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#Lionsgate, #20thCenturyFox, #thunderroad, #asburypark, #theonlywayout, #Sony, #amygiaquinto, #martykatz, #stephanierogers, #steveschklair, #davidgersh, #featurefilmfinancing, #thunderroad, #featurefilmfinancing,
October 2022
The thrill from having THE ONLY WAY OUT at 20th Century Fox and Thunder Road was exhilarating... until it wasn't. 20th Century Fox got back with us and said the script was too much like one they already had in production, so they were a pass. My heart sank.
Apparently, the universe was only taunting me by placing 20th Century Fox references everywhere I went. It was mocking me, no, daring me to quit this thankless and frequently heartbreaking journey. But I'm not a quitter. In fact, even when quitting is in my best interest I don't quit. Besides, we still hadn't heard back from Thunder Road's Asbury Park division.
Even better, David Gersh head of The Gersh Agency, one of the biggest, best and most respected agencies in LA, submitted the script to Lionsgate. The script was still moving forward, albeit at a snail's pace and whenever I'd get down about it, I would remind myself that other people were involved, people who believed in this script from the bottom of their hearts, people who, like me, were working their tails off for free to get this script made.
November rolled around and we heard back from Lionsgate. They passed on the script due to the amount of money required to attract top talent. Lionsgate was in trouble. The day before we heard back from them, they publicly announced a multibillion-dollar (not just a multi-million-dollar loss, a multi-BILLION-dollar) quarterly loss.
I couldn't even wrap my head around a business losing that much money in a quarter. Ouch! In some way, knowing this made me feel a little better rejection-wise. After all, they had a legit reason for turning down the script.
In the meantime, Marty was following-up with his contact at Thunder Road's Asbury Park division. Crickets. After a few weeks of this, we all assumed their answer was no and moved on. It's incredibly frustrating when people don't get back with you on a project.
At this level, most development execs. have the common decency to call or email a yes or no response (or have their assistants do it), so not hearing back from someone really feels like a slap in the face. Oh well, moving on...
It seemed we were continually stuck in a major catch-22. The studios want/need projects that have financing and/or major stars attached, stars they know will make the film profitable. THE ONLY WAY OUT needs studio financing and distribution to attract a major star. Around and around we go.
THE ONLY WAY OUT needed money, and lots of it, to attract a star and make a deal with one of the major studios and to get distribution before the film is shot. But getting money to attach a star without distribution and financing is close to impossible.
THE ONLY WAY OUT isn't the only project stuck in this conundrum. In fact, it's common for all films that aren't based on highly successful intellectual property or developed in-house at a studio. In any event, like millions of filmmakers before me, I found myself wondering how in the hell any Hollywood movie ever gets made?
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Marty must have sensed the doubt creeping into my soul because he called to assure me that THE ONLY WAY OUT will get made. Not too long after that, Steve sent me a really nice email letting me know how much the script meant to him and how much he appreciated my patience with the process. He, too, assured me that the script will get made.
It was a beautifully written email, so beautiful that I printed it out and hung it on my bulletin board as a reminder that I had written a script that really touched people. Not only that, but I had a team of people (Marty, Steve, Stephanie) who loved my script and believed in it, and they also believed in me and, as a result, were fiercely working to make my dream of seeing THE ONLY WAY OUT on screen, in the theatres all over the world, come true. I printed Steve's email as a reminder to have faith that this script will get made.
Every day, I felt so incredibly grateful to have such a wonderful team working on my script, world's best manager and two of the best producers on the planet, who were as passionate as I was about turning this script into a major, blockbuster film.
So, every day for the next couple of weeks, before I sat down to my computer, I spent time looking at my bulletin board on which hung my letters from The Academy Nicholl Fellowship Awards informing me that my script was a Quarterfinalist, then a Semifinalist.
I spent time picturing that one day I would be able to fill in the triangle on their logo with my very own Academy Award. I also spent time rereading Steve's letter and reassuring myself that it was all going to work out.
And I also spent time looking at a picture of a gorgeous and tranquil getaway I had pinned to my bulletin board years ago. I daydreamed about taking a nice, long family vacation once THE ONLY WAY OUT had been released. I dreamed about taking the kind of vacation that doesn't revolve around or include working in any way, shape or form and, better yet, would be in a place with zero internet or cell service.
While waiting for the next step, the next bunch of submissions to studios and talent, I attempted to write. For a couple of days, I successfully worked on a script, but then that same, crushing frustration began to weigh me down just like before.
Breathe, I told myself. People who knew more than I did about the industry were telling me they'd get this script made, so trust the process and breathe. But breathing didn't help because I felt so helpless in terms of what I could do to help get this movie made. That was the worst part! All I could do at this point was to wait and see what Marty, Steve and Stephanie came up with next. The next couple of weeks were agonizing (again).
But then, suddenly, on the 6th of November 2022, Steve called and said he had some incredible news.
To be continued...
Awesome! What a journey you are on! Thanks so much for sharing!