“The biggest superhero brawl in blockbuster history.” Captain America: Civil War
Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely discuss how their relationship with Marvel Studios has changed over the years, how the original Captain America comics inform their work, and adding Spider-Man to the Civil War script.
By Christopher McKittrick. Captain America: Civil War is the third film in the Captain America series after 2011’s Captain America: The First Avenger and 2014’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier, but it is also the thirteenth film in Disney and Marvel Studios’ Marvel Cinematic Universe series based on Marvel’s universe of superheroes. Screenwriters Christopher Markus […]
“My love letter to Los Angeles” – Andrew Kevin Walker on Nerdland
Andrew Kevin Walker on moving from Se7en to comedy, tips for writing animated screenplays, and the importance of a one-page outline.
By Christopher McKittrick. Andrew Kevin Walker’s screenplay for 1995’s Se7en remains one of the most highly-regarded screenplays of the 1990s and helped relaunch the career of director David Fincher after the disappointment of Alien 3. The film’s shocking ending is one of the most memorable in movie history, and Walker followed Se7en with 8MM (1999), […]
King of the Swingers: Justin Marks on The Jungle Book
Screenwriter Justin Marks on Jon Favreau, how Apocalypse Now and Goodfellas influenced The Jungle Book, and his dream project, Top Gun 2.
By Christopher McKittrick. After the massive box office success of Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland, Walt Disney Pictures began exploring producing other feature film versions of the studio’s beloved animated classics. Of the recent live-action remakes perhaps the most surprising was The Jungle Book, which Disney had originally made as an animated film in 1967. […]
“Gyllenhaal can ride a bike, but can he take drugs?” The Program
John Hodge on finding the truth in Lance Armstrong's story, the cult of personality, and the sequel to Trainspotting.
By Christopher McKittrick. In one scene in The Program, cycling superstar Lance Armstrong (Ben Foster), then at the height of his fame, speculates who will play him in a Hollywood biopic. One cycler on Armstrong’s team suggests Jake Gyllenhaal because Gyllenhaal rides a bike in the film Donnie Darko. Floyd Landis (Jesse Plemons) a teammate […]
“Is this the best story we can tell?” – Inside Out
Josh Cooley and Meg LeFauve discuss why their lead character was the most difficult to write, how they emotionally connected to the story, and the advantages of working in a creative environment like Pixar.
By Christopher McKittrick. In Pixar’s Inside Out, it takes five emotions – Joy, Sadness, Fear, Anger, and Disgust – working together inside the head of an eleven year-old girl named Riley in order to maintain a healthy emotional balance. Similarly, the way the creative process works at Pixar is that many minds come together to […]
