FASTER THAN EXPECTED

LegalDispatch 129

Well, after saying last week that I’d be falling off a weekly cadence, I’m nevertheless back this week. But it’ll be a short one.

FREE PLANET

Monday is the Final Order Cutoff (FOC) for the first issue of Free Planet, a new Image Comic from my friend (and former Blade editor) Aubrey Sitterson.

Free Planet is an ongoing geopolitical space opera. I had the privilege of reading the first issue and it’s a total delight, really scratching my itch for science-fiction epics and really feels like a 70s sci-fi novel come to life. I highly recommend.

And the art by Jed Dougherty is lush and delightful.

You can check out a preview here — and it conveniently includes links you can use to pre-order.

FEEDBACK

JC writes:

I remember when these pictures [of Felicit Smoak’s fake] gravestone popped up on the Arrow Subreddit. I knew they were fake because there were already paparazzi photos of the double wedding from the end of the crossover, but It was really fun to see the Felicity haters get their hopes up and make up wild theories and then totally crash out when it didn't happen. I've always wondered if someone from production/crew released these photos on purpose because they were so close up and clear.

Yeah, the paparazzi in Vancouver were a constant bane of my existence.

Nandini Bapat writes:

Congrats on being busy, Marc!! I am soooo happy for you!! 🥳

Thank you! It’s all rather exciting. It wasn’t clear from last week’s newsletter, but a lot of these new projects aren’t all that new. Some — particularly the feature work — have been the result of years of work, so it’s all particularly gratifying right now.

Question about the sample thing: Do you (and other showrunners) mostly look for original pilots or specs of other shows when hiring (in today's market)? Are you seeing a trend in old scripts for just one of the two categories, or just across the board?

To be honest, I haven’t seen specs of existing shows used as a sample in over ten years. That used to be the norm, but it’s been entirely replaced by original pilots. For better or worse.

I have been gnawing on a script for some time now that I absolutely love, but hasn't seemed to get the same response from folks who've read it. I know the underlying concept is enough (and when I soft pitch it, folks love the concept and are excited to read), but it isn't flying off the page for them. I have tried stylistic changes, switching out scenes, simplifying the story beats, etc. but none of the obvious routes seem to be working... recently, I have considered a couple different ways to tell the story that would require full rewrites that may or may not pan out, so I am not sure if I'm just spinning out or my instincts are right and I need to try something radically different.

If you are working on a script that isn't working for a mysterious reason, how have you approached troubleshooting what the issue is or the best way to move forward?

Yeah, there’s one particular screenplay that I’ve been working on for three years now that is particularly vexing. It’s a horror spec that hasn’t been able to attract any interest, even though everyone praises the quality of the writing (I think, sincerely). I’ve tried multiple ways into the story and a variety of different versions of the story beats, but nothing seems to be working.

Unfortunately, the passes I’ve gotten haven’t included any insights into what’s “not working” for the people reading. My gut tells me that the problem stems from the fact that this is my first foray into horror and it shows.

None of this, of course, answers your question, namely, what to do when you have a problematic script? It’s a particularly difficult question in the absence of specific and actionable feedback. The likelihood of just spinning your wheels is high.

When the going gets rough, I always try to return to first principles. In a case like this, I try to remind myself that the goal isn’t to write something that will sell or be a hit or whatnot because that’s really a system that you can’t game. (At least, I can’t.) So the goal needs to be write the best script you can in the best way you can.

And then let the chips fall where they may.

And based on your experience, are there patterns or “typical issues” that you have noticed in scripts/stories that aren't zinging for readers?

Oh, how I wish. Unfortunately, in most instances, passes don’t come along with feedback, so you’re always left to question what wasn’t working for people, unfortunately.

PROJECT MARBLE

Over the past couple of years, I’ve made reference to a feature project codenamed PROJECT MARBLE. (The codename stems from the fact that when I started it, I was working on a suite of projects that all were set in Washington D.C., so I codenamed them after the various types of stone edifices you find in that city.)

PROJECT MARBLE is a psychological thriller I rewrote (from a draft by the extremely talented Michael Mohan of Immaculate fame) and am executive producing called An Innocent Girl. (The title was Greg Berlanti’s brainchild with the knowledge of my fondness for Billy Joel.)

Earlier this week, we announced that Jaume Collet-Serra has come aboard to direct. I’m a huge fan of Jaume’s work. He’s one of those rare directors who elevates everything he touches and I’m truly looking forward to working with him.

You can read the official announcement here.

Okay, that’s gotta be it for this week. No newsletter next week as I’ll be in Japan for Star Wars Celebration.

Be good to each other.

Best,

Marc

Hollywood, California

4.11.25

A regularly-updated list of upcoming releases and events:

STAR WARS: JEDI KNIGHTS #1 2ND PRINTING (April 16, 2025)

STAR WARS CELEBRATION: JAPAN (March 18-20, Makuhari Messe, Japan)

STAR WARS FREE COMIC BOOK DAY 2025 (May 5, 2025)

SPIDER-MAN & WOLVERINE #1 (May 7, 2025)

BRING ON THE BAD GUYS: DOOM (June 7, 2025)

STAR WARS: JEDI KNIGHTS #5 (July 2, 2025)

STAR WARS: JEDI KNIGHTS #6 (August 6, 2025)

STAR WARS: JEDI KNIGHTS #7 (September 9, 2025)

GALAXYCON DES MOINES (September 12-14, Des Moines, Iowa)

NEW YORK COMIC CON (October 9-12, 2025)

X-MEN BY MARC GUGGENHEIM Omnibus (October 14, 2025)

STAR WARS: JEDI KNIGHTS Volume 1 (November 4, 2025)