| |
From
the SCRIPTS Message Board
 |
William
C. Martell
at the Showbiz Expo
|
|
------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Things I know & don't know ..."
Posted by Bill Martell on Friday, 2 July 1999, at 1:09 p.m.,
in response to "So Tom Cruise is considering Smuggler's
Moon...", posted by garys on Friday, 2 July 1999, at
12:29 p.m.
"1. Did the initial authors get a shot at a rewrite
(or two? three?). Or was the spec sold, the author(s) dumped
& the relief pitcher called in? "
Bill Jones did a bunch of rewrites. The producer had several
different "takes" on the material, and Bill executed
a script for each of these takes.
"2. To his credit, Rob often does cite the need for
writers to have a "team" on their side. Since Rob
is a manager and thus unable to negotiate anything, I'm wondering
about the other members of the team - agent(s)/ lawyers involved
in the actual sale. Seems decent to give credit where credit
is due ... "
The deal was all Rob's... until negotiation. Then Rob found
Bill Jones an agent at WMA (who was happy to take the %).
Though Rob and Bill should speak for themselves (because I'm
liable to misremember... plus I'm hearsay) I think all of
Bill Jones' subsequent deals have been initiated by Rob...
not the WMA agent. In fact, Jones told me a funny story about
bumping into his agent on the Disney lot. The agent was surprised
to see him on the lot, asked what he was doing there, Jones
answered (in his understated style) "We have a meeting
with Eisner." I don't know the #3 stuff, but Rob does.
I know that Bill Jones is working with a MAJOR producer on
a project, meeting with a HUGE bankable female star to pitch
her a story, and has meetings all over town. (I don't know
if I should give names, that stuff may be secret.) As have
I. I'm booked for the next two weeks with meetings with every
big producer you could name. I had a great meeting on Wednesday,
and can't imagine that it won't lead to a deal of some sort.
The head of development at Cort/Madden ("Runaway Bride")
told me that she liked Rob (for a variety of good reasons).
All of these folks I've met with know Rob... and all of them
dropped everything to read my script when he sent it. (It
went out on a Wednesday and by Thursday morning I had a dozen
meetings already!).
- Bill
|
|
|
|
