✍🏻Writer’s Corner:
“There’s a safety in thinking in a diner. You can have your coffee or your milkshake, and you can go off into strange dark areas, and always come back to the safety of the diner.” - David Lynch
✍🏻Barry Jenkins Drives Alvin Ailey Biopic
Barry Jenkins is prepping his If Beale Street Could Talk follow-up with the long-awaited Alvin Ailey biopic. If you don’t know who Alvin Ailey is; you should.
Ailey was one of the leading figures in 20th century Modern Dance leading the Alvin Ailey Dance Theater; a company dedicated to enriching African-American cultural experience.
Ailey, who died in 1989, was a pioneer of programs promoting the arts education, particularly to those benefitting the underserved communities.
Mr. Ailey was the recipient of the Kennedy Center Honor for philanthropy.
He was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, this nations highest civilian honor, in recognition of his contributions and commitment to Civil Rights and Dance in America.
Julian Breece, who wrote the Netflix series When They See Us, will be helming the screenplay. The biopic of Alvin Ailey, will follow his journey as a African-American choreographer turned activist who helped popularize modern dance.
Fox Searchlight, who’s distributing the film will be working hand in hand with dancer/choreographer and current Artistic Director Robert Battle and Premier dancer/choreographer and Artistic Director Emerita, who lead the Alvin Ailey Dance Theater for 21 years, Ms. Judith Jamison, to bring Ailey’s story and choreography to the screen.
Expect the film to 8-count into theaters sometime with a 2020 release.
✍🏻Magic 8-Ball’s Movie by Mattel & Blumhouse
I know…I know I know that headline, but I’m here to tell you that Blumhouse Pictures & Mattel Toy Company are both set to direct a live-action “Magic 8 Ball” film based on the fortune-telling, fortune-making Mattel staple, the toy company announced Monday.
The micro-budget horror studio that brought us (Get Out, Ma, & The Purge Franchise) is going to be doing their take of the MAGIC 8-Ball.
Jeff Wadlow, the director of “Truth or Dare” and “Kick-Ass 2” is set to oversee the film, as well as co-writing the script with writers Jillian Jacobs and Chris Roach
Honestly, as a screenwriter my pitch for the film would be to find the TRUE HORROR in the term “8-Ball”. But they’ll probably go the boring route, and make it like the Magic 8-Ball is EVIL and that it predicts the future, and it gets into the hands of some kids and the Magic 8-ball starts killing, and the only way to stop it is to beat it at its own game…or something like that…Did I just write this screenplay? I probably did!
*SHAKES MAGIC 8-Ball Violently*
Hollywood:
Fret not, they need your scripts more than you can even begin to comprehend screenwriters. Get to writing, RockStars!!!
✍🏻Tarantino Overseeing Django Sequel
In today’s edition of “Holy shit, I didn’t see that coming, but I’ll take it with a side of MORE PLEASE” is the breaking news that screenwriting legend Quentin Tarantino has tapped comedian Jerrod Carmichael to co-write a cross over Django/Zorro movie.
The film will be based on the crossover comic book series of the same name, multiple sources tell Collider.
Written by Tarantino and released by Dynamite Entertainment and DC Comics, the series served as a sequel to the director’s 2012 movie Django Unchained starring Jamie Foxx.
“The film adaptation is real and that Carmichael is working on the script, though they differ on whether he’s writing it on his own with oversight from Tarantino, or co-writing with Quentin himself as well as another, as-yet-unidentified writer.” So there you have it – this exists, and Tarantino may or may not be working on it, but Jerrod Carmichael definitely is.
Either way, we’re beyond excited for this one!
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