MoviesOnline sat down with screenwriters Jonathan Nolan and David S. Goyer to talk about their new movie, “The Dark Knight,” directed by Christopher Nolan. The follow-up to “Batman Begins” stars Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart, Gary Oldham, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Michael Caine, and Morgan Freeman.

(Movies Online)

Read it aloud, make sure there’s a favourite bit - and don’t fall into the ‘German funk trap’. Frank Cottrell Boyce who scripted 24 Hour Party People and A Cock and Bull Story, lays down his screenwriting golden rules.

(The Guardian UK)

If the trailer to Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull made you feel like a kid again, you’re not alone — even among some of the heaviest hitters in Hollywood. Screenwriters Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci (whose credits include Transformers; Mission: Impossible III; and J.J. Abrams’ upcoming Star Trek reboot) were equally thrilled by the silhouette of a dusty fedora and the first few bars of the triumphant theme song that led into for the upcoming film (written by David Koepp). Sure, the cowriters have spent time spitballing with Steven Spielberg on Transformers, but deep down they’re still just fans with May 22 circled on their calendars.

Here they talk about the enormous impact Indiana Jones has had in their own screenplays, what it’s like to steal from Steven Spielberg, and how Harrison Ford’s venerable archeologist is still the gold standard when it comes to action movies

(Source: EW.com)

Barry Levy could not get read. He had been kicking around town for years, working as a development executive for an animation studio, but the aspiring screenwriter couldn’t get anything of his own made.

Yet on the strength of one spec script, the multiple-perspective assassination thriller, “Vantage Point,” now a major motion picture starring Dennis Quaid, Matthew Fox and Forest Whitaker opening in theaters Friday, Levy is on the verge of becoming Hollywood’s next big thing, working on several high-profile projects including Warner Bros.’ upcoming “Kung Fu,” based on the 1970s television series.

(Source: LA Times)

Nehst (pronounced ”next”) Studios chief Larry Meistrich — former honcho of The Shooting Gallery — is back, searching for undiscovered scripts. Take a behind-the-scenes look at his bid to give regular folks a chance to make movies with the pros.

(Source: EW.com)

 

He’s the sultan of screams, the head honcho of horror, the duke of disgust — whether you measure by the sheer metric tonnage of his output or the harder-to-quantify level of his influence, Stephen King bestrides modern American horror like a colossus. And with horror film interpretations like Carrie, The Shining, Christine and The Dead Zone, some of King’s books also found a grasping, vulgar and vital second life thanks to the stewardship of some great horror directors.

With Halloween upon us, though, I thought I’d take a look at some of the less noteworthy King adaptations — and name the 7 worst page-to-screen projects taken from King’s work.

(Source: Cinematical)

 

In less than two weeks, midnight streets will crawl with young people (and, er, not-as-young people) in pointy hats and capes, out celebrating the release of the seventh and final book in the Harry Potter series. Offering some consolation to those sad about hoisting the butterbeer for the last time is the fact that the Warner Bros. filmed adaptations of the series lag several books behind. This week, as a warm-up to next Friday night, the studio is releasing the fifth film in the series, “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.”  

There’s no question: The teenage years are a bitch. For this installment, previous screenwriter Steven Kloves stepped aside, and filmmakers hired Michael Goldenberg to shepherd the series through its pubescence. Goldenberg, a playwright who also wrote 1997’s “Contact,” spoke to Salon by phone following “Phoenix’s” London premiere, about the power of political allegory, Rowling’s educational philosophy, and the stresses of adapting a beloved text for the screen.  

(Source: Salon)

Co-writers for a dozen years now, Mr. Markus and Mr. McFeely, both 37, are among the blessed few — about 1,800 are counted in any given year by the Writers Guild of America, West — who get paid to write Hollywood pictures. They are already credited with a big one, “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,” which took in nearly $750 million at the worldwide box office when Disney released it 18 months ago. Two years ago they won an Emmy for their HBO film, “The Life and Death of Peter Sellers,” and they have two more “Narnia” movies on the way.  

(Source: New York Times)

I’m a huge fan of Judd Apatow. If you don’t know his name perhaps you know his work: “Freaks and Geeks”, “Undeclared”, “The 40 Year-Old Virgin”, and his new movie, “Knocked Up.”  For the last few years he’s been making great stuff but now, thankfully, more people are starting to pay attention and he’s able to do even more. In August we’ll be getting “Superbad” (which he produced) and then next year we’re getting “The Pineapple Express” and “Walk Hard” – other projects he either produced or wrote and I couldn’t be happier.  

I think Judd’s a comedic genius and one whose work I always love. And I’m happy to write that “Knocked Up” is another home-run. Once again Judd has crafted a story that’s based on something very real – what happens when a one night stand leads to an unplanned pregnancy. But while some directors might play it straight, Judd weaves in tons of comedy while still telling a serious story.  

(Source: Collider)

 

THIS is a tale of two scripts, one that sold for a ton of money, one that remains twisting in the wind. Both are beautifully written, but in
Hollywood, while scripts are prized for great writing, they must also give a studio chief enough ammunition to comfortably answer the question: If I spend $100 million on this, will I be bankrolling a big hit, not a colossal failure? 

(Source: Los Angeles Times)