Legends of a woman walled in at
Ightham Mote manor in England have persisted for centuries. Visitors to
the National Trust site have been enthralled with this mystery. Who was she?
Why did she suffer that horrible fate? Anya Seton was so intrigued, she wove
her bestselling novel GREEN DARKNESS as an answer to those questions.
Marla and
I have optioned the screenplay rights to this classic work. Our adaptation’s primary
goals are to preserve yet enhance the story, make it visually compelling and
keep the budget as low as possible. Though we have used the novel's
general plotline, we have made many
important changes to enhance (and combine) the characters, marketability and cinematic
aspects of the story. There are dual roles for all four leads. The novel shifts between two time periods, 1968 and 1550’s. Period films are more
expensive and even the 1968 is now “period”. Thus we have updated the 1968
to present day.
We were listening to an interview
with the screenwriters of BIG EYES the other day. They were talking about adaptation and how
various writers go about the process. Apparently when adapting GONE WITH THE
WIND, the screenwriters were given the novel to read and then the book was
taken away. Whatever they retained, whatever events remained most prominent,
were included in the adaptation. It reminded me of cooking spaghetti and throwing
a noodle against the wall—if it sticks, it’s done. Seems to me those writers
had great memories, as much of the book transferred to the screen—in well-cooked,
dramatic fashion.
That was our plan as well, since we
had to update the present section of the story. A lot has changed since 1968,
including attitudes.
As we continue to market, rework and
update our script, we thought we’d ask:
What
parts of the book stuck with YOU so strongly that they would NEED to be
included in your screenplay?
What questions come to mind that remained unanswered in the novel?
How
would YOU answer them in YOUR screenplay? Or would you?
We
think there are enough unanswered questions to plot a sequel…
All
comments are welcome
Till next time~~
