Category: Journal

Here’s the deal.  I’m sitting in a Shreveport Hotel on Humpday of week three.  I don’t have time to play Journal catch up.  But I need to play journal catch up for posterity’s sake.  It’s a bit-o-OCD I simply cannot ignore.  So, I’m gonna attempt to catch up over the next week then stay current.  Fingers crossed.

(Tuesday of week four.  I’m sitting at a pic-nic table next to the Red River with stand-in’s Nathan, Todd and Michelle.  I’m an odd bird.  First to admit it.  I love movie stars but I adore character actors.  I love big movie explosions but I also love stand-ins.  While Patrick is the general and Millennium Summit are the nations providing weaponry, none of it would be possible without the crew and this crew is fantastic.  Stand-ins included.  while Nic and Amber and Bill are in costumes and make-up, the stand-ins…stand.  They stand in the wind or the rain or the blazing sun.  They stand while Brian lights them.  While Patrick blocks them.  While Dave visualizes the camera movement.  Meanwhile, I stand back.  I stand back and I watch this process daily and it’s like a dance to me.  It flows and there’s music and I adore every moment of it.    Needless to say, I did not hit my goal of catching up over the next week.  But I shant give up.  I will adapt.  I will overcome.  I will improvise.  Victory will be mine so sayeth me.  Now I will now re-read, tweak and hopefully post this).

November of 09 was the celebration of me.  The birth of me.  A glorious orgasm of happiness that was my being pooped into the world.

The above pic was created in November by my good friend, Dave Allcock, an amazing storyboard artist and exquisit British git.

On the 1^st, I was introduced to Kerri Grisham via Betsy Rue (MBV3D) and Harry Manfredini (original F13 score).  Kerri approached me about writing an Australian content thriller.  I was and still am intrigued.

Nov 3

Patrick got an email from an actress raving about Drive Angry.  “…holy shit Drive Angry is the best script I’ve ever read!!!!”  Reading this email back then did not hurt my feelings.  Reading it just now did not hurt either.  I might use it as my wallpaper.  (45 seconds later)  I’m using it as my wallpaper.

I made the trip to LA to meet with Javier Gutierrez to discuss his take on Monkey’s Paw.  Javier was crazy excited.  Reminded me of my pre-jaded years.  I did have concerns that RKO and Javier combined wanted more work than what would normally fall under the title of a polish.  I asked one of my agents to call and just make sure we were all on the same page.

Also meet face to face with Kerri to discuss her Australian project.  Loved it.

We got word that the Drive Angry Contracts were complete so I swung by the office of the lawdogs to sign papers.  Later I discovered that I had illegally parked in Beverly Hills and got a 200 dollar ticket.    You know that Randy Newman song, “I Love LA”?  Yeah.  I don’t sing that song.  Ever.

Nov 5

FJ DeSanto and I started talks with lawyers about our Wildstorm Comics deal.  Insurgents is a six issue story of awesome but more on that later.  Or at Comicon.

Meanwhile, the powers that be behind Monkey’s Paw got a little freaked out by my “rewrite vs. polish” debate instigated by the agents and as a result re-sent the original “commencement letter” as a reminder that I had been paid to start.  All fine and dandy but that still did not end the debate over how much they expected me to write and how much I was willing to write.

Nov 6

Old friend Ludon Lee of the Alien Pig Farm digital online comic, had previously set a meeting to discuss Wolfbane at New Regency.  After much hot air absolutely nothing came of it.

Nathan Amondson, Drive Angry’s Production Designer, sends the very first email with pics of what will later become Laura’s Motel, a major location in the Drive Angry story.

I’ll come back to this in more detail but if I take a moment to skip to the present, Nathan  is a force of nature and as far as Patrick and I are concerned, has become a friend and teammate for life.  But as I said, more on that later.

Nov 7

We turn in the official rewrite for Drive Angry.  It was a contractual rewrite.  The sell or our script included a rewrite and a polish and Millennium’s lawyer wrote both of those “due dates” into the contract.  So, we fulfilled the contract.

As it turned out, this caused some drama.  Go figger.  Normally you get heat when you don’t meet a contractual date.  We got heat for meeting it.

I chuckle as I look back.  You essentially had two players, neither of which trusted the other.  Patrick and I figured if we didn’t turn in the draft by the due date they would call foul and penalize us.  They were annoyed that we didn’t give them a head’s up so they could give us notes.

(As I sit here in the AD’s trailer stealing internet and look back I I can’t help but laugh.  Looking back the whole debate was kind of silly considering we have now done multiple production drafts to address all manner of issues from location to tweaking for specific actors.  The fact that everyone was two parts freaked out over this first rewrite is frankly goofy but I suppose understandable in the alpha dog world of Hollywood.)

Nov 9

Had a call with Zanne at RKO about Monkey’s Paw.  Discussed the ongoing “rewrite vs polish”.  Discussed my concern that we should be focusing on just the notes that give us a commercial movie rather than an indy feel.  Zanne and I were in agreement.

Nov 11

I browse an email thread between lawyers.  We had still not been paid commencement for H3D.  This meant we had still not been paid to start writing a script we had completed in September.  It’s a familiar story.

Nov 14

Flew to Shreveport for the Drive Angry location scout.  Patrick, Brian and I hit Target to stock up on food.

That night I get Javier’s notes for Monkey’s Paw.  Most were visual.  One included moving the movie from Arizona to Louisiana.  Ironic.  Considering I was reading Javier’s notes while in a Louisiana hotel on a movie scout for a movie Patrick and I had written for Arizona but had moved to Louisiana as a make-it or break-it deal with Millennium…ironic indeed.  Thing is, I understood Millennium’s reasons.  And even if I didn’t, they were forking over the money.  Money talks.  But Javier wanted to make the move for visual reasons.  Had nothing to do with story.  And nothing to do with production.  Thus, I responded with stubborn resolve.  Kevin joined the conversation but only long enough to say he was a bit under the weather and would get back with us.

Nov 15

Malek gave us a heads up that TWC would be hearing new H3D takes.  He didn’t have to.  Was just showing us mutual respect.  Sadly a rarity in our business.  Malek truly is a class act.   Therefore the script that Malek and Matt Stein as well as everyone on our team loved…the script Bob never read…was being shelved because… Sorry.  I don’t have that answer.

Over the next few days we got the full tour of Shreveport and Bossier.  We split our time between Millennium execs Rene Besson and John Thompson.  Thompson, as it turns out, used to live in Pacific Grove, and ran with Allen Speigel, my neighbor and friend.  Small world.

During our stay we find most of what will later become the major locations in our movie.

Today, in fact, we just wrapped one of those locations.  Perhaps one of the most interesting locations I have ever and perhaps will ever shoot.  A location found, not by our locations department (who would later quit us) but by our good friend and fifth Beatle, Nathan Amondson.

Pictured above, Patrick, Rene (Millennium exec and Drive Angry Producer), Brian (DP), John (Millennium exec), Nathan (Production Design) and Christina (locations).

Nov 19,

The return to Monterey.  I missed my little girl.

While home I sent out emails as had reached the point of fed up with my leaking website and its assorted ailments.  I sought a professional website exorcist.

Nov 20

Patrick and I got a check for Drive Angry.  First real check of 09.  Melanie and I wept with relief.  You think I’m kidding.  Don’t look at me that way.  I know you been there.  Hollywood is feast or famine.  And within 48hrs we again changed sides.  They did not, however, pay for the rewrite, which we delivered on the 6^th (due the 8^th by their contract).  Paid faster than most though which is certainly worth noting.

Later that day I hand in a rewrite of Heavenly Sword, the Direct to DVD movie based on the video game of the same name.

Nov 21

I survive another year.

Nov 25

We learn that Kevin at RKO had pneumonia but was finally better.  He responds to my and Javier’s note banter.  But rather than end the debate we end up with three possible visions.  Looking back it sit here and LOL to myself.   Is nothing ever easy?

Nov 28

So, the internet world knew that TWC was looking for new takes on H3D.  We were being spammed with emails and facebooks.  Of course, Malek had already given us the heads up but we didn’t want to broadcast that, we didn’t want to broadcast anything until we were paid.

Nov 30

I read an email thread concerning the hiring of the crew for Drive Angry.  With Millennium we would get to make our movie. Millennium would not give us “creative notes” as long as we worked within the time and money given.  But that freedom would come at a financial price.  Everyone would work for less.  No debate.

Would they really give us creative control?  The rumor mill certainly supported that.  Would they be cheap with cast and crew?  The rumor mill supported that too.  BUT, they were offering to make our movie at a time when no one else was offering and at a time when few making any movies at all.

Whatever happened Patrick and I, as well as our trusted team, would as always: adapt, overcome and improvise.  Riesner once told me, “You only need one “Dirty Harry” to build a life and a career.  Drive Angry is our Dirty Harry.

At 3pm I sent the following email to agents and lawyers:

“Hope you all had good turkey as bad turkey is a leading cause of zombie outbreaks.  How do things look on the Weinstein front?  Will they pay or are we going to war?”

Four hours later Patrick sent the following to our agents and lawyers.

“Hello…?  Bueller?  Bueller?     Does anyone now if we’re getting paid on H3D or if we’re going to war with the Weinstein Co?  I hope you’ve all had wonderful weekends and are recovered from much food and family.  When last we left the saga of the Weinstein/Dimension Films… today was drop-dead day.  I was hoping that didn’t mean us.”

At 10pm we send an email to Nancy Nayor having chosen auditions sides for Piper, the Accountant and Jonah.

And that brings us to the end of November.

For them what is new.  This is that place where I record what happened so that when I’m old and stupid I can look back and giggle about what I had to go through.  I’ve been doing this since 2001.  That’s why it’s called “journal” rather than blog. Cuz I’m oldschool.  But since MBV3D came out, I got behind.  Busy, behind, lazy.  Lots of words will do.  So I’m trying to play catch up.  I do this by tearing through old emails and chats and notes scrawled on napkins.

September was a big month.  Lots of drama.  October was more normal.  But that’s Hollywood.  High highs.  Low lows.  September had us get and lose a job.  October was about catching up on sleep and licking wounds.

Oct 1  Patrick informed our team that he would be out of town Oct 3 thru 11th.

Oct 2  TWC said they would send paperwork and that they didn’t “anticipate a problem as to the first step which you delivered.”   We figured this meant they would ask to defer the second step and where everyone else pays in full when they defer TWC would try to defer and pay when they later needed to use the step which could be never.  We would wait and see what they proposed but if we got the first step money then that would be a great starting point.

Oct 3 Patrick to Vancouver.  We head to McDonald’s.

My on again off again partner, Tom Jane, screens Dark Country in 3D to Long Beach Comicon and apparently it was a huge hit.  After the screening our gang (excluding me) passed out free cast and crew T’s to the crowd and there was a Q&A with Tom, Ray (3D) Zone, and my on again off again partner, Tim Bradstreet.

Oct 5  An email thread begins.  Monkey’s Paw rose from either dead or sleep.  So hard to tell the diff these days.  Javier Gutierrez was in negotiations to direct.  Over the next week we set and postpone and reset multiple meetings until we finally settle on the 15th.  Quick Background: In Dec of 08 RKO commenced my optional polish.  We are talking retire to Fiji money.  10k.  I was paid 5k and thus technically commenced although they asked me not to actually start until they got their ducks in a row.  They didn’t say ducks in a row. They said something about finding a director and getting his/her notes.  It was an accounting thing.  I just go with what I’m told.  So, nearly a year later they had their director.  Our meeting would determine both his and RKO’s latest notes.

We prove that Child Labor is still in.

Oct 7 (At some point preceding the 7th a producer approached me about adapting the video game “Twisted Metal”.  I said I’d only do it with Patrick, which thrilled said producer.  I recall watching and reading and researching.  Not sure when this started as I never recorded it via email or chat but a good bit of work was done.   Then we learned that the Twisted Metal thing was never a go.  The rights were tied up at Sony Pictures.  The research was a waste of time.  Sigh.  This is actually kind of typical.  Well, typical to do alot of work then not get the job.  The rights issue should have been cleared in advance.  That was the screw up.

Also on the 7th the Heavenly Sword deal closed.  This gig has been around for… two years if I had to guess. Likely longer.  I have more drafts of it than ALL the scripts I wrote in 08 and 09.  It started as a 30 minute animated series so there was a pilot script written.  Several drafts.  Then, if memories serves SciFi (this was before the funny spelling) got involved and it was completely rewritten.  Then I think it was gonna be a 1 hour backdoor pilot.  More rewriting.  And as of Oct 7th 09 I’m told the deal closed as a direct to DVD.  The money wasn’t great but I’d already done sooooo much work, would be nice to get some form of return.   Granted I was owned money on other projects but it was yet to arrive and I had a daughter and her momma  and a mother-in-law to feed.  And a cat.

Oct 8 I speak with one of my agents about Monkey’s Paw.  Just want to make sure all involved were aware of the difference between and polish and a rewrite.

Oct 9th we see the teaser poster for Drive angry.

Oct 10 Get an awesome email from my New Zealand brother Andrew McKenzie who wrote this fantastic script called Sweetwater.  He forwards a letter from Sergio Donati praising his script.  That is something you frame, my friends.

Oct 11 Google Alerts about H3D still trickle in.  It’s actually pretty funny.  The horror sites collectively read between the lines.  Based on Bob’s announcement we figured everyone would just assume that we screwed up.  But beyond the random forum lurker no one was attacking us.  But we were being bombarded with questions.  Why?  Was this a sequel or a reboot?  I think I replied to every single email, text, message, tweet, FB, Myspace…if I missed a couple… apologies.  But I gave zero details.  Wasn’t my place.

Oct 11 Patrick returns.

Oct 12 Since I’m about to do this whole RKO Monkey’s Paw thing, I figure I better play catch up.  I recalled RKO had been working on this courtroom drama with Michael Douglass called Beyond a Reasonable Doubt.  I look it up.  Holy Cow…it came out already.  It had 22 reviews at Rotten Tomatoes.  22 of those were rotten.

With Patrick’s return we were full steam ahead on Drive Angry.  We determined how many days we had Nick.  How many days we had to shoot.  We discussed should we get names for the other three?  Just two?  Just one?  Or rely on Nick’s name alone?  All this is back forth with De Luca and all fascinating to me.  I keep my mouth shut and just watch, listen, learn.

Patrick and I schedule a lunch with Jaime King before my RKO meeting.

Oct 13 is the first day that Google Alerts does not report someone talking about how we lost H3D.  Although MBV3D returns multiple hits every day.  Any time a movie announces that it’s going 3D we get mentioned. Sometimes in a great light.  Sometimes with venom.  Sobeit.

Oct 14 Lots of back and forth on Patrick’s directing deal.  This isn’t uncommon.  Completely typical.

Got on the phone with Kevin to hear his notes before the big meeting the following day.  I like Kevin because he thinks outside the box.  But we rarely see eye to eye on our definition of what is commercial.

Oct 15 was an early morning drive to LA.  Met with Kevin and Javier.  We discuss and debate.  We all agree that the script needs one major shift which will empower our lead and give the story a slightly more commercial feel.  Javier is going to put his thoughts on paper based on our meeting then we’ll go from there.  Long drive home.

Oct 16, I had previously left four copies of Alien Pig Farm’s graphic novel with my agents.  Had not heard back.  Sent a reminder email.

Oct 19 chat with Patrick about Halloween Horror Nights at Universal.  He’s going.  Tunnicliffe and his wife as well as Brian and Melanie would likely all merge and take part in whatever MBV3D magic would be there.  I pass because I cannot afford the 100 dollar ticket.  Nor the 100 bucks in round trip gas.  Hollywood.  As glamourous as you thought, yes?

So while things were mostly quiet, that’s because I was actually writing.  Or getting ready too.  I was working on Devil’s Commandos as well as reading all drafts and pre-drafting for Monkey’s Paw.  Patrick and I also had a few pitches and specs were were bouncing back and forth on but it tends to be disheartening to talk about that stuff since they’re so smoke-and-mirrors until someone writes a check.

Oct 23 I learn that Javier’s deal with RKO will close so I set a meeting to sit down with him and discuss his direction for the script.

Oct 25th, Adam and Jace send an email suggesting another Myth Hacks dinner.  This email thread consisting of 30 or 40 professional genre writers quickly disintegrates into disgusting filth consisting of sex with the corpses and goats.  Some people will read this and think I’m kidding.

Oct 26th I get an email from a writer at Creative Screenwriting Magazine via my agent.  The writer is doing a story about revenge movies and wants to talk about Drive Angry.  I check with Patrick and tell the guy sure.

Oct 29 Wildstorm sends a possible artist for the six issue series FJ DeSanto and I have developed.

I talk with Javier and we set a meeting for early November which gives me two reasons to go to LA since the Myth Hack dinner is that night.

Oct 30, sent an email to the team to see what what up with TWC and our H3D money.  I offered to send the following pic to informing them that my daughter was hungry but agents and lawyers stayed silent and hoped I was kidding.

Oct 31, after a month it was clear that we would need to defer that last step for H3D.  Just to be clear.  We had  a two step deal.  We would write a draft for x amount.  Later we would write a rewrite for y amount.  When a studio pulls the plug like this, when it is their burden, you normally get paid in full.  But it had become clear that this would not be the case.  So, on the 31st we officially went back to TWC and said that we would not go after that last step money.

Now here’s the thing.  Neither Patrick nor I really cared about that last step money.  We were (and sometimes still are) hopeful that after Drive Angry egos would be put aside and we’d all make the script that everyone (except Bob assuming he still hasn’t read it) loved.  We wanted to be paid for the work we did.  That was fair.  We didn’t want to get in a pissing match that might jeopardize all of us coming together later to make a good movie.

That night, myself and the girls went to the Halloween party at Wayne and Gracia’s.  Our neighbors.  I wore my Fear Michael Myers shirt given to me by Malek.

And that brings us to the rather tame end of October 09.

Before we get down to business let’s take a moment to discuss the new website!  Well, not new but certainly updated and made happy.  Leaks fixed.  Plumbing updated.  Big shout goes out to my good friend Thomas Bartels.  Met Tom through friends, one of which, the Sexy Olga, designed my original site way back in 2001!  Anyway, I can’t thank Tom enough.  He has a day job writing books.  Books for the CIA.  But took time out of his busy schedule to help a dumb bald guy out.  Good man, Tom.

Okay.  Let’s go darker for a moment.  One of the reasons I asked Tom for help was all the leaks.  One leak concerned the comments.  They had been diseased by spam.  And I was no longer getting updates when someone would comment.  Thus I missed a commet from an early Septemeber post concerning many marvouslous happenings in the month of April.  As with all my posts, the text was riddled with Izzie Pics.  I was gonna nuke this comment then figured, freedom of speech blah blah blah.  Since the comment was so thought provoking I decided to hit it with the spotlight.

keke wrote::

hey dude are you lyk a rapist? shuld we watch out for you? idk you look really creepy & you take ALOT of pics of ur lil girl in skirts & stuff& im just sayin you look lyk a fucking creeper & i think u shuld really stop lol juss sayin..

Keke, go away and please don’t come back.

Now, let’s get on with SEPTEMBER.

On Sept 1st I decided it was time to stop procrastinating and do a journal update.  I started scouring old emails, notes, messages and facebooks in an attempt to reconstruct my life.

Elizabeth Kushman (we had pitched the Kristy rewrite to she and Matt Stein a few days previous) emailtroduces us to David Kirschner and Corey Sienega, the producers attached to Kristy.  David is the man behind the curtain behind Chucky.

Sept 3rd, Call with Kirschner and Sienega.  It was a general call.  Meet and greet.  David is very passionate and reminds me of Cunningham slightly, the way Sean could be almost fatherly.  David asked to read Drive Angry and said he would watch MBV3D that night.

After much consideration it was decided to go with Paradise for MBV3D.  Why our loyalty to Paradise?  Well, they did it right.  We had 45 minutes of downtime due to 3D on MBV.  Paradise’s offices aren’t fancy.  More like a mechanic’s workshop.  That’s because they build what you need.  Shoot 3D in a mine?  No problem.  Shoot 3D from a car flipping over a man with a shotgun?  No problem.  They’ll build what you need.  Something breaks, they likely have the part on hand.

Sadly, eventually, all 3D will be done in post…but for now, Paradise 3D is your best option.

Toward the end of the day Zach at DeLuca’s sends the narrowed down actor list for Drive Angry.  It included our five favorites and ten or so runners up for Piper, Jonah and the Accountant.  And that was the short list.  Of those top fifteen.  Pick any three, add them to Cage and you have one heck of a cast.  It’s times like this.  You know?  This is why we put up with…it’s times like this.

Meanwhile, throughout most of this my afternoons, or most of them anyway, find Izzie Rain and I heading to the beach.  Mel and I have found two secrets to happy childhood sleep.  No naps and run them like the wind.  It’s my job to take her to the beach and run her like the wind.  And while I’m at the office making the magic, it’s Mel’s job to battle for forces of evil.  Or as some might call them…naps.  Dunno why.  Dunno how.  But if Izzie gets a 15 minute nap she’ll be up til 2am.

Sept 5th Gary J. Tunnicliffe, our master of FX on MBV3D and Patrick’s brother-in-arms for numerous years, toyed with a Cage pic and Photo shop to come up with some possible Milton looks.  One day I’ll show you.  Instead, I’ll show you some of Gary’s work.

Most of the time, Patrick and I get the bulk of the attention for MBV3D and while that’s sweet, we’ve never made it a secret that it could not have been done without the tireless efforts of a small and very loyal army.  But when it came to the actual creative mechanics, if there were two other stand out Beatles it would be DP, Brian Pearson and FX madman, Gary Tunnicliffe.

Gary done this to me.  Over and over and over.

September 9th, an email thread goes back and forth concerning the reason we had yet to be paid:

“…from Silver Pictures – they asked me to pass along their apologies and blamed some kind of payroll company hiccup.”

It’s funny.  I used to get all stressed.  Well, of course, I still do but now I have at least a secret weapon against it.  As bad as it gets I can always say, “Hey, Izzie.”

On September the 11th there were some bumps in the road with Drive Angry.  I do not recall what they were.  There are always bumps.  But I’m reading an email thread now that results in my and Patrick informing agents and Frankel (lawyer) that we agreed with the lawyer’s counsel and would remain on the path with Millennium, regardless the bumps.
Frankel’s reply was that we “…ease on down the road.”

To which I replied, “…did anyone else just get a mental image of Frankel performing The Wiz?”

Patrick: “Yes.  He’s Nipsy Russell.”

Frankel: “Michael Jackson”

Edit: And this is likely the thread that killed him.

For those what don’t know.  Them are Izzie tracks.  But as is the way of the Izzie, by the time you see the tracks, by the time you know she’s in the area.  It’s too late.

Sept 12, Conference call with Malek, Bob and Matt to discuss Halloween 3D.

This call was a production meeting.  There were no deals and only a rough pitch.  The bulk of the call was…can it be done in the time we’ve got?  We said yes.  But no mistakes.  No BS.  No overdevelopment.  No second guesses.  We told them we’d have them a detailed outline in two days.  An outline detailed enough to prep from.  We told them we could do it if we can have our crew.  No lowballing.  We need the crew that can do the job right the first time.  We told them that we’d give them a script that was ready to shoot.  The excitement was infectious.  We were asked to get them a treatment and we’d start prepping on that.  The call ended with confidence high.

Sept 14th.  (I’m looking over the emails and calendar through the rest of September and my head is spinning.  How we survived it is anyone’s guess.)

So…two days after our call with Malek and Bob we have a 40 pages treatment.  Needless to say, it’s very detailed.  Fully envisioned set pieces, characters and dialog.  We’re told to hold off on delivering until the deals are signed.

Meanwhile, Bob’s in Toronto.  And so is Avi.  Avi Lerner = Millennium.  Let me back up a little.  Because this all gets very complex.  But here’s the simple version.

A couple months back we sent Drive Angry to producers first.  Due to Patrick and Bob’s History, Bob was one of the first to get it.  And one of the first to pass.  But here’s the rub.  Bob never saw it.  Someone read it on his behalf and passed.  Fast Forward.  Millennium purchases Drive Angry for Nic Cage.  Bob reads it.  Wants it.  And while very simplistic…that brings us current.

What follows…and I can’t even begin to speculate…all takes place above my pay grade.  But there was apparently some gambling, wheeling and dealing.

Lunch: Patrick and I meet with Malek.  We start at his office and later hit a sushi joint.  Well, joint is the wrong term.  Lunch cost more than I got paid for Messengers.

Now.  Here’s what was interesting.  I expected not to like Malek.  Not sure why really.  Guess because he’s the kid.  Daddy built the empire.  But I simply loved him.  Patrick and I both did.  Malek was on his game.  His questions were smart.  We had smart answers.  Once we won him over there was zero hesitation.  He was a powerhouse.  We do this.  We get this guy.  We move now.  I can make this call.  I can make that call.

We left that meeting and suddenly it was all very real.

Thing is, Patrick and I have complete confidence in each other.  But we left that meeting having full confidence in Malek.  He was that good.

Plus he gave us FEAR shirts.

Later that day I ask Frankel if I can get flights to the locations for Mel and Izzie.  He says he’ll ask but reminds me that we are fighting just to get me there and treated properly on Drive Angry.  But that Bob will likely take care of me on H3D.

Sept 15th, Patrick informs Paradise of H3D and they begin putting together a bid.

Sept 16th.  We finally receive our delivery check for the ISWYD draft we delivered 103 days ago.

Sept 17, we pitch Kristy to Bob.

I’m not sure why we were asked to do the Kristy pitch.  Kristy is a good project.  Very smart script as is.  But with H3D, just seemed like one two many pots on the stove.  Bob seemed to have the same question.  We pitched it.  He liked it.  We spent most of the time talking about H3D.  Bob assumed our deals had closed.  Seemed annoyed that we were not.

That night.  Malek sends an email.  I wish I could share it.  It’s like…I can’t even explain it.  I’ve been doing this Hollywood thing since ’96.  When I got here I was happy and loved movies and loved people…now I’m just a big dark pit of hate.  When dealing with producers and executives there’s always this guarded nature.  This car salesman thing.  Or snake oil salesman thing.  Then…in the same year I end up working with Mike De Luca and Malek Akkad.

It’s truly the difference between a Oldsmobile and a Ferrari.  Of course, for that comparison to work then you need to have driven a Ferrari.  The first time I drove a Ferrari I was like, WHOA!  I get it now!  Holy Cow!  Same thing with these guys.  Before I couldn’t comprehend it.  I couldn’t comprehend just how much better it was.  Because in the world of producers, it wasn’t until recently that I got to see a Ferrari in action.  And I got two.

Anyway, here’s what I will share of Malek’s email:

“All the announcements and leaks, true or not, will make it tougher but we’ll get it done. Always do.

I’m confident you’re up to it, and as we move forward you’ll see that I’m there for you 110%.”

The man is a class act.

At the end of the day, Izzie and I Burley to the ocean.  Then it’s two miles back to the 17th Street Grill for chicken and chips.

Sept 18th.

(I just read a chat thread between Patrick and I that went from 7:44 to 9:04am.  In the thread we banter back and forth about everything that will come out of the H3D script that day. Should we do this or this?  Two couples and two lesbians or all straight?  High school or College?  College dormroom may be easier to redress from previous sets.  Yes but high school feels more Carpenter.  Agreed. I read this thread and I get it.  I get us.  I understand why it works.  Why we work.)

Thus, since only one of us can write at a time, he runs off to fight the battles and I chain myself to the desk.  And yes, I’d started on the script…although officially there was no deal.  But see, this was Adult Swim.  There just wasn’t the time to play dickhead.  Either we’d get screwed or we wouldn’t.  But if we had any chance of making a good movie we HAD to get the script finished ASAP.  So, I did what I do.  I dug in.  I wrote.

For Patrick and Malek it was all about fighting the storm. The holy cow of it all was starting to sink in.  So many questions.  So much to do.  So little time. It was mid-September, what was the latest we could start filming and be able to finish before Dec 22?  Because once we wrapped that was it.  No going back.  January would have Patrick and I starting prep with De Luca and Cage.  So that had to be worked out.  It was decided we’d shoot in Shreveport (where we’d be shooting Drive Angry).  Was it cheaper to start earlier or go with 6 day shoots?  While the math might have you saying 6 days…you gotta understand 12 hours a day for six days gets old really fast. When the crew suffers, moral suffers.  Moral suffers the shoot suffers.

So many questions to answer!  No second guesses!  No time for debate!

Are the returning actors available during our window?  Because if they aren’t we’re dead before we start.  Neither Patrick, myself, nor Malek wanted to replace any returning actor.

Can we still get our crew?  We need Brian, Gary.  We need Tom Elkins to bring this bird home in the end because Patrick and I will be driving in 3D.

Speaking of which…how will Avi and Millennium react to all of this?  What will De Luca say?

Last thing we wanted to do was spread ourselves so thin that we could only give 80 percent to both movies.

Later that day.  This is why Michael De Luca is a Ferrari.  Patrick runs the idea of doing H3D before Drive angry.  As our producer he suggests we blow it off and stay focused on DA.  “…BUT as your friend I’d say go for it, no one is feeding your family except yourself and we can help you with casting and maximize your time so you don’t waste any of it.”

Michael De Luca = a red Ferrari.

John Wells wins WGA presidency.

Now, understand at the end of each day, I shoot pages to Patrick.  He’s been out killing himself all day, then he sits down, reads, writes and fires it back to me.  Lots of coffee and very little sleep.

Sept 19th: This is why Patrick is a Ferrari.  The negotiations begin on H3D.  Patrick wants me there when he’s there.  Travel, hotel, car and so forth.  Lawyer informs us that they will never agree to it.  But Patrick won’t let it go.  I’m unaware of this because I’m avoiding email in order to avoid all distraction.  End of the day, I see the thread and chime in.

I have to be there when Patrick is there.  We are on a tightass schedule and we simply don’t have time to screw around.  If they want to fly me coach, fine.  They want to stick me in a craphole motel, fine.  They want me to take the bus, fine.

But I have to be there when Patrick’s there and that we need in writing.  And, of course, I want my per day stripper/booze money.

tf

In the end I get co-producer and travel and so forth.  But had little to do with me.  It was mostly Patrick pushing our team to fight.

Sept 20th, we discuss a scout for the following week.  No second guesses.  No hesitation.

First act done.  We tell them we’ll have a draft on the 26th…by Saturday.  In time to spread out before the scout.

Sept 21st, Stanley Pearse, location manager suggests one of our main locations and take pics.  Patrick loves, asks they start checking availability.

In a bit of “It’s a small world afterall”, I get an email from Renee Geerlings.  I met Renee three, maybe four years ago.  Renee married Tyler Mane.  Tyler Mane placed Michael in H1 and H2.  Tyler had spoken with Malek.  We were all on the same page.  It was nice to reconnect.  The hope was that we somehow continued to pull this crazy thing together.  All fingers were crossed.

Sept 22nd: Gary Tunnicliffe sends a list of kills from the outline to make sure they are consistent with the script as he needs to start prepping FX.  I clarify those that have changed, been nixed or added.   Wow.  Lotta death in this one.  :)

Halloween 3 is 6th on the Top 15 3D Movies In Development list at IGN.

I schedule a time to visit Gary the following week before we leave for the scout as I will likely play a small role that requires some of Gary’s sweet FX loving.

September 23rd, Stanley sends the location website link which he’s filling up with pictures.

We send an email to Bob and Malek requesting an H2 DVD.  We’d seen it but, just in case.  By the end of the day, the email is routed to the proper channels and Jeff has DVDs in the mail to both Patrick and I.

During all of this, Bob/Matt wanted the 40 page scriptment tweaked to address their notes.  Sort of a stupid thing to do considering we were scrambling to plan AND write the script but Hollywood ain’t known for being unstupid.  So, with everything on his plate, Patrick was also forced to deal with that.  There were actually some good notes.  Bob’s notes were simple.  He wanted more 3D.  More flying at your face.  Meh.  We’d do it then likely later cut it.  But Malek has some very smart notes.  The first I resisted.  Oh man did I resist it.  But he was right (and now that the script is complete I see just how right he was).

Late on the 23rd, Millennium asks us to create a short half page synopsis of Drive Angry for use during foreign sales.  Since we didn’t have anything else going on we said sure.

Sept 24th.  And on top of everything else.  Drive Angry still moves forward.  At some point through the above, Patrick meets with an actress for Piper.  Loves her.  Later same actress meets with DeLuca and team.  They too love her.  Will still all come down to her audition in January but she’s a front runner.

Sept 25th,  Patrick has a chat with Matt Stein, Bob’s Darth Vader.  Patrick tells him if we want to keep to the proposed budget and schedule we need to get make-up FX started.

Matt replies that Gary needs to lower costs.

This made us scratch our heads and giggle.  Uh…  Patrick replies, “Fine, cut kills and we will.  Which ones do you want us to lose?”

Matt replies that he can’t decide.  They need to see the script.

More head scratching (this was likely the beginning of the end…we just didn’t know it).

Patrick replies at length.  Reminds him that we started the script one week ago today.  That we’d turn in a draft tomorrow.  That we were told we could start prep from a treatment…clearly that is suddenly not the case.

Matt replied that he understood our concerns but was waiting on approvals.

Again, Patrick replied, If we are stuck waiting on approvals for every single part of the process then we will absolutely not be able to accomplish this. Patrick tells him, our team’s in place.  We are ready to roll.  But without your support we simply can’t do this.

Later that night:

On Sep 25, 2009, at 9:20 PM, Patrick Lussier wrote:

Malek & Andy,

Todd and I have gone through the first draft each once.  We’re gonna sleep on it, then make one final read thru in the a.m.  Our hope is to have it to you in the afternoon.  I haven’t told the Weinstein Group yet, but will wait and inform them tomorrow.

Both Todd and I are excited about the progress.  For 8 days of scripting, holy crap, it’s a movie.  Right now we’re sitting at 95 pages, which feels like a solid place to be.

Please bare with us for one more read and tweak to make sure we haven’t missed anything too noticeable, and you’ll have it tomorrow.

Best,

Patrick

Sept 26th, as stated.  We read a couple more times.  Fixed a type-o here and there.  And sent it to the powers that be on Saturday afternoon.  8 days.  Wow.

So, script turned in…I turn my focus on young Ms. Izzie Rain.  She is three this day.  Happy Birthday to my greatest accomplishment.

Later Johnny Martin starts sending car pics to consider for the Drive part of Drive Angry.

Sept 27th we sent the following to Millennium.

DRIVE ANGRY

Drive Angry stars Nicolas Cage as Milton, a hardened felon who has broken out for one last chance at redemption.  Hell bent on stopping the vicious cult of fanatics who murdered his daughter, Milton has three days to stop them before they sacrifice his infant grand-daughter beneath a full moon.  Milton must use his anger to go beyond all human limits to save his last connection with humanity.

He’s joined by Piper, a young sexy-smart waitress who liberates her ex-boyfriend’s cherry muscle car in order to help Milton.  Now, the two of them are hot on the trail of the charismatic Jonah King and his murderous followers.  King will throw every one of his faithful under the wheels of Milton’s turbo-charged Black ’71 Challenger, to fulfill his destiny and unleash Hell on earth.

But the blood-thirsty cult is the least of Milton’s problems.  The police are after him.  And worse.  An enigmatic killer known only as “The Accountant.”   The Accountant knows what Milton’s trying to do, and simply doesn’t care.  With wicked cunning and hypnotic savagery, the Accountant will relentlessly pursue Milton at high speed across the forgotten back roads of the American south.

Fueled by high octane and pure rage, Milton and Piper must battle the onslaught of King’s disciples, avenge his murdered daughter, and save his grand-daughter before his last chance at redemption is revoked.

(Somehow between Sept 27th and AFM it would get retyped and gain three major type-os which blitz the internet.  Sigh.)

We hear from Malek.  He loves it.  We hear from Matt.  He loves it.  No one has seen or heard from Bob. Not even Matt.

On Monday the 28th of September, Bob calls Patrick.  He had not read the script.  He said they can’t do it.  Not now.  They need time.  He wanted us to agree that it was a mutual agreement.

Patrick calls to inform me and my head spins.

Later we go back and forth with Malek.  He’s just as sucker punched.  But, so you guys know, the script rocks, so it isn’t that.  And that’s not just from me, it’s from Andy, and the production supervisor, and even the accountant!  If the accountant likes it…

We did our job.  And we did it well.  Bob was saying we’d all come back together after Drive Angry.  Most felt that would NEVER happen.  I held out hope.  The lawyers were rumbling that come the morning they’d start hearing all the excuses NOT to pay us.  Again, I held out hope.

We did our job!  And we did it well!  We were accountable.  Of course, those we were dealing with would be just as accountable.  It was hard enough thinking about the fact that we would not be doing the movie now.  We’d just killed ourselves to get a script done and this was adult swim.  We delivered a great script.  Last thing I wanted to do was think about all the ways sinister dark forces were lying in wait to destroy us.  I refused.

It would all work out.  Things were going to get better.

Sept 28th, Patrick and I get a call from the WGA.  I do not understand nor do I want to understand all the details.  The gist is this.  Patrick and I would be pawns in a game being played by large powerful entities sitting in seats way up high in the sky.

Writers complain and bitch and moan quite a bit.  Think maybe there’s a reason?

Been a rough day.  Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE getting kicked in the balls but they were starting to ache a little.

Izzie Rain self portrait.

So that brings us to the end of SEPTEMBER.

(As I sit here about to hit publish, I can’t help but wonder if Bob ever read it.  Tom Atkins read it.  Loved it.  We wrote him a part.  I sent it to some trustworthy fanboys.  They loved it.  One even commented: “When Laurie (did that thing which I’m not going to print here) I physically jumped.  I’ve never jumped while reading a script before.”  Sigh.  This really is a crazy business.)

Coming soon!  Uh…what month is nex…October!

For those late arrivals or those showing up based on a type-o, or for those seeking lesbian poop porn only to arrive because I have now typed lesbian poop porn twice, welcome. I got behind and I’ve been playing catch up. We’re up to August of 09. We’ve made up a ton of ground in one month.
But allow me to interrupt August to share the reason I have and will always be a Letterman man. In a world of lies and liars, he simply don’t. He may not be perfect but he don’t lie about it. Amen.

Now, back to our regularly scheduled August.
Aug 2 Patrick starts compiling director notes in preparation for his Nic Cage meeting. Recall, Nic dug the script but his attachment depended on the outcome of said meeting.
On Aug 3rd, I send Monkey’s Paw to Tom Jane as a result of his and Jaime King’s discussion of it at comicon.

If you are what you eat then young Ms Rain is equal parts bacon, eggs, pancakes and chicken. And cookies but we’ll come back to that.
August 4th, Patrick and DeLuca sit down with Cage. I asked Patrick to sum it up in his words, “Meeting with Nick Cage was spectacular. From the moment, DeLuca and I started to discuss DRIVE ANGRY with him we knew we’d found a partner with passion for the film to match our own. Nick would be the perfect hero for the film.”
Aug 5: Tom responds that I should tell Jaime he’d love to do Monkey’s Paw with her. I email Jaime and I call Kevin, the exec at RKO.
Later in the day, Patrick has lunch with Sacchi at LGF. We assume it is to discuss a script John sent Patrick the previous week.
While waiting, Paseornek approaches. Turns out…they know all about Cage. Recall, LGF got the script first…out of respect. And passed. Turns out they have a deal with Millennium and are considering distribution.
Later still, we get the counter offer from Millennium. Way better than Relativity but still low considering this is a Nic Cage movie. We prepare and make our first counter.
Aug 7th: Millennium comes up the tiniest bit. They increase the purchase price for the script. They increase Patrick’s director’s fee. They deny me a producer credit. Refuse to fly me out to the set. Frankel goes back and simply shoots them straight. This isn’t a play. This isn’t ego. We are true collaborators. I NEED to be there when Patrick is there. After some bantering…they finally agree to fly me out but only if I’ll ride in baggage and stay at the Motel 5. SureWhyNot. We tentatively close.
On August 8th I have dinner with Allen and artist, Dave McKean. The dinner is to discuss hooking Dave up with Ludon and Ludon’s supposed financial connections. Later, Allen sends McKean material to Ludon.

I work hard. Dunno if I’ll make it or not. Sure I got some flicks under my belt but my future still isn’t clear as far as Hollywood and success are concerned. I suppose I could do more. Work harder. Go do the parties and make the rounds. Kiss the butt and suck the hose. But I’d rather hang with the almost three year old if we’re being honest. I still work my tail off. Way more than the average joe. But sometimes while making that magic I got an almost three-year-old sitting a couple feet away watching Dora. Yeah, I know, that’s weird. I’m thinking up interesting ways to cut off heads, meanwhile Dora is trying desperately to return a fallen baby star up to the moon and Izzie is cheering her on. But…that’s my thing.
Win or lose…I win.

Sure, she can be a pain in the keister but have you even met me? I invented keister pain. Pain or no, she sure do make daddy proud. Now, I don’t know how it is in your house but in our house good deeds often have chocolate chip cookie rewards.

And, you know, the thing about Izzie Rain…she’s got lifeless eyes. Black eyes. Like a doll’s eyes. When she comes at a cookie, doesn’t seem to be living…until she bites the cookie, and those black eyes roll over white and then…ah then you hear that terrible high-pitched screamin’. The bedspread turns to crumbs, and despite all the poundin’ and the hollerin’, she rips that cookie to pieces.
That’s from Jaws. Sort’a.
August 11th: Nic names Drive Angry his last movie under his Millennium contract.
We are closed.

The thing I realized most recently is that you never win. You hear it called the game of Hollywood. Heck, even I say you gotta play the game..but there’s no win. There’s no goal line, no three pointer at the buzzer because there’s never a buzzer. It’s like someone asking how you win World of Warcraft. You don’t. You survive it.
I know that’s a hard statement but Hollywood is a hard hard world.
While Cage attaching is great news…it’s not a win. It’s a moment of wonder in a fantastical journey. Because it is NOT about the WIN. It’s not about the lose either. The destination is irrelevant…it’s about the journey.
Breathe in the ocean air and enjoy it. The good and the bad. The high…and the low.

Slow down and look at the fish. What’s the rush?

Go to the ocean…or whatever equivalent battery recharger you use. Go to that place. Your place.

And embrace it.

And dance.
Aug 17th, Millennium has an issue with the title Drive Angry. We don’t really understand the reasons given. Something about the way it translates foreign. We fret. DeLuca thinks it’ll likely go away.
Later in the day we hear that Hammer responded to our meeting. Still waiting on word from the UK on Parasite. They dug our Silo pitch but want more details before pulling the trigger. And they loved our Golden Vamp but want the full pitch before moving forward. What we find interesting is that we pitched three stories at different levels of detail and they didn’t pass on anything.
Kristyn, Tom Jane’s assistant creates rawstudio emails for herself, Tom, Bradstreet and me.
On August 19, fellow writer, Mark Swift beckons me to pay attention to Guild politics. I sigh but know he’s right. I start reading.
Aug 20: Dark Country Screening. Driving in for the screening I learn that Dark Castle never got one of my VERY important forms and that THIS is clearly the reason we have not been paid. You know the one. The form I faxed months ago. The form which the fax receipt says was received without error. Yeah. That form. They didn’t get it. I change my plans and swing by Paradigm to fill out another.
While there I drop off copies of Alien Pig Farm.

Dark Country was good. Not great. Major tech flaws but pretty strong for a first time director. The crowd seemed to really dig it. It’s a crazy little movie. Above is the mock-up DVD cover Bradstreet did. Amazing. As Dean Lorey said when I showed it to him…”I walk into a store and see that, I stop and pick it up.”
Aug 21: Patrick and I meet with Brad Schenk from Paradigm. He gives us his actor recommendations for Piper, Jonah and the Accountant. The three mains making up Nic’s co-stars.
Nights in White Satin H2 trailer is awesome. Suddenly I’m stoked for the movie.
We learn that Universal is featuring MBV3D as their big horror nights thingy. We email Mike and John. They know nothing about it.
Aug 22: We send the Paradigm list to Deluca and crew. They hint that they have lists from other agencies and that the agents have been crazy about the script. When we ask about the other lists they tell us we gotta wait on WME. Sigh. I hate waiting.

So I run. 4 miles in the Agoura Hills heat. Sheesh.
Aug 24: Patrick and I go to John Wells meeting. I invite Dean as well but he tells me to go and decide and he’ll vote for whoever I tell him to vote for. In the end he ain’t quite that much my bish, but we discuss and research over the next week and the three of us all find Wells the better choice.
On Aug 25th, Aint it cool gives Tom a good review for Dark Country
Aug 26: Avi calls Patrick. Tells us we need to come up with a new title. This goes round and round. Deluca gets involved.
Comes down to “Drive Angry” or “Drive to Kill”.

Look! It’s an…Air…

…pluh…

..ane!

On Aug 27 we finally get the agency cast recommendations. Holy cow. Name your favorite actor. Good money says he and/or she is on this list. It’s sort of overwhelming. And cool.
Aug 28th: We hit Dimension to pitch our take on Kristy to Matt Stein. Good pitch. Good response. Next step is Bob.
Later that night Patrick and I take our bromance to see H2. It’s dark. And the ending was different from the script. We weren’t anticipating that. But we have our workaround before we reach the car. Not that it’ll matter. We never heard anything after our initial pitch on H3. We figure IF it moves forward it’ll depend on this weekend’s performance. Maybe we’re still in the running. Or not.

As is the case every year. LA burns.
On the 29th we send Matt an email as a follow up to our Kristy pitch. We mention we saw H2 and know how to continue the story. His reply is quick. He and Bob will shortly reach out to us on Kristy and H3.
Later that afternoon I get the following from the son of an old high school buddy.

I blurred the last name since he’s a minor and there’s probably some rule. That and I didn’t want any of your pervs bugging him. Anyway, thinking it sort of funny, I forward this to Matt with the question:
“What should I tell him? :)”
Matt responds that we’ll talk this week!
Aug 30, an old dead project comes back to life. FJ DeSanto and I created this story called Sleepers. This was back when he worked for Uslan and it never got off the ground. When FJ left he took it with him. He shot me an email. He’d run into Jim Lee from Wildstorm and gave Jim the quick pitch. Jim loved and set a meeting to hear the full pitch.
Later, Bob Weinstein announces that he’s been in talks with a director, that he’s going to release H3D in the summer and that Zombie won’t return.
Our phones, emails, facebooks and myspaces light up. We were…vague. While we had discussed the idea of doing H3, we’d heard nothing in the form of confirmation or denial. My standard reply was, “I cannot tell you what I know and I don’t know what to tell you.”

It was getting hot, my friends.

So I ran.
It was all very interesting. Final Destination 3D had opened and opened huge. At 28m. TFD was the lead headline until Bob’s announcement derailed them. And his announcement was top news until…
Aug 31st, Millennium and Nu Image announces the purchase of Drive Angry, a 3D road movie with Nic Cage attached and to start shooting in the spring. Patrick and I make the cover of the Hollywood Reporter. A first for me. We didn’t see that announcement coming either. But it was good to see we were getting to keep the title Drive Angry.
Later in the day we get an email from Matt congratulating us on Drive Angry and asking what our shoot schedule will be like.
Looks like Bob was indeed referring to Patrick.
Wow. Seems the next month is gonna be an interesting one (We had no idea just how interesting.)

As another month comes to a close we are exhausted and happy. We are hugged and kicked in the nuts. The Yin and the Yang of it all never ceases to amaze.
And for those who are keeping score, it has been 87 days since we delivered our draft of ISWYD and still no pay from Rona.

Let’s take a moment to interrupt our July broadcast to deliver a message from modern day. Couple nights ago, I see the digital camera sitting on the desk, I grab it, hit record and toss it on top of the printer. I forget about it. Music’s playing and Patrick and I have a deadline which I’m pounding away to meet. Later the mem card finally fills up and the camera beeps. I ignore it and keep writing.
Tonight I notice the camera sitting there and download the vid. While I can’t share it all, when a certain couple of songs played back to back it made me smile so that much I can share.
Please ignore the oddly goofy way my head bobs and weaves. I do not know what that is about and wish it could be nuked. But alas.

Now back to your previously scheduled trip back to July:
July 1st, Jake, the manager, calls. He tells me DeLuca now has Fright Night. I tell him been there done that. I fill him in, catch him up. Told him the job went to Kring. He calls back later, he’d spoken to someone at DeLuca’s office. Kring didn’t get the job either. Job is still open. Crazy business.
We catch world that DeLuca sent Drive Angry to Norm Golightly, who read, loved and gave to Nic Cage to read. Exciting but you try to keep that sort of excitement in check.
July 2nd, Patrick and I join Ludon on a call to Singapore to speak about possible Korean content funding. It’s similar to Canadian Content except it is not as good a deal and unproven. We leave the phone call with less confidence than when we entered.
July 3rd. Agent hits us with an email. An offer came in via Relativity for Drive Angry. Agent left it in office. Well call us Monday morning.
…sigh. Assumption is…the offer blows and no one wants to tell us that going into the weekend.
July 5th I get a last minute request to do a Horror House interview for Scott Sigler talking about Messengers II and Raimi. Ends up being easy. They shoot me some questions, I boot up the mac and let it film my answers. I shoot them a hi-def file and tell them to edit, cut, work their magic as they please.
July 6th Patrick informs Zach and Josh that Paradise 3D heads to location on the 20th. If they and Relativity want to meet them then the meeting needs to happen before the 20th.
Later that day we remind the agents, “Hullo? Offer came in Friday? Uh…it’s Monday? Hullo?”
Conference call with agents and lawyer. Offer is dismal.
Within two hours we counter via our lawdog extraordinaire, Jeff Frankel.
July 7th Ludon has been arranging meeting for Tom Jane and I for Comicon. Meetings with investors and meetings with different vendors and producers. Tom’s also published graphic novels of Alien Pig Farm as well as Bad Planet. Wolfbane, Devil’s Commandos…this promises to be our busiest Con to date.
July 8th, I suggest Ludon and his investors take a look at Patrick and Joel’s Condition Dead 3D. Patrick shoots me the latest draft. I read again then send to Ludon. He calls me fast. Wants to meet with Joel.
Why do I do this journal again? I do it because I have been rode hard and hung up wet. I do it because I’m stretched thin like butter over too much bread. I do it because I have kilt braincells that I shouldn’t have kilt. I do it to remember. I’m not here to blow smoke. I’m not here to make it sound pertier than it is. So, here’s the ugly…
The lowball offer from Relativity was a gutshot. A nutcracker. A demeaning girlslap like Kurt Russell bitchslapping Chubby Billy Bob in Tombstone. We have done so much work. Not only did we not get Fright Night…we not getted it twice. We took The Fly right up to the door of the big meeting at which point the big suits locked the door and didn’t even want to hear our take because we weren’t either visionary Zack Snyder or Chris Nolan. Haunting in Tennessee, Ghost Rider 2. Passes. We write a spec that everyone seems to love but that no one wants to buy because they’re too busy laying off their work force. Even our big win with MBV wasn’t a win. The studio made 93m on a 16m investment and no return business. Hollywood. High highs. Low lows.
This was a low.
We asked our agents to call Matt at Weinsteins’ and see if that outline gig was still available.
At the end of the day we hear that Nic read Drive Angry and LOVED it. Wants to do it pending a meeting with Patrick.
Like I said. High highs. Low lows.
This was a high.

July 9th we get the reply from Matt. “Maybe.” Then he sends a script to consider rewriting and a book to consider adapting. Patrick reads the script immediately. I read slow. We all have our crosses to bear. Patrick digs the script, alot. It reminds him of another movie and was likely written to capitalize on that other movie but we eventually come up with a take that keeps everything that’s so cool while not ripping anyone else off. We get back to Matt with interest and tell him we’ll work up a pitch.
July 13th. We get our second offer from Relativity. Nic’s interest does nothing to raise their interest in us. In fact, their offer comes down. In a move I’ve never seen before, they actually came down on their already insulting offer. Nic has a deal with Relativity so none of this made much sense. We assumed they were simply calling our bluff. Bottom feeding. Figured no one was buying, they’d grab it up for pennies.
DeLuca jumps on the phone with them. Do you want this or not? He warns them that we are about to walk. We’d rather have nothing as what they’re offering. They assure him they are interested. Excited even. So we jump on the phone with agents and lawyer and come up with another counter.

Sanity. There’s a reason Hollywood types are so freaking weird. Others are otherworldly insane. It’s due to this never ending, crazy roller coaster of evil that we willingly ride day in and day out. I try to get off the coaster from time to time. It’s how I keep any semblance of sanity. And it’s a part of my story.

I only mention this because I got a semi-snotty email recently commenting on all my daughter pics. Tell you what, numbnut. You got two choices. One, if you don’t like it you can go read someone else’s blog. Or two, we can meet up in LA, face off, bow and then I’ll punch you in the forehead.
July 20th it is recommended that we put the Weinstein stuff on hold and see how Bastards and H2 does.
We also learn later in the day that Nic’s agents sent Drive Angry to Millennium, who Nic also had a deal with. Not only had a deal but the deal’s deadline was approaching. Millennium had a couple of project they wanted Nic to do but he wanted to do ours.
Many things happen very fast.
One, Millennium wants to know if this can be done without DeLuca. We say, “No.” We gonna go home with the one what brung us.
Two, Millennium wants to meet us on Tuesday before Comicon. We scramble to make this happen.
Three, we catch word that Nic is toying with the idea of playing the villain in Green Hornet in the fall. Millennium wanted to shoot in the fall. This would push us to February.

The Millennium meeting was confirmed for July 21st at 11:30am. I was booked to fly to San Diego on the 22nd. In typical fashion, the airline would not let me change the flight so late. So, not wishing to leave the girls without a car, I borrow Allen’s car and drive. I arrive at Patrick’s at 9:30am. I park Allen’s ride, pile in with Patrick and he drives us to meet DeLuca, Zach and Josh and as a team we head in to meet Joe, Danny and Boaz of the team Millennium/Nu Image.
Meeting goes…well…goes very very well. The LOVED the script. Loved the 3D concept. Suddenly the roller coaster has picked up speed again.
July 21 word hits that Rob Zombie is remaking Season of the Witch H3. Interesting.
Why is this interesting? Well, although I’m writing all of this as if I were still living in July…fact is…it’s late September and the beans have spilled. A month or so back, Weinstein Co started talking to us about a number of their projects. We ended up pitching four of them. One of those pitches was Halloween 3D. Not the Season of the Witch 3 but a sequel to Rob’s two films…but in 3D. While told they loved all four pitches…we never heard really got a yes or a no to any of them. Thus hearing that Zombie was doing Season of the Witch was, in fact, interesting.
July 22, I hear that Raimi will be directing World of Warcraft. I drool. He’s perfect. I’m happy and jealous.

Melanie, in an attempt to keep me sane, will send me multiple daily pics of Izzie.
July 23, We give Millennium the numbers we initially gave to Relativity.
Comicon 09!

Let’s sum up.

Tom self published Bad Planet and Alien Pig Farm trade paperbacks. They move like mad.

Ludon introduces us to guys with money. Possible investors in our two companies.
Wolfbane teaser is a big hit.

We do the annual dinner with Darabont. I’ve never taken pictures at the party, at least I never publish them…because it seems too…intrusive. But this shot of Tom and Frank afterward was cool.
One highlight at the party was when the talk turned to Cameron and Avatar’s 3D. I mentioned that Cameron had recently called my latest a giant step backwards in the 3D movement. Gale Ann was quick to jump in saying how much she loved MBV. Wasn’t until later I remembered that she and Cameron were married at one point. I always think of her with Hensleigh…as it should be.
Ran into Jaime King who had spoken with Kevin about Monkey’s Paw. She loved the script. Tom walked up and I noted that I had actually written it with both of them in mind. She and Tom bantered about the script.

Tom takes us to the True Blood party. Nelsan sits with us. I’m giddy as a school girl. The whole cast is there. It’s Anna’s birthday.

There’s cake. And blood.
Business-wise it was a great weekend. Personally it was the worst. Egos clashed and I left early Sunday.

July 27, Patrick passes on recutting Wolfman as we wait to see what happens with Drive Angry.
On the 28 we send Alex our outline for Parasite as we feel it would make a great Hammer film. Could even plug one of their old titles into it. 3D 15m budget. Slam dunk. We do this in prep for our thursday meeting.

July 30 with Alex Brunner and Tobin Armbrust re: Silo, Golden Vamp and Parasite. It’s a good meeting. They loved Parasite and sent it to the UK for approval. We pitched a rewrite for Silo and gave them a teaser opening pitch for Golden Vampires.
July 31 we learn there are issues with rights between Virgin and Cradel & All. Must be dealt with before we can continue.

July 31, I have a Long Island for the road and tool home. I arrive with gifts for Izzie and even grabbed a gift for Mark Wheaton’s daughter (as of late September I still haven’t put it in the mail cuz I suck).

And thus we reach the end of July at which point we can do the math and learn that 56 days later Rona still has not paid us for Delivery of ISWYD.