When we talk about screenwriting rules, Hollywood legend Frank Capra said it best: “There are no rules in filmmaking. Only sins. And the cardinal sin is dullness.”
But as more summer blockbusters get made, and as audiences get more savvy, writing a screenplay that will feel satisfying on screen becomes more difficult. Luckily, I was able to sit down with all three of The Meg’s writers to talk about the challenges of both meeting and subverting the audience’s expectations.
Science fiction movies are a perennial favorite among movie audiences. They dazzle us with intriguing concepts, strange terrors and stunning visions of our future. Some of the highest grossing films in Hollywood have been sci-fi driven.
Soon after making the little movie that everyone loved — Safety Not Guaranteed — writer/director Colin Trevorrow was approached by producer Frank Marshall to talk about a “little dinosaur movie.” The move was not little and neither were the dinosaurs. Marshall wanted Trevorrow to try his hand at re-writing Jurassic World, the fourth ...