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Successful screenwriter shouts, “Stop making me write Star Trek!”
Maybe it's the season ... the unwanted cold, the days that are still too short, the post-holiday depression caused by sugar withdrawal. Groundhog Day is still weeks in the future. What will that furry little creep say? Get ready for a whole year of winter.
Maybe it's the economy with its own grim forecasts. (Is there a Groundhog Day for the stock market?) I can't judge, or think about, the stock market and a trillion-dollar stimulus package. But I know that the same Internet-driven machine gun that fired deadly bullets into the music and book industries is now aimed squarely at film and television.
Maybe it was the notable sum of money I spent to attend a viewing of The Day the Earth Stood Still. OK, I didn't have to take my whole family ... and yes, I could have skipped the popcorn and the mints. But still. That was four hours of my life, including travel time, I won't get back.
Maybe it was contemplating a new round of series pitches while making the mistake of listening to the advice of friends and colleagues (rarely overlapping groups).
Maybe it was watching one too many reruns of I Am Legend on my cable TV this past month.
Like Howard Beale in the prophetic film Network, I am leaning out my window and screaming. "Don't make me write Star Trek anymore!"
OK, a confession: I've never written Star Trek. Many years ago I developed a pair of Trek novel proposals, which went nowhere. And I did pitch several ideas to one of the later incarnations of the series—no go. (I may hold the record for longest gap between invitation to pitch and actual arrival at the Hart Building on the Paramount lot ... seven years.)
So it's not as though anyone is forcing me to write Star Trek. (Or even asking me to.)
But Star Trek is just a placeholder for any franchise that has overstayed its welcome. It could be Star Wars. Planet of the Apes. Knight Rider. Terminator. It is any of the time-honored names that have brought box-office joy to studios and intellectual property owners, not to mention a certain amount of pleasure to audiences. (One does tend to lead to the other.) It's I Am Legend coming around for the third time. It's a new Ender novel. It's another turn of the Dune wheel.
The fantasy world isn't immune to this nonsense. True, you don't see writers doing Lord of the Rings: Next Generation under that title ... but there are legions of all-but-in-name sequels.
Seen them all, thanks. Loved them—some of them. Can we move on now?
I understand the impulse. You're an entity, a studio, a network or a publisher, you're putting money into a project and you need to maximize your chances of getting it back, plus a little. So you look to established stars, proven writers and directors—and properties that are presold, that audiences already recognize.
(It also happens to writers. You happen to create a character that finds an audience, and you will be writing that character for the rest of your career, whether you want to or not.)
There's also the argument that the best sci-fi worlds are too large for a single book or movie. And there have been great sequels. Terminator 2. And what about The Godfather Part II? Speaker for the Dead? Star Trek: The Voyage Home?
Battlestar Galactica was a brilliant re-imagining of a series that was no good in its original version. (I'm open to a Hollywood Mulligans program, where producers and studios would be allowed to remake projects that were botched on their first appearance. Go ahead ... take Elaine May's script for Ishtar and do it right, this time with stars who are under 30.)
But I'm not going to be mollified by a few counterarguments. (Ask my family about that.) I've just hit a wall. I am open to being entertained, amused, frightened, intrigued. ... I will watch television, go out to a movie, pick up a book or magazine—
I just want it to be something new. An unfamiliar title. Something that isn't a brand.
I don't want Buffy II. (And let's give Joss Whedon a break. Yes, he's had struggles launching Dollhouse, but at least he's looking for the next project.)
I will make a face if anyone ever makes Lost Again.
I am a fan and admirer of J. Michael Straczynski, and I encourage you to run out and see Changeling, but I wish he would write an original story about an encounter between humans and aliens on another planet ... not Forbidden Planet II.
I don't expect Hollywood or the creative universe to listen to me just to make me feel better.
But it might actually be good business.
It was either George Santayana or Gene Roddenberry who said, "Those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it." The Hollywood version is, those who remember history are doomed to remake it.
It's that mindset that gives you a Lost in Space movie. A Land of the Lost movie. Jurassic Park III. The Phantom Menace.
It churns out a remake of The Day the Earth Stood Still that might have been moderately intriguing under another title, but as it exists is nowhere near as good as the original.
Remakes and endless sequels are the easy calories of the storytelling business.
They encourage writers to be lazy, too.
So, how does my cranky, undeniably futile bleat relate to business? How does it connect to the economic situation?
By strip-mining past properties we've created our own sci-fi bubble. We've inflated valuable properties far behind their multiples. (Did we need 10 Trek movies?)
And each $100 million remake means two fewer $50 million new properties—or 10 less-than-$10 million projects. That's an economic model that recalls Detroit and the American auto industry.
Setting aside the financial burden, consider how difficult it is for a new property to get noticed, much less watched and appreciated. Big remakes suck up the airwaves. The billboards. They generate so much noise that no other voices can be heard.
And now we have little new, and valuable, to look forward to. To comfort us in this cold, dark winter.
OK, it's a new year ... this is a new SCI FI Wire, so it's time for what Bill Maher would call some New Rules.
Stop making me write Star Trek.
Stop watching it.
Come spring, the sunshine, a happier time. ... OK, then we can all go out to J.J. Abrams' Star Trek, popcorn included.
But not until then.
Michael Cassutt has written fiction (forthcoming in Asimov's SF Magazine) and non-fiction (recently in Air & Space) as well as several dozen television scripts, most recently for The Dead Zone. He also teaches at the USC School of Cinematic Arts.
By Glenn at 12:49 PM ON 01/12/09
I have to agree. Mostly. When I look at the picture that ends this article, I can only think of one title, "Star Trek Babies".
By Jane at 12:51 PM ON 01/12/09
How is this news?
By Mrxknown at 12:52 PM ON 01/12/09
I absolutely agree.
There was this great Tv show, Journeyman on NBC that actually finished nicely by the time the episodes stopped due to the writer's strike.
This show was great. If you watch it now, think of it as a miniseries. It's not great talent and doesn't focus on the science as much as how it affects the characters.
But then they canceled it after the strike started, I believe
By Marty B. at 1:00 PM ON 01/12/09
You can write whatever you want. Unfortunately the marketplace isn't controlled or dictated by your unbridled creativity. Screenwriters are under the same constraints every other creative writer is. There are certain things that "sell", and people willing to compromise or conform to those demands do better in the writer's marketplace than those who choose to follow their independent or alternative creative visions (which have limited outlets), with exceptions who in turn become the new market demand. Maybe that's all changing post "big studio media," if that is indeed what's happening, but I think the days of say a Gene Roddenberry or a Rod Serling walking into a studio saying "I want to do this" are largely over, and have been for awhile.
Since this entry's writer also teaches future generations of writer aspirants, I wonder if he could put some non-rantful thought into how, if at all, he's training those aspirants for a future whose rules and professional options aren't at all clear.
By TVGod at 1:01 PM ON 01/12/09
Jane, in case you might have missed it, Sci-fi Wire has changed. They are now following a blog format. That means that in addition to the news, you also get commentary, opinion pieces, top 10 lists, and all sorts of stuff. You still get news too, but so much more. I'm not saying I love the new format, but can people on this site stop asking "How is this news?"
If you want strict news, go to CNN's website.
By Mrxknown at 1:07 PM ON 01/12/09
I meant, "it's GOT great talent".
@Jane: I don't mean go at you, but I had trouble posting this before others.
It's not news...it's an article. Articles don;t HAVE to be about news, does it? Think of it as an editorial.
At least it's still about SCIence FIction
By Huh at 1:22 PM ON 01/12/09
If you don't want to see it, don't go and see it. Pretty simple.
"A while year of winter?"
By Steve at 1:27 PM ON 01/12/09
Where did Science Fiction Weekly Go? We miss you.
By Steve at 1:28 PM ON 01/12/09
By LitC at 1:30 PM ON 01/12/09
Poor, tortured Mr. Cassutt, consigned to the slums of the fantasy/sci-fi market. Yes, the big corporations and we viewers and fans do so hold you back. You are, indeed, powerless before the crushing inertia of our own bland tastes.
Please, sir. It is true that this genre has a bountiful variety of cheese to offer (along with plenty of heartier meals that don't require all that much effort to locate and enjoy), but I think we could do well enough without the whine.
I mean... seriously?
By Craig at 1:36 PM ON 01/12/09
I don't mind remakes (ahem), updates, reboots and sequels, I just want them to be GOOD. Sometimes I think the idea of doing "more of the same" instead of "more, better" is what makes these things turn out poorly.
By AstroJones at 1:36 PM ON 01/12/09
I agree, for the most part, with the author of this article. While, obviously, the marketplace just doesn't work like this, it would still definitely be my preference to see more original and new science fiction out there. But personally, I think television and novels are doing a good job at staying original. Sure, we still have the occasional Ender's novel coming out, but we've got tons of new and original stuff each month as well. TV has been similar. In recent years we've had Lost, Supernatural, Sanctuary, True Blood, Life on Mars, Journeyman, and a slew of other great sci-fi related television shows. Sure, there are the Knight Riders out there (quite possibly the WORST television to ever make it past 6 episodes), but they are in the minority.
Movies is where this issue is epidemic, however. I can barely remember the last good science fiction movie I saw at the theater. And while I still enjoy seeing Star Trek, I want some original, and good, theater quality sci-fi! Please...
By Dave at 1:50 PM ON 01/12/09
The idea of making the sequel because the original did well, as opposed to because someone has a good idea of where to take it (as in T2 and The Dark Knight), is well established as a recipe for disappointment. It's not that this article isn't news, it's that it is so derivative--which is wonderfully ironic when you think about it.
And what's with trashing Sarah Connor Chronicles? A show which has been championed on this site. Hell, even Star Trek is a bad example as The Wrath of Khan is probably the high point of the franchise.
By SupremeMango at 2:49 PM ON 01/12/09
I have to agree with Craig. I don't mind you rebooting anything once you make it good. The remakes of Planet of the Apes and The Time Machine were crapfests. The Lost in Space movie should have been lost in production. And I have lamented audibly "Not another remake".
But the King Kong remake was pretty good. And I'm excited about The Prisoner Miniseries and the new Star Trek movie (And face it, for those who love Star Trek, we can't get enough. We hope they never stop making movies). And Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles is a well acted, deep drama and a surprisingly wonderful show. The writer didn't trash it actually, just mentioned it as one of the revamps. And the writer did mention the fabulous Battlestar Galatica.
Yes, there seems to be a general lack of innovation and creativity in Hollywood, and the science fiction genre is not immune. So all we can hope for is that we have a few good reboots of beloved science fiction properties among the inevitable mess that the money machine will leave behind.
By mhochman at 3:05 PM ON 01/12/09
Boy, you sure whine a lot, Don't like writing tired old shows? than DON'T. go ahead, write something original.
By NaggingAtYourSoul at 3:40 PM ON 01/12/09
Eli Stone, Journeyman, My Own Worst Enemy all canceled. So the producers can bring everyone more KnightRider. Is it the money they get from Ford to do KnightRider that keeps it in production, we can start a donation to counter the offers NBC receives!
By MHC at 5:29 PM ON 01/12/09
There is room enough for both continuations of old franchises and "original" productions. This article is one of the whiniest, most self-indulgent posts on an increasingly whiny and self-indulgent website. I have nothing against blogs per se...but I like them best when they are thoughtful, actually funny, or insightful in some way. Quit your whining and get writing on something new or stop calling yourself a writer.
By yeahyeah at 6:19 PM ON 01/12/09
If you want people to stop whining, start with yourself if you're whining about this article. By reading & responding you're just encouraging more anyway. If you really don't want to read this stuff then...this will be a shocking solution....don't read it.
Two of these franchises have been around for decades, mostly because we keep paying for crappy movies with things like Jar Jar Binks in them. I'd like to see something big, bold and new come along.
By whahaa at 6:28 PM ON 01/12/09
dear michael casutt,
maybe you should stop whining, suck less at writing and not waste your time and hours on a scifi site trying to convince people not to watch the things they enjoy watching. talk about franchises that overstay their welcomes; yours is one of the stalest arguments among the pile of stale arguments from wannabes trying to make money off of geek culture without understanding it. balls on you coming to a scifi site thinking your opinion on how scifi is doing it wrong matters to anyone. whine whine whine. stfu, n00b.
-whahaa
By Spock's More Logical 3rd Cousin at 1:20 AM ON 01/13/09
No point fight amongst yourselves ... that is not where the problem lays. The more information that comes out, the more it is obvious that something is fundamentally wrong with Star Trek XI. Abrams has said, "I’ve never been a fan of Star Trek". Is this REALLY the guy we want to make a Star Trek movie? Didn’t we already go on this trip with Berman, who single handedly killed the TV franchise?
By magnut at 3:57 AM ON 01/13/09
Blow me.
But I mean that in a good way...
I do take your point, but I have the broad capacity to desire new stories, new concepts, all the while loving the hell out of any sequel or remake of whatever schlock (or marginally cool) existing property that exists.
I WANT MORE STAR TREK! I love it! I'm not some auto-bot that only loves one kind of thing, and neither are you.
Your specious complaints about how a big budget movie sucks up all the billboards is technically correct, but does not address the notion that this business is... a business! I believe we need more $10M projects, to be sure, but we also need to figure out how to market these smaller projects more creatively.
As a professional writer, you likely have some hack concepts that, if bid upon, you'd sell in a heartbeat, because that would pay for your pursuit of your more 'pure' endeavors. If you wish only to pursue your more 'enlightened' projects, then you're not suited for this business in the first place.
You liken the sci-fi big-budget movie biz to being akin to the auto industry. Just like that industry, you can't simply stop the big ticket items in exchange for the smaller ones. You have to transition things in a smooth manner, without damaging said industry.
So, keep writing your amazingly original stuff, and I wish you good luck getting your stuff made.
But lay off my schlock, dammit! I love beautiful smart people, but sometimes I also love a dumb blond, ya know?
By Rogue3000 at 4:48 AM ON 01/13/09
Remakes, revisioning or whatever you call it rarely produces a better film. I know everyone can name exceptions, but every good remake you can name how many more failures can you name. The first three Star Wars films were landmark events. They were originals. The remake of 'The Day The Eath Stood Still" was at best a shadow of the original. This holds true for any type of Holly wood film most remakes are poor imitations. They are substitutes for creativity and originality.
By Drew at 4:14 PM ON 01/13/09
"Need 10 Start Trek Movies"?
We don't NEED movies at all. Your job -- for which I presume you get paid -- is to write about utterly unnecessary stuff. We don't NEED you to bitch about it, either.
Tellya what. You go watch what you want to -- and if you think there isn't quality sci-fi out there, I suggest you stop watching only your channel and go to a library -- and we'll watch what we want to.
By The Movie Whore at 5:57 PM ON 01/13/09
That was right on the money.
As an obsessed film fan I have been wanting something new for a long time. I am so tired of the rehash, sequel, remake and re-imagining. I would give anything to see something with a smaller budget is something new.
By secretkpr at 6:28 PM ON 01/13/09
First, I absolutely despise the new format of Scifiwire, and the opinion pieces that have begun to overwhelm a website that I used to find informative.
That out of the way, I agree, it gets old watching people rehash the same concept/ideas over and over again. But seriously, if you're losing interest, stop watching it, stop writing about it, and eventually the powers that be will get the idea. Regardless of which path you choose, the studios are still going to deluge the market with material, both good and bad.
Please, PLEASE go back to actually presenting information to us instead of opinions.
By captainQ at 12:50 PM ON 01/14/09
Remember back in the good ole days of the year 2000? A movie by the name of PITCH BLACK came along and made a big stir because it was sci-fi, entertaining and didn't cost a fortune to make. We were told there would be plenty more low-cost entertaining films, yet the only ones that get any traction are the big budget sequels, remakes, reboots,etc.
I enjoy comics as well, but the studios won't make a superhero movie unless it cost a bazillion dollars for special effects. Too bad, because there are a lot a great stories out there that won't become movies because they don't "fit the mold".
Sad to say, but the older I get, the more it seems like the same old stuff.
By L-S at 8:55 AM ON 01/27/09
"Battlestar Galactica was a brilliant re-imagining of a series that was no good in its original version."
It was very silly. Nice of someone to say so. The new version is remarkable, as stated.
I like the idea of a studio assigning a fixed annual budget to small potential franchise start-ups, a la Pitch Black (mentioned above in comments). We saw the follow-up though - "Riddick." Does money have to ruin a good thing so very often?
Maybe Paramount could use some of its talented slaves... I mean.. animators... on a creative-works program, taking good and or new and good sci-fi writing and doing mini-adaptations - animated shorts - and running them on...
Scifi network?
Sounds like synergy to me!
By NickelNDime at 7:57 PM ON 02/13/09
Amen, Brother Cassutt! I've been having this ongoing debate with a hack writer over at The Chronic Rift website. He really thinks what he creates is art and doesn't realize that slowly but surely, his artistic soul is drifting away as he sells another piece of it to gain some momentary notoriety.
By Doug at 1:32 PM ON 03/22/09
I like the old stuff but I agree we need some new stuff. And quite often the good sci-fi films are inspired by TV series. What a shame they killed off Firefly. And please JMS write some new sci-fi.
By MSpears at 1:05 AM ON 06/21/09
@whahaa: "maybe you should stop whining, suck less at writing and not waste your time and hours on a scifi site trying to convince people not to watch the things they enjoy watching."?
HELLO! Earth calling! *taps on whahaa's head* Anyone in there? Did you even check the writer's credentials? He TEACHES at the USC School of Cinematic Arts, for crying out loud. He's hardly a "n00b"...
Though, while I agree with Cassutt in general, nothing... especially in the current economy... is going to change the situation. Movies and tv have the same problem as video games at the moment... nobody is willing to take a risk on something that might not sell. So they're going to put their money into projects that they know will turn a profit... like sequels. Hence, the reason we have 10 Star Trek movies, 6 Star Wars movies, I've-lost-count-of-how-many Friday the 13th movies, and so on.
By Spaceman Spiff at 12:36 AM ON 07/06/09
While I agree with the writer in a general sense. HoweverI loved the old BattleStar Galactica and hated the new one.
I liked the old lost in Space when I was 10. But I thought the movie was OK.
I lament the lack of originality as much as he does. some things just don't need to be remade.
By Rebel at 4:02 PM ON 07/27/09
Um, instead of whining about it why not go out and write something original? Talk is cheap. Quit you bitchin and do a Ghandi; be the change you want to see in the world.
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Rebel:
Um, instead of whining about it why not go out and write something original? Talk is cheap. Quit you bitchin and ...More »