Sequel?

[mydoggeorge]

Well - I had an idea and don't know if it's a waste of time or not? Just curious again and maybe fellow members here can shed some light on my questions.

Should an unpublished or unknown screenwriter - write a sequel to a movie?

Would you get in trouble for doing it from the original creator?

Say - they have no thought to do another movie and you just write one?

Maybe - you do it for the reason that you want to get notice by the original creator - is that a good thing?

Possibly - it's not one of those big franchise hits like James Bond or something like that but a more subdued movie like ---- I don't know you could pick many types --.

I would appreciate any thoughts.

[supermikhail]

I've got no experience in this field, but I'm just gonna throw in my 2 cents.

Well, maybe not get in trouble, but studio executives might look bad at you. Sequels are usually done to cash in on successful franchise, you know, a stable source of income, and giving the script to a nobody screenwriter is a big risk. They'd much rather give it to someone they know. Whether you get in trouble would depend on how much you push it. For example, if you make a website with your script, saying "Vote for [this baddy]'s resurrection in a sequel written by me", I guess you'll be sued. On the other hand, if you approach a producer on a good day, and he's never though about a sequel, he might say "Yeah, that's a cool idea", and you'll be fine.

I repeat, just my 2 cents.

[mscherer]

Caveat: I am not, nor have I ever been, a lawyer and I don't play one on TV. That said.....

You can write anything you want, but.... and this is the BIG BUT -- you can't shop certain scripts around. For example: scripts based on comic book characters (you don't own those characters); scripts based on someone's life (say, Bret Favre) without Life Rights; and sequels.

Studios have invested beau coup monies promoting these films and own the characters out-right (copy right laws, my friend). You might find yourself in need of a lawyer if you start circulating scripts based on existing movies and/or characters.

Now, what you could do is pitch an idea for a sequel. No problems there. If they like your idea, maybe they will let you write it, maybe not.

Other than that,

Keep Writing!

[mydoggeorge]

Super and M - thanks for the input. Both valid points. Appreciate it.

[lazzard]

Move on.
Do something else.
There are enough mountains to climb without building your own.

[cmh]

As lazzard said it is a huge waste of your time to even consider writing a sequel in hopes to sell it or shop it. It simply won't happen. Maybe someone can come up with an example of someone that was successful in doing so, but I bet that list is incredibly small and those people aren't as much an unknown as we might think they are.

If you want the practice and you're a new writer, I say go for it. Many people realize they won't sell the first, second or fifth screenplay they write, so why not experiment during that process? You'll learn a lot about yourself as a writer and you'll get better. Every page is a new lesson in writing.

[mydoggeorge]

Thanks for the input - I appreciate it.

I think I will just keep going with the original stuff I am doing.

[jimmy7]

If you have a great idea for a sequel, write it.
Just change the location and the character's names and you've got yourself an original!

[supermikhail]

Hm, that's cheating. And... technically you still can be sued for similarities, even if names don't match. Rowling's being sued currently, or so Thesaurus.com has told me. She sued imitators who changed names... slightly. Well, they did, but similarities apparent. However, I haven't heard of any Twilight clone cases.

Yeah, a sequel might not even have any storyline similarities to the original. But then what's the fun in writing it?

[dcsmith1]

Open,
I recommend it highly as an nothing more than an exercise. It takes a lot of pressure off and can light a fire in parts of your imagination that may help with other ideas. I gave it a shot writing a sequel to "The Dark Knight". Again, it's just an exercise... I have no intention of pitching it to anyone. I do, however, show it for feedback. It's dialogue heavy (my first drafts usually are) but I like to see what people think of it anyway. I put it up here:
tinyurl.com/378ew9n

[napolyphonic]

I'm not sure if it really is an exercise. Maybe in telling a story with preformed characters, but that's kinda weak. You're hardly telling a story at all. It becomes an exercise in story idea formation, and then you might as well come up with your own characters and work on the whole process. Plus, if you finish an original, then you have something you can show people and say "Look, I did this. It may be shit, but I did it." It's like climbing a mountain. You don't start at the top and hike down and tell people you hiked the mountain. You do the whole thing, the whole journey.

I would personally say, if you're going to spend weeks of your time on something, work on your own stuff.

-G

[marc]

Oct 17, 2010 6:29:12 GMT -5 mscherer said:

You can write anything you want, but.... and this is the BIG BUT -- you can't shop certain scripts around. For example: scripts based on comic book characters (you don't own those characters); scripts based on someone's life (say, Bret Favre) without Life Rights; and sequels.

I'm writing a script that is has the (O.S.) death of a famous rock star from the 90s in it. It is not about that guy in particular, but his funeral is the McGuffin. I'm not planning on getting it out, but I was curious if I could without getting in trouble.