Wendago

I met with Josh McLaughlin this morning. Nicole had sent him a copy of Past Tense and he loved it. Finally someone who gets it! He got it completely! It’s nice. After awhile you start second guessing your ability. He loved it. He’s giving it to Mark Gordon to read over the weekend but told me not to hold my breath because Mark was notoriously slow to getting around to scripts.
Josh had also read “Riddle Me This” and was a huge fan. And he’s read “Scarecrow” and loved it as well. He read “Scarecrow” while it was in turnaround and wanted to pursue it. He kept trying to get Mark to read it and a month later when Mark finally did he loved it as well and wanted it. But it was too late. Sam Raimi and Senator had already made a deal with Blue Star.

It’s been a year since Dean’s passing. I miss the old bird.

Had a general meeting with Mary Jane Ufland this morning. It was at she and her husband Harry’s house in Santa Monica. I showed up about fifteen minutues early and was a little baffled that I wasn’t at an office building. So I figured it was better to knock early so I’d have time to get to the right address if I was wrong. It was the right place. Harry answered the door and seemed miffed that I was early. He made the comment that the reason writers show up early is because we want the producers to think we turn drafts in on time.
No, Harry, you shitbird. It’s called accountability. But as a producer I wouldn’t expect him to know that.

We had sushi. Wes paid. It was…interesting. Again I felt like the piss boy but what can you do? Patrick and I talked for a bit about what we’d planned based on our last meeting with Wes and he seemed a little disinterested. Then he and Peter started coming up with their own stuff and got excited. Whatever makes it hard, I say. Wes said he was going to go home and write some pages then get back to us.

Well, Wes seems to be interested again in working with Patrick and myself on “The Hills Have Eyes”. I met Patrick this morning at our famous Starbucks to discuss what we will discuss tomorrow when we meet with Wes and Peter Locke. Peter produced Hills with Wes and I believe they control the rights together.
From what I can understand Wes wants out from under Miramax. Granted they’ve had some big successes together with the Scream franchise but I suppose all good things must come to an end. And that may partly be due to the turmoil evidently surrounding Cursed. Anyway, Wes says Dimension has already passed on Hills so he is free to go to other studios. Patrick and I will write the script and although there’s been no talk of it, the chances are probably good that Patrick will direct while Peter and Wes produce.
I think Wes sort of did Patrick wrong on Drac 2000 and this will be some form of making amends although I doubt either would admit to it. But I don’t know the details so I won’t speculate further.
So we meet with them in the morning then I think Wes and Peter will start going around pitching the idea and our attachment. I guess that works. Wes certainly has some power around town but I’m wondering if Toddly may end up getting bent over on this one.
Granted I came to Patrick after my agents had informed me of the gig but Patrick is family. They all know him over there and they all seem to love him. I’m just the doofus sidekick to Patrick…least that’s how it feels.