Half-Life 2 came out this week but I’ve yet to take it out of the box. Our free time is still flourishing within the world of EverQuest. From left to right, Melanie, Todd and Dean. I’ll wait until the Christmas downtime for Half-Life. I don’t mind waiting. Gives me another game to look forward to.
It’s been a busy week as busy weeks go.
Nicole watched Patrick’s “Mass Destruction” trailer and loved it. We’re going to go out with it and follow up with our story pitch. Patrick and I will write and Patrick is attached to direct. Granted if it works then he gets two jobs out of it but that’s a good thing. With Patrick directing at least the end result will stay closer to whatever vision we end up creating. I’m not really interested in directing myself. Nor producing. But, I’m guessing I’ll work my way into an acting roll and that will make my second job. Plus I’d be around if we need any last minute emergency work on the script.
About a year ago I was telling Patrick some of our sob stories about our old apartment and that gave him a movie idea. We bantered back and forth and it was a good idea but I never ended up swimming in passion over it. This week he pitched me more of what he’d come up with and I told him to run with it. I’ve added nothing to the little story and my staying attached wouldn’t really be fair.
Mel and I met a stranger and ventured into the caves of Blackburrow. We got wet and killed evil bipedal canines.
I had my “Necroscope” meeting and I think I blew them away. There were some concerns that the A story could be better. I’d stayed with some elements from the book (simply because I didn’t want to ignore the book completely and I’d already discarded so much), but they were willing to leave even more aspects of the book behind. This was not a bad thing. It opens the realm of creativity and will make my job even easier if I get the job. This weekend I’m coming up with a string of possibles and shooting them to the producers at the Monday or Tuesday.
Truth is, I can make any of them work. I can make any story work. So I’ll give them a list and let them choose, then I’ll make the magic. Welcome to Hollywood.
As a druid you get the spell, Enduring Breath. This allows you to stay underwater for 15 minutes without drowning. So, I did some fishing on the ocean floor.
I met with actor, Tom Jane (Punisher) this week. He and Steve Niles (30 days of Night – graphic novel) have joined forces to start a production company. They’re working a deal with Lions Gate. And thus he has shown some interest in Patrick and Lions Gate’s Flight movie. He’s also been talking to Hensleigh about the lead in “Riddle Me This”. Of course, we’re still negotiating Constantin’s option extension on Riddle, so, that’s up in the air. Tom was interested in dark, disrespectful, hardcore movies. He’d read Riddle and loved it. He’d read Thunder and loved it. But Thunder wasn’t hardcore enough. And I won’t debate that. Thunder is an A movie.
I pitched an idea I’d been playing with for a couple of years and Nicole called later saying he wanted us to develop it. I’m going to meet with he and Steve this week to beat out a story. Then we’re going to create a graphic novel. Before the graphic is out we’ll go to Lions Gate, pitch the thing and I’ll write the screenplay.
I’m a little unclear about rights. I’m unclear whether or not I’m going to be attached to the graphic. If not, then I’ll have issues. If I’m not attached then I’ll be writing a movie based on a comic, a comic based on my idea. There is the possibility of getting bent over if I’m not careful. I’ll discuss with Nicole Monday.
Tom did say he’d love to play one of the leads and I told him that was fine as long as I get to play his retarded brother. But he wants to play my retarded brother. Figures.
Later, I gave my Purity a little of the Enduring Breath loving and we battled killer Octopi in the underwater depths.
F.J. left a message Thursday about “Magnus” which I have sadly been procrastinating. I still dig the project but it was leaning toward complex and that’s my biggest fault as a writer. I get too complex. So I pulled back to clear my head. But I’m going to have to call him Monday. Course, they can’t be too upset. This is a development gig and I’m not getting paid for it yet.
We learned to fly this week. In old EQ there was this constant terror in the sky by the name of Griffins. They flew through the treetops and thus you wouldn’t see them until it was too late. In new EQ they’ve been tamed. You hop on one of their backs and soar over the world. This would be Viktor watching as his Purity arrives on birdback.
Chris Carlisle had originally contacted me about taking some of my ideas, turning them into graphic novels then taking those to studios. The graphic doesn’t have to be successful. Studios just react well to something they can touch or see. So I sent two of my and Patrick’s combos. “Narcosis” and “Mass Destruction”.
At the same time Chris has been courting me slightly. He’s also working as a manager and wants to manage me. It’s been three weeks and as of Friday he still hadn’t read either Narc or Mass D, but he’s turned on the “let me manage you” charm quite a bit.
Don’t get me wrong, nice guy. I’ve worked with him in the past back when he was an exec at Top Cow. Got nothing against the guy, but I’m figuring if he was serious about me then he’d find the time to read ten pages and watch a three minute trailer.
Plus…a manager? Ugh, do I really want to give away another 10 percent of my earnings? I mean a manager would have to increase my work and pay by 20 percent for it to even be worth my time…for me to even break even. Eh, I don’t know. He wants to meet with me again next week and introduce me to his boss. This would be the time they would pitch me what they could and would do for me. Eh, I don’t know. If they can’t read my work in three weeks time then how can I take them seriously? I’m starting to think the graphic novel pitch was a hook and nothing more.
I created the character of Yllo. Yllo was my first in EQ. Named after Ylo from a Dave Duncan book. I named a character Yllo in Jason X (later changed to Lowe since Jimmy who had been told a thousand times how to pronounce it kept saying yillow — moron). Of course Yllo was hijacked by guild members when I took a break from the game and I could never get him back. Turned me very sour. So sour I really didn’t think I’d play EQ2 at all. But I gave in. And yesterday I created Yllo again in EQ2 but as a warrior instead of cleric.
Last night this little gnome stared questioning if I’d used the name before. I said yes, years ago. As it turned out the little gnome was Gonadan from the old EQ days. Gonadan was a monk and the first player to reach level 20. This was back when it took a month to reach level 20. Gonadan was a legend on the server because of this simple fact. Anyway, I used to heal his butt as Yllo.
What I didn’t know at the time was that Gonadan was played by two people. A fella and his girlfriend. And looking back, it all make sense now. There were times when he was the friendliest dude on the planet and other times when he acted like he didn’t know me. As it turns out I was friends with the girlfriend and she’s now playing Moonbeam on EQ2.
Mel and I joined she and her friend and we killed stuff. We’re gonna meet them again later tonight. They are in a guild and perhaps it’s time we joined the guild world as there are bonuses and benefits to doing so.
Brandon (Jenosis) sent me a link the other day to a couple of his new designs. I thought they were awesome. I ordered Mel the long jacket but the dummy hasn’t started making them yet. I can’t find his website address but as soon as I get it I’ll link to it.
I’ve yet to hear back from Boesky after his departure from ICM. According to Nicole the comic/video game world wasn’t turning enough profit. That is a shame and hard to imagine. It seems every movie coming out is based on either comics, video games, books or remakes and his part was half of those. But I guess I understand as I still haven’t seen any of the money owed me on Demonik. But, Boesky was always extremely supportive and I hate seeing him go.
Mark’s Last House is still moving forward. MGM is back in play and New Line is still interested. With MGM Mark would most likely have to give up the directing reigns because of the size of the budget. But, he’d still produce and still get his writing credit and foot in the door. At NL the budget would be perhaps smaller and the possibilities of Mark’s directing even higher. Pros and Cons on both sides. Cunningham is talking to Cravan about joining the team so who knows what will happen. Interested to see how it plays out.
I still think I would make a wonderful dark Jedi.
Dean and Jimmy are still out pitching “Tony’s”, their sitcom. They are to Joey Pants at the moment. It’s a very funny pilot script and it seems like a no-brainer. Which, of course, means nothing out here.
As for Dean and I, no word on Thunder. I guess it’s dead until we get to a place that we can actually produce it ourselves. And I’m waiting for him to scan his Damon/Jordon pics so I can post them (Dean, are reading this you dummy?). He also got his Don Maitz painting which features a wizard, a dragon and his boys, Chris and Alex. I’m waiting on the pics. It’s an amazing painting.
Speaking of Paintings. Sarah’s in Japan shooting Tyranny but has completed our paintings. We’re having diner with she and the crew Monday night to pick them up before she vanishes to Prague.
Thanksgiving will be spent at the Loreys. It will be a Turkey Day of friends this year. Jimmy and Maggie will be there along with J.P. and his wife who will have moved here by the beginning of this week.
And World of Warcraft comes out this week. Paul’s joining. Natalie and her fiance, Patrick, are joining (or were they joining EQ2? I forget). Of course, Dean, Mel and I will be there. So our downtime is covered as far as games are concerned.
Then Christmas will find us in Tennessee.
And the bestest part about this week? This was the week that Dean’s Thirty went all the way to Seven. Happy birthday, dummy.
I guess that brings us mostly current.
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