GOING APE
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Ooff. Yesterday was a day.
I returned from picketing to a flurry of calls and texts, my attention to which prevented me from getting this newsletter out yesterday. My apologies.
And, yes, many of the calls and texts in question were about the current WGA negotiations but all fall under the category of gossip and rumors, so I won’t reiterate them here. Moreover, they have no effect (either way) on my belief that a deal will be done by tomorrow at the latest. That, however, doesn’t mean that people aren’t generally going apeshit.
And speaking of apes…
PROJECT PRIMAL
The news is finally out: PROJECT PRIMAL is a four-issue series I’m writing for Marvel that’s set just shortly before the first Planet of the Apes movie.
Here’s what I had to say about the project:
I’ve been entertained and intrigued by Planet of the Apes ever since I got a Mego Doctor Zaius doll as a birthday present, and my local television station ran the original pentalogy every afternoon for a week in the summertime,” he said. “I’m particularly excited that we’re going to be reusing some of Doug Moench, George Tuska, and Alfredo Alcala’s original Marvel work on Adventures on the Planet of the Apes as a part of our storytelling.
This last bit, about using panels and sequences from the original Adventures series is really exciting to me. It’s a bit of a bold swing — this could totally blow up in my face — but using moments from, essentially, the first two Apes movies as flashforwards helped me solve a few expositional challenges. And I always like to try new things.
You can read the official announcement here
STAR WARS: REVELATIONS
This week, Marvel also announced my next Star Wars project: A short story for this year’s edition of Star Wars: Revelations. I’m not yet at liberty to discuss the story yet, but this one’s a bit of a comedy and I’ll be working with one of my prior Star Wars collaborators.
You can read the official announcement (where else?) on starwars.com.
GOING APESHIT
The WGA has been on strike for over 140 days. We’re creeping up on the record for the longest strike in the Guild’s history. People are losing their homes. Others are moving out of LA and/or quitting the business altogether. People are feeling real and justifiable pain. Even those not yet suffering financial distress are enduring the very real psychological and emotional tolls that come from a strike, particularly one of this duration.
I have no pearls of wisdom to offer. All I can say is:
Whatever anyone is feeling right now is valid.
You’d be surprised how universal your feelings are.
And it’s okay to vent. Don’t let people tell you to be quiet for any reason. If it’s healthy to vent in public, do so. The Guild will be fine. It won’t lead to us taking a bad deal. Our collective unity is so much stronger than that.
Hang in there. We’ve got this.
Be good to each other. Be good to yourselves.
Best,
Marc
Encino, California
9.23.23
GOING APE
Congrats on the Star Wars short story and Project Primal! Really appreciated the words of wisdom on the strike <3
Sorry to hear about what you writers are having to deal with - but good to hear about your upcoming projects too. You're great for sharing some positivity. The Apes one sounds like it'll be a great present for my Dad! And the Star Wars one will make another fine addition to my collection - seen in my first Substack post I released this week!