Author: Todd

I love E3. Doom III looks amazing. As does Half Life II. Can’t wait. We’ve come a long way since Asteroids.
I met with the Red Entertainment boys and Boesky and ended up pitching one of Red’s owners. Again I had to do one of those broken English pitches with lots of arm waving and gestures. It was fun.
While there we ran into Lori Tilkin and Brad something…Boesky informed me that I have a meeting with Lori next month. She works for Tiger Hill, John Woo’s movie/video game company.

I’ve a conference call with Erik Baiers today…I think it’s a general meeting. Need to call Lazar and double check.
Tomorrow through the weekend Mel and I will be in a hotel for the fumigation. Massive headache. We’re boarding the cats and I had to start a freaking AOL account again so I’ll have internet access while there.
Tomorrow I’m meeing Patick in the morning to discuss more on the Hills Have Eyes then at 1:00 I’m meeting the Red Entertainment boys and Boesky at E3.

Mel is working for Dean and Elizabeth. She’s organizing their move from Beverly Wood out to Calabasas. Mel and I have been thinking about buying a house and Calabasas was one of the areas we’ve been interested in. Simi Valley as well. Tomorrow we’re driving out to Simi for Natalie’s birthday party at her parents’ house. We’ll check out the area.

Nothing as far as Jason X residual. March came and went. So, either New Line is really behind or they didn’t turn in receipts during the 4th quarter of 2002.
So, now we assume they turned in receipts during the 1st quarter of 2003. That means 60 days from the end of the 1st quarter or the end of May. The Guild tells me that once they have the check in their possession it will take them 2 to 3 weeks to turn it around to me. Thus they said if I don’t have a check by mid June that I should call them and they will investigate.

Here’s where I stand with all the work I’ve had going…
Totem got it’s new writer, Stuart Beatty. He turned in his draft of Scarecrow based on Todd Garner’s notes. Garner and Roth read the draft and decided they didn’t want to make the movie. It’s gone into turnaround.
Here’s something to note about being a writer…they love you the moment you are hired, then once you’ve turned in your last draft you rarely hear from them again. But Patrick sent me Stuart’s draft and I gave it a read. Patrick’s right. The Aussie can write. Not sure I agreed with the studio notes he had to deal with but I doubt I could have dealt with them any better.
Okay, so here’s how everything has gone. Some of this will be new and some I’ve mentioned before.
REWRITE ASSIGNMENTS
Time Killer (Nicole): Pitched Lions Gate (frontrunner). Pitched Lions Gate and producers (frontrunner). Feltheimer signed off, getting money together. I’m still the frontrunner.
DRAFTS
Hounds of Hell (Spec with Dean): Pitched to Shuman and Lauren at Blue Star. Shuman called said he had fixes. Joked that it didn’t need fixes. Never heard back. Writing the spec. Finished 1st Draft. Dean is slated to start his.
Thunder (Spec with Dean): We have finalized outline. I should start the first draft as soon as I have some time.
Western Front (Spec with Mark): Written while at Cunningham’s. Oedekerk Sold “Cowboys and Aliens” to Dreamworks. Mark sent WF to Platinum Studios (Comics and producers on Cowboys/Aliens). They loved it, sent to Dreamworks and Universal. Both passed. Too Independence Day, not enough like Aliens. Rewritten, Sent to Nicole, she hated it. Rewritten by Mark. Rewritten by Todd, Sent to Jim Isaac. Jim wants to give it to Constantin and Screen Gems.
Jim gave it to his manager, awaiting response. Been waiting for months.
Past Tense (Spec): Sent to Nicole, she loved. Sent to Verhoevan, he passed, said ending too confusing. Sent to Derek Douchy, said ending too confusing, didn’t like first act. Others have given similar response about ending. I gotta figure out a rewrite.
Riddle Me This (Spec): Sold to Constantin with Hensleigh attached to direct. Have sent multiple 1st acts to Hensleigh. He still hasn’t seen what he wants.
Scarecrow (Nicole): Pitched to Revolution. Sold to Revolution. Turned in First Draft. Patrick Lussier hired to direct. Rewrite to make it more supernatural. Renamed Totem. Turned in Rewrite. Everyone loved except Garner. Said he saw different movie. New Writer Hired, turned in his draft. Garner and Roth have decided not to make it. In Turn-Around. Blue Star must cut a deal with Patrick before moving on. They cut a deal with Patrick. Patrick met with Focus to explain movie. Focus read and liked but found much of it confusing.
PITCHES
G9 (Boesky): Pitched to Toru and Takahara. They loved it. Pitching to remaining creative team in Japan. Remaining team loved it. Want outline of story. They will provide drawings for pitch. Preparing outline. Gathering list of drawings for them to create. Will pitch to Stuidos.
@thena Inc. (Boesky): Pitched to Brian Haberlin (Comic writer/creator). Waiting on word from him.
Redneck Rampage (Boesky/Nicole): Based on an old video game that I went to Nicole and Boesky with. Nicole says she could sell the idea. Boesky checking on rights from Interplay. Rights available. Interplay will give to me for free to pitch. Awaiting paperwork. Preparing pitch.
Rob Schneider Project (Blue Star called me directly): They want Rob and I to sit down and come up with a horror/comedy. Waiting for Rob to wrap on Sandler/Barrymore flick. Nicole will call.
Online Killer project (spec I’ve been playing with): Matrix meets Seven. Pitched to Bob DiNozzi (Nicole set general). Bob wants to take it out of Matrix. Suggested Ghost of designer is killing players who pass his challenge. Must consider his take. It’s not the way I wanted to go.
REMAKES
The Hills Have Eyes (Lazar). Will probably pass. Not interested. Spoke with Parick Lussier, together we came up with a good take. Lazar setting meeting. Patrick visted set of Cursed, Wes excited. Will hear pitch when they go back to days.
PROJECTS I PASSED ON
Jekyl and Hyde (Lazar): Not interested. Piranha (Nicole): Remake, Not interested. Demons (Nicole): Was based on a Stan Lee pitch at TBS. Three Models are government agents as well as Vamp, Witch and Werewolf. They wanted a TV movie. Said I’d pitch if back-door pilot.
TO DO LIST
Fear Effect (Boesky): Awaiting Eidos rights info.
Gun Grave (Boesky): May work on later.
Darkness Falls II (Nicole): If applicable.
Darkness (Boesky): Awaiting rights info.
THOSE WHO PASSED ON ME
Ace in the Hole (rewrite): Pitched 1st to Jennifer Eats. Pitched 2nd to Eats and Scott Strauss of Outlaw Productions. Pitched 3rd to Eats and Alex Litvak of Intermedia. Alex passed.
House of Wax (Lazar): Pitched to Erik Olsen from Silver Pictures and Jordanna Fraiburg from Village Roadshow. They passed.
Ross Bell Project (Nicole): Pitched Online Killer project, Ross seemed to spark to it. I sent him several pages, including script pages. He never got back with me.
I think that brings us current. I’m sure I’ve forgotten a few here and there but that’s the gist. ICM has been great through everything. Nicole’s still sending me work and meetings. The “Time Killer” thing will probably go forward. Sooner than later we hope.
Boesky, I like a lot. He’s been getting me lots of work. Even if that work requires I work my butt off then go out and pitch with no promise of a job. But the guys at Red Entertainment certainly like my G9 take and I’m actually pretty stoked about Redneck Rampage. I could write the crap out of that.
Lazar has also been keeping me busy. He’s setting two new meetings for me and he called about the Hills Have Eyes project which Patrick and I will do together.
New Line has recently said that Jason X cost a total of 38 million and made 58. I gotta think some of that 58 will be mine.
The Writer’s Guild is changing their insurance plan. No one is happy about it. It officially changes in July so Mel and I should have a year plus on the old plan, but eventually everyone will pay 50 bucks for dependants, deductibles have increased and appeared where they didn’t used to. And instead of making 18 a year to qualify now you gotta make 28. That’s gonna hurt a lot of writers.