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From the Official Fan Club Newsletter February 2005
This issue, we conclude our Frank Spotnitz interview by looking at some of the many projects Spotnitz has on his crowded plate other than the new Kolchak series and the next X-Files movie.
You're currently working on a remake of The Star Chamber. What's your take on reimagining that project?
The law has changed enormously since the original movie was made. The original movie, if you watch it today, seems pretty dated. It's about how the laws have been twisted so far in the direction of the criminal that they get off all the time. The three strikes law most notably has changed all that. What there is to say about what's wrong in the criminal justice system is very different. We spent a lot of time researching the criminal justice system, going downtown to the county courthouse and meeting judges and lawyers. We wanted to figure out what the truth is today, so it's a very contemporary and research-driven approach to it.
What about A Philosophical Investigation? I understand you and Chris Carter have been working on that film. What's the status?
We're writing that as we speak, and we're very excited about it. It's for Chris to direct for Paramount. It's based on a book that was written about twelve years ago, and it's slightly sci-fi, set some years in the future. It's going to be a very exciting and visual film, and one that will be appropriate for Chris to make his feature directorial debut.
Do you guys envision it as a big event movie, or is this more of a smaller-scale film?
I'm hard-pressed to compare it to anything. It's a very intense, scary, exciting mystery thriller.
How's it been getting back to writing with Chris?
It's been great. It's one of those rare things you find in life where it's a partnership that works really well. Beyond the shorthand, it's a great meeting of the minds. We complement each other. It's a relationship I value very much.
What's your process with Chris like at this point?
We do everything. [Laughs] As we did on The X-Files, we first figure out the story in exhausting detail. How you get into each scene, how you get out, what you see--we try to figure out every moment of the movie before we start writing. What we're doing right now is that he's writing some scenes, I'm writing other scenes, and we'll stitch those together. But we may sit and write together in the same room before the end of the first draft, which we've done in the past as well. Right now we haven't been in the same town much, so we've been writing different scenes.
I also wanted to ask you about the documentary on John Fante. What's the status of that project?
I'm continuing to look for a home for the documentary. It's very, very hard. You would think that with all the cable outlets and the excellent programming, there would be a home for this. It's hard because he's not a famous name, and even though I can get a lot of famous names to appear in the documentary, I have not been able to persuade anybody to give me the money to finish this. It is a passion project for me; it's going on twelve years now and I have not given up on it. I will finish it one day, with someone else's money or my own, but I haven't had the time to do it.
Why do you think John Fante is such a compelling figure?
The first thing to say about him is that he's enormously fun and funny to read. They're painless. Most of these books were written seventy years ago, and they read as though they were written yesterday. The things he has to say about human beings and the way we behave are so true, and we recognize ourselves in his characters, whether we've tried to write or not. I think the reason he speaks to me so powerfully is because I have chosen writing as my profession, and he's the patron saint of frustrated writers--so much of his writing is about that process. I first came upon him when I had first moved back to Los Angeles to become a screenwriter, and he just resonated so powerfully with me. I got to know his family because I wrote an article about him for American Film magazine. They're wonderful people, interesting and open, and hearing his life story only deepened my connection to him and his material. It's a great, great story, and he's a writer who deserves a larger audience. I would like to play some small role in getting that audience for him.
It sounds like an amazing project, and with so many outlets for it, I hope the film comes together.
I gotta say, the state of technology today--I just bought Final Cut Pro for my Apple, and you can buy a camera for under $1000 that's broadcast quality. It is getting to the point when you really aren't going to need the money from anybody; you can do a very professional job for virtually no money.
Is there a specific book you'd recommend to people who are interested in reading John Fante?
I think everybody looks at Ask the Dust as his classic novel. Robert Towne is currently filming that with Colin Farrell and Salma Hayek. But there are other wonderful books as well.
A big thanks to Frank Spotnitz for his time and insights!
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