually asked the P.A. (who supposedly had never written anything in his life) if he'd write the scene for him - basically giving him free reign to write whatever he wanted. The P.A. first thought he was joking, but the next day came and Singer asked again.

    He wrote the scene, X-Men became a hit, and the P.A. all of a sudden found himself as a working writer.

    Does anybody know what this writer's name was and do you have any scripts by him? I'd be very interested to read what a P.A. who's never written a script before writes like. I'm also very curious why a director as good as Singer would ask someone whose writing he'd never seen before to write him a scene on what was, up until that point, the most expensive movie he had worked on by far - especially since he was having to deal with all that studio pressure and chaos that occurred during the production of that film.

    Of course, this being Hollywood, I have a feeling that some key details of the story were left out to make it better. Like that he co-wrote The DaVinci Code or something. I hope so, as that would make me feel a little better (not much, but a little)
    Script Reviews - 5 a week! http://scriptshadow.blogspot.com/

  • #2
    Re: The Writer plucked out of obscurity by Singer

    Well David Hayter was his driver or something and he asked him I think...
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    • #3
      Re: The Writer plucked out of obscurity by Singer

      Cool, anybody have a script of his?
      Script Reviews - 5 a week! http://scriptshadow.blogspot.com/

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      • #4
        Re: The Writer plucked out of obscurity by Singer

        David Hayter has been a writer and actor way before X-Men.
        -- Another Writer

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        • #5
          Re: The Writer plucked out of obscurity by Singer

          Okay good. I knew there was more to the story. It was the LA Times too. Nice fact to conveniently forget.
          Script Reviews - 5 a week! http://scriptshadow.blogspot.com/

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          • #6
            Re: The Writer plucked out of obscurity by Singer

            wasn't one of Hayter's first gig's acting? I recall her was in one of the live action Guyver movies. Plus the voice of Solid Snake
            Eta Kooram Nah Smech!
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            • #7
              Re: The Writer plucked out of obscurity by Singer

              Yes, Hayter was an actor & had done some writing before X-MEN. I think he was also involved in putting together a low budget film.

              But X-MEN was his first paying gig & he got it by meeting Singer while working as his driver. He wasn't out hustling his scripts trying to be a pro screenwriter.

              Even if some writers get luck with their 1st gig or their 1st script becomes a hit (like Diablo Cody), it doesn't mean they are complete novices. Most of the time these people have some writing or production experience.

              "Trust your stuff." -- Dave Righetti, Pitching Coach

              ( Formerly "stvnlra" )

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              • #8
                Re: The Writer plucked out of obscurity by Singer

                It would be hard for me to believe there is a PA in Hollywood who hasn't written a script or two.

                I crewed on a friend's low budget film, and *everyone* had a script... one guy actually passed his script to the sound guy, who had a camera, and they have since made that film using a minor role actor on the film.

                Both Dougherty and Harris who worked on the X2 script had written *and* directed before. Everybody loves the Cinderella stories, nobody ever talks about the 15 years of work in the biz before you become that overnight success.

                - Bill
                Free Script Tips:
                http://www.scriptsecrets.net

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                • #9
                  Re: The Writer plucked out of obscurity by Singer

                  Originally posted by stvnlra View Post
                  Yes, Hayter was an actor & had done some writing before X-MEN. I think he was also involved in putting together a low budget film.

                  But X-MEN was his first paying gig & he got it by meeting Singer while working as his driver. He wasn't out hustling his scripts trying to be a pro screenwriter.

                  Even if some writers get luck with their 1st gig or their 1st script becomes a hit (like Diablo Cody), it doesn't mean they are complete novices. Most of the time these people have some writing or production experience.
                  Most people "doubted" Hayter (a lot of buzz about him not doing much more than transcribing the on-set "improv" of scenes and such back in those days). It did not help that Ed Solomon, Christopher McQuarrie, Bryan Singer, Tom DeSanto, Joss Whedon, and supposedly James Schamus, John Logan, Kevin Brodbin, Jim Gillespie, and Laeta Kalogridis all worked on the script. Which he tended to forget to mention or dance around in interviews.

                  He eventually "proved" himself when he cracked WATCHMEN though.

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