A year or so ago I was hired by Archaia, a graphic novel publisher, to adapt one of their properties into a screenplay. The graphic novel was called BLACK CHARITY, about a few British losers who uncover a scandal involving the Prime Minister.
In Hollywood, not a lot of material actually reaches the screen. In fact, there are some screenwriters making big bucks in Hollywood for projects that never end up being produced. Some projects languish in pre-production hell for many years. There's the famous story about DANCES WITH WOLVES - the script sat on a shelf for ten years before getting green-lit, and went on to win several Oscars.
Perhaps one day we'll finally see my version of BLACK CHARITY... I hope so!
If anyone has any questions about the adaptation process, let me know!
I sometimes find that screen adaptations which stick too closely to the original comics are kind of boring/lack a certain energy, because the things that make a graphic novel brilliant aren't the same things that make films brilliant. Did you find this a big challenge in adapting Black Charity? How did you balance staying loyal to the original material against making something that would stand on it's own?
That's exactly right! The graphic novel lacked a proper three-act structure and was more atmospheric. I combined some characters, and added in many plot points and new scenes. With the graphic novel, I knew the basic beginning, and basic end of the story, but I needed to fill out the dramatic action with a lot of scenes I extrapolated from what the graphic novel hinted at, to motivate the story towards the general arcs of the book. I also changed the ending, to make it less pessimistic (slightly). There can be a lot of rebuilding in these kinds of adaptations... it's easier for a new writer to take on the task, I think, lest the original author be too close to the material and not be able to spark new ideas that riff on or tear out the original work.
Cool. When does Black Charity take place? Is it future?
It's modern day Britain, and kind of has a PULP FICTION feel to it!
Oooo wow