At Long Last, I Have Typed "The End" on EXTRADITION

From treatment to execution, I've been working on this script for the better part of the year. Last night, I typed "the end" on the first draft.

But by no means is it done. The script is a big, sprawling mess. In many ways, I wrote this script very out of character... I ordinarily write quickly, and bang out short, punchy drafts. On this one, however, I got indulgent, letting the scenes play, letting the characters talk. I walked in intending to write something like THE TRANSPORTER or TAKEN, and along the way it morphed into THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY. I was definitely channeling Eastwood for the lead (if Clint Eastwood knew krav maga, that is), and I wanted each scene to be its own thing.

What I love about GB&U - what I love about a lot of Italian cinema, actually - is that each scene could easily play as its own little mini-movie. Look at Tuco shopping for a gun. Or Tuco's scene with his brother, Pablo (my second favorite of the whole movie). Or Blondie in the hotel that gets bombarded. Or Angel Eyes showing up at that dude's farm. Or the entire graveyard sequence. They're all classic moments that have more character and drama in one scene than more entire movies I see. I'm not claiming EXTRADITION is that good, I'm just sayin' it's an influence.

I'm embarrassed to put the actual page count out there... suffice to say, it's a goddamn phone book of a script. Luckily, I edit very quickly -- it's a skill developed from the day job. I'm hoping to hand it in within the next week or so.

After that, it's wrapping up the edit on FRANKENSTEIN'S MONSTER, diving into a page-one rewrite of DESERT RUN and, when that's done, the second draft of EXTRADITION. And when I turn in that draft...? I have a couple of ideas for specs, but I've been thinking about another novel for a while. I feel like it's almost time to finally write AUTOMATIC.