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Gary Whitta completed first draft of Star Wars spinoff, moves on

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Gotta respect the guy at least, he was actually employed by Lucasfilm to write an official SW script. It didn't work out for him, but he had an opportunity that very few will get.
 

Blader

Member
Gotta respect the guy at least, he was actually employed by Lucasfilm to write an official SW script. It didn't work out for him, but he had an opportunity that very few will get.

What didn't work out? He was hired to write a draft of a screenplay, and did.
 
What didn't work out? He was hired to write a draft of a screenplay, and did.

Oh ok, the way the first page of responses were made it sound like they were ditching his version.

I know these things have multiple re writes and writers, but I wonder how much of his work will remain in the final film
 

Cheebo

Banned
Him trying to hide his posts spread like wildfire on the Star Wars fan site scene when it was noticed a year or so ago. Saw lots of posts linking to the GAF thread that called him out on it. It was eerie seeing GAF discussed at places like TheForce.Net and mentioned on stuff like Rebel Force Radio. Whitta had to realize someone at GAF would have noticed him doing it right?
 

DrForester

Kills Photobucket
Him trying to hide his posts spread like wildfire on the Star Wars fan site scene when it was noticed a year or so ago. Saw lots of posts linking to the GAF thread that called him out on it. It was eerie seeing GAF discussed at places like TheForce.Net and mentioned on stuff like Rebel Force Radio. Whitta had to realize someone at GAF would have noticed him doing it right?

Gary was pretty fun to chat with on GAF, and it seemed like people just turned on him for something anyone would do when given such a huge opportunity in their field.
 
gaf has seen his movies

I have only seen one and that was pretty alright. Now that After Earth thing I am avoiding, like anyone else with common sense. I'm not sure what more he has done. Never talked to him, but he seemed like a decent guy the few times I listened to him on tested.
 

Cheebo

Banned
Gary was pretty fun to chat with on GAF, and it seemed like people just turned on him for something anyone would do when given such a huge opportunity in their field.
Sadly I think the days of coming back here are long gone. Bridges burned and all that.
 

Jarmel

Banned
Whether a script is tossed or not doesn't matter, especially if we're talking about "story by". Unless the script here changes radically, Whitta will probably actually get a screenplay credit, not "story by". See: Jon Spaihts for Prometheus.

Even if a script is completely tossed and changed radically, as long as there is evidence that a writer contributed to the development of the writing process which became the film, you can get arbitration from the Guild to get credit. One example I can think of would be Mark Protosevich's Thor script. He developed that years before the movie was ever made, and it was a full fantasy adventure with Asgard and Thor being banished into Earth in Viking times. It's clearly completely different from the movie which ended up being made, but he still got a Story credit. Straczynski who didn't even write a script, just a development outline of the story which the screenwriters built from for the actual movie, also got a Story credit.

Well you have to contribute a certain percentage to the final product. I think there is, weirdly enough, a hard calculation for this. It's obviously near impossible to say how much if anything from the original script is in. However due to the delay and all the press/coverage, it seems like 'extensive' work at the bare minimum went into the new version of the script.
 

Akahige

Member
Happens all the time, not shocking, exceptionally if he has other commitments and Disney wants this out by 2016.
Uu7bMRV.png
I liked Book of Eli.


Haters gonna hate I guess.
Same, I got the amount of entertainment out of it I expected it have and was pleased.
 

KHarvey16

Member
The scariest thing to me is that some people really seem to get off on being a dick about the whole thing. Like they act that way, when they otherwise might not, because he is a member here and not in spite of it. It sucks when anyone who posts here makes something the rest of us can see or experience and is met with that sort of thing. Saying you didn't like something or don't care for someone's work or style is perfectly fine. It would be nice if people were a little more constructive, but whatever. But some people just become complete jerks.
 

C4Lukins

Junior Member
What is with a bunch of you dicks being such negative dicks towards Whitta? He edited some posts in which he spoke negatively towards the prequels because he was getting the Star Wars job. It looks like a bunch of sad jealous cunts unless you folks would like to explain your motives.
 
Would've been nice to see his name in the credits for a motherfucking star wars movie, but oh well.
Will he still get writing credit?

Gary's name will be in the credits. It will probably say "Screenplay by Gary Whitta and whomever" (when you see "and" in writing credits, it means it was written separately; if you see an ampersand it was collaborative writing). At worst he will get a Story By credit, and that's if they veer radically from what he's written.
 

duckroll

Member
Well you have to contribute a certain percentage to the final product. I think there is, weirdly enough, a hard calculation for this. It's obviously near impossible to say how much if anything from the original script is in. However due to the delay and all the press/coverage, it seems like 'extensive' work at the bare minimum went into the new version of the script.

Any "calculations" are just based on the panel's deliberations I think. There isn't really a science to it, because if it goes to arbitration it's just a matter of interpretation by the panel. Jeffrey Lieber's case for Lost is a great example of this. Because he put his case forth that there are similarities between the Cast Away show he was developing for ABC before being fired and what became Lost in the end, he got 60% of the creator credit when they agreed with him, and credit as co-writer for the pilot. By his own admission the show in no way resembles what he was originally working on. That's the WGA!
 

MBison

Member
I'm sure Gary is a fine guy but do you really want a Star Wars film written by the author of After Earth?

Like seriously.

Disney's infinite pockets should be hiring better.
 
What is with a bunch of you dicks being such negative dicks towards Whitta? He edited some posts in which he spoke negatively towards the prequels because he was getting the Star Wars job. It looks like a bunch of sad jealous cunts unless you folks would like to explain your motives.

Are we dicks or cunts? Make up your mind!
 

Cheebo

Banned
What is with a bunch of you dicks being such negative dicks towards Whitta? He edited some posts in which he spoke negatively towards the prequels because he was getting the Star Wars job. It looks like a bunch of sad jealous cunts unless you folks would like to explain your motives.
Is GAF to blame? Yes there was a topic about it but GAF members had no way to control the fact that the news spread and made waves on the Star Wars news sites.
 

DrForester

Kills Photobucket
Is GAF to blame? Yes there was a topic about it but GAF members had no way to control the fact that the news spread and made waves on the Star Wars news sites.

That thread opened my eyes. I had never realized there were so many Star Wars fans so passionate about defending the prequels.
 

Cheebo

Banned
That thread opened my eyes. I had never realized there were so many Star Wars fans so passionate about defending the prequels.
Haha the prequel defenders here are nothing (well other than having some questionable taste). There are certain places online you'd get eaten alive for saying something negative about the prequels. Can get pretty rabid.
 

C4Lukins

Junior Member
Is GAF to blame? Yes there was a topic about it but GAF members had no way to control the fact that the news spread and made waves on the Star Wars news sites.

No not the forum as a whole. You can judge each member by their comments.
 

DrForester

Kills Photobucket
Haha the prequel defenders here are nothing (well other than having some questionable taste). There are certain places online you'd get eaten alive for saying something negative about the prequels. Can get pretty rabid.

I am curious if the passionate defense started 15 years ago, or after the Plinkett reviews.
 
No need to defend something that is a good and enjoyable kids movie.

When compared next to the holy trilogy they are nothing, but as a stand alone trilogy they are good fun.
 

Tuck

Member
So... I'm confused. Sounds like he did what he was contracted to do and is now doing something else? Whether Disney uses the script or not is up to them, right?

Which... doesn't really sound bad?
 
So... I'm confused. Sounds like he did what he was contracted to do and is now doing something else? Whether Disney uses the script or not is up to them, right?

Which... doesn't really sound bad?

You are correct. People are trying to turn this into an Edgar wright scandal when its nothing of the sort.
 

Cheerilee

Member
I am curious if the passionate defense started 15 years ago, or after the Plinkett reviews.

This came out during the Phantom Menace's opening weekend, and I remember (immediately after watching the movie) showing it to some friends and having a good laugh, but one of our group looked hurt and said we were being mean, and "I thought you were all Star Wars fans..."

Basically, the (justifiable) hatred of the Prequels started on day one, and so did the defense of them.
 

Maximus.

Member
Not surprised. His track record hasn't been even "good".


Edit: wait he did what he was supposed to, regardless glad he isn't doing more on it.
 

Christopher

Member
I can't think of enough Mortal Kombat phrases to describe how happy I am...let me try:

Excellent
Superb
Outstanding
Cool
Well Done
 
Wait, so he simply finished what he was hired to do?

Reading though the majority of thread from the beginning is such a contrary reaction, like he somehow lost the job or something.
 

Cheerilee

Member
Wait, so he simply finished what he was hired to do?

Reading though the majority of thread from the beginning is such a contrary reaction, like he somehow lost the job or something.

The initial thread title implied that Gary Whitta quit/was fired.

Then the OP quit/was fired and his hack thread title was thrown out, only to be replaced with a much-improved second draft.
 

Flynn

Member
Gary has done passes on World of Warcraft, Akira and probably a half dozen or so movies we've never heard of. That is how you make a living in Hollywood. Dude is doing alright. Good for him.
 
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