BEEBO SAVES NEWSLETTER

LegalDispatch 0.11

Greetings!

As I write this, the Beebo Saves Christmas special is airing on the east coast. Which basically means that this newsletter is going out at least 24 hours too late, but what can you do?

This morning, Legends of Tomorrow (and, therefore, Beebo) co-creator Phil Klemmer sent me this little reminder of the original design for Beebo, presented here as an exclusive gift to LegalDispatch subscribers/readers:

In a fun bit of synergy, Beebo was designed by Trollhunters/Tales of Arcadia artist Linda Chen. Obviously, adorable little Beebo’s changed a bit since but the Trollhunters/Legends connection always tickles me.

Equally “ticklish” is the fact that Beebo, who began as a writers room joke, has found such a following and now even has his own Christmas special, which the AV Club compared — favorably — to the Star Wars Holiday Special.

Beebo also has a place of honor in my home office thanks to Legends and Beebo Saves Christmas composer Daniel James Chan.

Looking up from my desk to see his blue grimace always makes me grin myself. And before you ask, no, there is no official Beebo merchandise, sadly. And before you ask, no, I have no idea why. And before you ask, no, I don’t know why Warner Bros. doesn’t like money.

THIS WEEK

Pure madness, simply put. I’m deep into my pass of the Prophet screenplay for Jake Gyllenhaal and having a simply wonderful time with it. Jake’s notes, thoughts, and suggestions are smart, erudite, and on-point.

Meanwhile, the first pages of Issue One of PROJECT SOLSTICE are starting to come in and each one is better than the last. [REDACTED] is doing some next-level work here and I really, really, really wish I could talk about this one. But soon. Very soon.

Meanwhile, we’re casting like crazy on LA Law. It’s very exciting to see some of the scenes we’ve been writing for months in the hands of the kind of talented actors who have been coming in to audition.

Speaking of casting, we’re also kicking off casting for PROJECT ARTERY beginning with a Zoom with [REDACTED] on Friday. After nearly two years of not being in production, it’s really great to be working with actors again.

Actually, the beginning of this newsletter reminds me that I actually have done some producing during the pandemic. The Beebo special was conceived, written, and animated all during these Covid times. Major shout-out to the brilliant Kevin Shinick and Matthew Maala for their genius, inventive, and heart-warming script.

SOMETHING I LIKE

I’m not what you would call a massive Beatles fan or someone who understands the musical process, but I’m absolutely loving Peter Jackson’s Get Back documentary on Disney+. To have a front row seat at the creative process of one of the greatest bands of all time is to see what it means to be an artist. I read somewhere that the documentary crew was working ten cameras at a time, which has allowed Jackson and his team to fashion something that feels more intimate and fluid than your average “fly on the wall” documentary. Definitely worth checking out. (After you’ve watched Beebo Saves Christmas, of course.)

Okay, that’s all from me this week. Please check out Beebo Saves Christmas. I promise that you’ll la-la-love it.

Be good to each other.

Best,

Marc

Encino, CA

12.1.21