I think The Talisman may set some sort of record for development hell. King and Straub had sold the rights to Universal on behalf of Amblin with the understanding that Spielberg and only Spielberg would be the one to make it.

King had met with Spielberg several times to discuss the project, but it was pushed back when he moved onto other projects like “Empire Of The Sun”.

It wasn’t until 1992 that “The Fisher King” screenwriter, Richard LaGravenese was brought on board to take a crack at the script, but sadly his version got no further.

1999 saw Spielberg abandoning the idea of a film version and looking at executive producing a 4 hour mini series with ABC. In 2001, Stephen King regular, Mick Garris, was announced as director. Garris planned on using LaGravenese’s script as the basis for the mini-series.

Sadly in November of that year, ABC pulled out due to financial concerns. The following year the project was again pushed as a feature film, with a different writer on board.

Click the picture to read the feature film version of Richard LaGravenese’s script and let us know what you think in the comments below.

For a brief moment in the 90’s director Paul Verhoeven, and super star Arnold Schwarzenegger had the opportunity to re-team for what surely would have been the most fascinating medieval epic of the decade – Crusade.

With a script written by Walon Green (The Wild Bunch, Sorcerer, The Man In The High Castle), Verhoeven started pushing the film forward from around the time of “Total Recall”.

The proposed cast included name stars like, Jennifer Connelly, Charlton Heston, and Gary Sinise. Sadly it was money and pirates that scuttled the production, at 100 million and growing Carolco decided to go with the cheaper option, “Cutthroat Island”, which as history tells us, was a poor choice, not only did the pirate film tank, it also closed the company.

After that the film would be mentioned in interviews with Schwarzenegger or Verhoeven over the years while promoting other projects, but it never got off the ground. Now you get a chance to read what might have been, click the picture and feel free to let us know what you thought below in the comments.

Writer’s Block (pdf format) by John Hunter – Filmed by Jeff Easley

Billy Wilson would kill for a good story. Will he die for one?

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The Original Review

Words, words, words! For writers, words are life. On a good day, words flow onto the page to create stories that move and inspire us. A well-written story can uplift and…um…hang on, I swear I had something for this. Dang, writing is tough.

Billy Wilson knows all too well the struggle with the blank page. Sitting on a park bench looking for inspiration in a bottle of booze, Billy has a serious case of writer’s block. As Billy ponders just how to come up with a truly unique story, along comes a proverbial spider: Vance Buttons. You see, Vance has a secret to share. He is a serial killer. A well-practiced, calculating, pre-meditated murderer. With half-drunk whimsy, Billy queries for a few specifics. How to choose a victim? Randomly. Geographic preference? Never the same place twice. Just when it seems Billy has found something new to write about, one more problem crops up. He is dealing with a killer after all. Will Vance put Billy out of the misery that is writer’s block, or put him out of his misery altogether? Is Billy writing the story, or is the story writing him?

Feature films dealing with the writing experience pack a potent, powerful punch. Some of film’s truly great screenwriters, from Charlie Kaufman to the Coens, have tackled the subject. Adaptation, Barton Fink, and Wonder Boys have all built reputations as favorites among both filmmakers and audiences. In this grand tradition, Writer’s Block succinctly taps into a subject that consistently garners accolades on the festival circuit and beyond. If you are looking for a film with an intelligent build to an unforgettable finale, I recommend you come down with a case of Writer’s Block.

Quickly, before the killer strikes again!

Pages: 4

Budget: Low. Assuming you can find a park bench, that is.

About the writer, John Hunter: With the completion of (4) boffo features, a litter of riveting shorts, a one hour take-your-breath-away sci-fi TV pilot and first 30 minute episode for that series, I am now officially THAT guy — The one who really needs an Agent or Executive Producer. Contact me at x32792 (AT) yahoo.com

About the Reviewer: Dane Whipple is the man who fixed the 1919 World Series. How did he manage that? Saw the opportunity, I suppose. He is currently working on that screenplay everybody keeps talking about: The Wild Age. Contact him at dane.whipple (AT) live.com

Read Writer’s Block (pdf format)

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This screenplay may not be used or reproduced for any purpose including educational purposes without the expressed written permission of the author.

Deadpool posted by 20th Century Fox

Thanks Barksid for the heads up!

Deadpool – November 16, 2015 final shooting script by Rhett Reese & Paul Wernick – hosted by: 20th Century Fox – in pdf format

This is the origin story of former Special Forces operative turned mercenary Wade Wilson, who after being subjected to a rogue experiment that leaves him with accelerated healing powers, adopts the alter ego Deadpool. Armed with his new abilities and a dark, twisted sense of humor, Deadpool hunts down the man who nearly destroyed his life.

Information courtesy of imdb.com

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Pick-Up pdf format by Brian Lewis

Stranded on a desolate country road, Julie is forced to call her recent ex for a late night ride.  However, the couple’s bickering is quickly cut short by an unseen creature who will stop at nothing to get inside.

Run-ins with the Ex can be tough.

Unbearable physical proximity combined with intolerable emotional distance. Memories flooding in –  the smell of her perfume, the stupid fights, the way her smile lit up her face. Your heart pounding in your chest. Palms sweaty.

And to top it all off, an evil monstrosity trying to murder you in the dead of night.

Okay, maybe that last one doesn’t apply to everyone.

But for former lovers Nick and Julie, stuck together on an empty stretch of road, jealousies and petty grievances give way to fear; a fear so intense and immediate it drains away everything else.

Something is hunting them.

Something dark and primal that will shake them to the very core and test every inch of human resolve. They’ll need each other, faults and all, if they’re to have any chance of surviving the night.

Written with a visual style to rival the best Creature Features, Pick-Up offers up believable characters and bone-rattling thrills galore.

Budget: A bit of a challenge. Probably some FX/CGI required. The hardest part will be beating back all the actors chomping at the bit to work with such a great script.

About the writer: A graduate of the Seattle Film Institute, Brian Lewis has been writing screenplays ever since high school. He’s also a musician, editor, video engineer, and DIY filmmaker. Be sure to check out more of Brian’s work on his Vimeo and Youtube channels.

About the reviewer: James Barron is a former law student turned screenwriter who loves to write comedy along with the occasional horror/thriller. Contact James at jbarron021 (a) gmail.

Read Pick-Up (11 page short horror in pdf format)

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This screenplay may not be used or reproduced for any purpose including educational purposes without the expressed written permission of the author.

Ready or Not (pdf format) by Steven Clark

A simple game of hide-n-seek takes a turn for the worst.

Discuss this on the Discussion Board

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The Original Review

Mom and her son play a fun game of hide-and-go-seek. But, what if what you find is not what you were looking for?

This micro short can be as scary as you want to be. Snap this up now.

It’s a perfect weekend shoot and an excellent calling card short film that, as written, can be a family friendly horror comedy or an very un-family-friendly horror.

Pages: 2

Budget: Shoestring budget, two actors – Mom and son, one interior location.

About the writer: Based in upstate, NY, Steven Clark is the writer of over 30 short scripts, several of which are under option, in pre-production, or have already been made into films. On A Clear Night, a family Christmas feature aimed at a Hallmark Channel-type audience, is currently in the works. Steven can be reached at Steamroller138 (a) gmail.

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Fox Movies gives us Hidden Figures (thanks Barksid for the heads up)

Hidden Figures – May 12, 2016 shooting draft script by Allison Schroeder and Theodore Melfi (Based on the book “Hidden Figures” by Margot Shetterly) – hosted by: Fox Movies – in pdf format

As the United States raced against Russia to put a man in space, NASA found untapped talent in a group of African-American female mathematicians that served as the brains behind one of the greatest operations in U.S. history. Based on the unbelievably true life stories of three of these women, known as “human computers”, we follow these women as they quickly rose the ranks of NASA alongside many of history’s greatest minds specifically tasked with calculating the momentous launch of astronaut John Glenn into orbit, and guaranteeing his safe return. Dorothy Vaughn, Mary Jackson, and Katherine Johnson crossed all gender, race, and professional lines while their brilliance and desire to dream big, beyond anything ever accomplished before by the human race, firmly cemented them in U.S. history as true American heroes. 

Information courtesy of imdb.com

Check out more on the Scripts Up For Award Consideration page

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It will be produced and directed by Jeff Easley. Production will begin in early March.

Jeff recently directed John Hunter’s “Writer’s Block” and “The Coffee Maker from Hell” written by Greg Thomson.

Jeff’s IMDb and Vimeo pages.

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Like a Moth to a Flame (11 pages, pdf format) by Matias Caruso

A woman attempts to exorcise her lost lover. But is his pull too powerful to wish away?

Love, they say, is a flame. Passionate. Unstoppable. Consuming everything in its wake. That type of love can drive one to irrational, insane acts. Commit unspeakable crimes in its name.

Nadia’s flame is Jack.

Her love for Jack blots out all else. Reason. Proportion. Even reality.

Alone in her dark apartment, Nadia obsesses over the lost love of her life. Though the holes in her memory blot out certain things, other visions refuse to go away. The miserable existence she’s led since he’s been gone. The drastic measures she’s taken to kill the pain. Shopping. Eating. Cutting her arms with razors.

At her wit’s end, Nadia finally summons “Mr. K.” – a mysterious shaman wearing rings made of bone, a man she believes can make the pain go away.

Is it a hallucination? Or black magic? And does that even matter, if the pain itself is real? But can Mr. K. do anything to end Nadia’s suffering; save her from the misery?

A terrifying psychological fantasy ripped from the imagination of master writer Matias Caruso, Like a Moth to the Flame explores multiple dark themes: rationalization, addiction. The void left behind when one’s cut off from the object of their desire.

It’s a low budget masterpiece with frightening visuals. Give Moth a read – it’ll suck you in, and burn your wings.

Budget: Low budget – a cast of two, in a single apartment – lit by the static of a television set. And leave room for a great costumer designer. Mr. K deserves some fashionable threads!

About the writer: An optioned and award winning screenwriter, Matias Caruso has far too many accolades to name. So we’ll stick with just one: he’s the 2014 Grand Prize Winner of the International Page Awards Contest. Not to mention an all-around terrific guy. Interested in Matias’ work? Email him at matiascaruso32 (a) gmail

About the reviewer: Pete Barry is an award-winning screenwriter, playwright, actor, director and musician. His short plays have been published in numerous collections. He’s also a cofounder of the Porch Room, a film and theater production company, website available at http://www.porchroom.com/.  Please feel free to reach out to him with script requests at petebarry27 (a) Hotmail.

Read Like A Moth To The Flame (pdf format)

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This screenplay may not be used or reproduced for any purpose including educational purposes without the expressed written permission of the author.

Over on the Original Scripts page are 21 original scripts for your reading pleasure.

– Don