Film Courage: What are your thoughts on someone writing a novel before they write the screenplay?
Anna David, Publisher, Author, Speaker, Podcast Host, and Television Personality: I think Hollywood is obsessed with IP [intellectual property] and I think that it makes it a lot easier if you can have a book and also have a screenplay, that’s going to put you so far ahead of the game.
Film Courage: Do you think someone who’s a novelist can actually write their own screenplay?
Anna: I don’t think every novelist should write their own screenplay. My experience when Party Girl [A Novel] first came out, one of the first people who wanted it was the actress Melanie Griffith. She contacted me and said I want to make this. She was then married to Antonio Banderas and she said Will you come meet with us? I went to their house and I met with them and it was so magical. I sat there with them and I remember somebody who worked in the house came in and said It’s Mr. Katzenberg on the line and so he left and Melanie goes Tell Jeffrey about Party Girl. I’m like I’m sure he doesn’t care. Melanie wanted me to write the screenplay. She said This is your story. Let’s have you write it. I sat down and I had no idea what to do. Many years passed and then the pandemic hit. My boyfriend happens to not just be a screenwriter but a structural genius. He said to me You absolutely could write this screenplay. You just need the structure. I actually had tried to write scripts in the past and I did…(Watch the video interview on Youtube here).
BIO:
Anna David is the New York Times bestselling author of two novels and six non-fiction books. She has appeared repeatedly on Today, The Talk, Good Morning America and had a running segment on G4’s Attack of the Show that she co-hosted with Olivia Munn for three years. Her company, Legacy Launch Pad, writes and publishes books for thought leaders and her podcast has featured interviews with authors such as Robert Greene and Chris Voss. Her first book, Party Girl, is in development as a film tentatively scheduled to be shot in 2023.
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