by Andy Kaufman and Bob Zmuda The story of Andy Kaufman and his alter ego. The film would have contained numerous comedy skits, as well as a key moment when Andy would break the “fourth wall” to announce the death of Tony. Download the script and read the backstory at Subterranean Cinema.
Author: mike
They
by Brendan Hood Rewrites, test screenings, and reshoots turned a promising spec script into a movie that no one wanted to see. Read the whole sad story at the Creature Corner. Script hosted by Joblo.com.
Star Wars
Scripts by George Lucas George wanted to do Flash Gordon. He couldn’t get the rights, so he created his own space mythology. These drafts fascinate me. In some ways, they’re very amateurish. But it amazes me to see how he formed the Star Wars galaxy through the course of rewriting. The first three scripts are…
The Stand
by Rospo Pallenberg, novel by Stephen King George Romero has worked with Stephen King many times over the years. They planned on doing a theatrical version of The Stand, but it didn’t happen. Romero’s producing partner, Richard P. Rubenstein, ended up doing the mini-series after they parted ways. Read the Pallenberg script and an in-depth…
Spider-Man
Scriptment by James Cameron Remember the huge legal battle over Spider-man? By the time Marvel and Sony had it figured out, Cameron was out of the picture. The final movie did use some of Cameron’s ideas, however. The genetically altered (rather than radioactive) spider and the organic web-shooters had their origins here. One fan of…
Resident Evil
by George Romero Romero got the shaft on this one. A German production company bought the rights to the video game and hired the zombie master to write and direct the adaptation. (Romero had already done some Japanese TV ads for the Resident Evil 2 video game.) According to Romero, the producers didn’t really have…
Planet of the Apes (Remake)
This remake went through a few directors as well as writers. James Cameron was attached, then Oliver Stone, and finally Tim Burton. Cameron gives his thoughts on the film in an Ain’t it Cool interview here. Read about Oliver Stone’s involvement at CHUD.com Read Mike White’s reviews of the Hayes and Hamm scripts in issue…
Pandemonium Reigns/Pulp Fiction
by Roger Avary When Quentin Tarantino needed a middle section for Pulp Fiction, he asked friend Roger Avary if he could adapt a portion of the Pandemonium Reigns script. This became the Gold Watch segment in the final film. Avary.com used to have the script and an essay on how it evolved, but it appears…
A Nightmare on Elm Street 6: The Dream Lover
by Peter Jackson Back before Peter Jackson was a hugely successful director, New Line invited him to take a crack at the Freddy franchise. (Jackson was actually sleeping on Mark Ordesky’s couch for a time.) I’ve found references to the script, and it can be seen in a behind-the-scenes doc on the Infinifilm DVD release…
Natural Born Killers
by Quentin Tarantino Oliver Stone turned this one inside out. To this day, Tarantino hasn’t been able to watch the movie all the way through. Me, I like the final product, but I can see how heart-wrenching it could be for the writer. Download screenplay