Screenplay Adaptation

Beau Willimon wrote the play Farragut North, which forms the basis of the George Clooney film The Ides of March. Willimon is interviewed in The Atlantic about his history in politics and the journey of his play to the screen.

John August on First Sale Doctrine

John August has a post on First Sale Doctrine and what it means for screenwriters. There's some excellent information there, especially about how digital rentals are better for the film industry (and everyone who works in it, including screenwriters) than analogue rentals (DVDs, etc.) because digital rentals and streaming generate revenue.

Please read the whole post here.

William Monahan Interview (Collider)

William Monahan, who wrote the screenplays for Kingdom of Heaven and The Departed, was interviewed by Steve "Frosty" Weintraub for Collider. Monahan discusses the status of several recent and upcoming projects, but the interview holds interest for screenwriters in particular because of some of the lessons he's learned along the way, including that a writer can't be a "precious author" because changes, sometimes significant ones, will be made. (Monahan says that The Departed is the only film he's written that is essentially the script on film.)

Be sure to go to Collider to read the whole interview.