Sheldon Turner on the "Magneto" Spinoff

[RebelMan]

Source: ComingSoon.net
June 10, 2005


ComingSoon.net caught up with "The Longest Yard" screenwriter Sheldon Turner, who also revealed the current status of his script for Magneto:

"Right now I'm writing 'Magneto', which is an off shoot of the X-Men franchise for Fox. Which is sort of following the path of a villain, the character played by Ian McKellen when he was a young man. It's a prequel of sorts. I'm finishing that up.

Full Interview:
Turner Has a Lot to Write About These Days
Source: Alice Chapman Newgen/Comingsoon.net
June 10, 2005


Sheldon Turner didn't know a soul in the movie industry when he came to Hollywood five-and-a-half years ago. He just knew that deep down inside he wanted to be a screenwriter.

His original goal was to attend college and receive a law degree, which he did. But it was during those years that he realized he wanted to be a writer. Turner knew he'd have to tell his parents about his career change. Fortunately they were very supportive of his decision.

"My parents are art dealers, so I was always exposed to art. But I never quite had the passion that they had for it. I sort of realized while I was in law school that the same abiding passion that they had for that form of art is what I had for writing. I essentially knew from day one that I was not going to be a lawyer. But I basically have a mom who'd kill me if I didn't finish. So I finished up law school, took the bar and miraculously passed."

Turner knew it wouldn't be easy to get a big break in Hollywood--especially without connections. The odds were against him, but that just made him all the more determined to achieve his goal.

"I pretty much came out and I took a job bartending three nights a week so it would essentially enable me to write all day long and be disciplined about it. I literally wrote twelve screenplays before I showed it to anyone. And then finally, my thirteenth, I showed it to someone who is an attorney. He responded and fortunately I was lucky in meeting the right people after that point. So it was a combination of hard work and sheer luck."

He acknowledges that he didn't have to wait for years to get recognition in the business like many people do. Turner understands how disheartening it can be for those writers still hoping for that big moment.

"You have to be humble and realize that it's great to be talented, but you also have to be lucky and tenaciousness. …The fact of the matter is there are some really poor writers who are into a lot of money, and there are outstanding writers who no one has never heard of, and tragically never will because maybe they don't have the resilience to stay out and go through the breaks," he said.

Turner's career has taken off like a rocket considering his short time in Hollywood. His latest accomplishment is the remake of The Longest Yard. The movie is a comedy drama that is raking in audiences all across the nation. The remake closely follows the original movie made in 1974. There are a few differences in the new release that brings out a defining clarity to the story and its characters.

"The first thing that struck me was how easily updatable it was." He said, " The original was certainly a flawed film; it lent itself very easily for a remake because there were all sorts of setups, as they call it, and very few payoffs…It was sort of an oddly edited movie. There was certainly a game at the end of the movie, but a lot of things didn't have a reason," he said.

Turner wanted the audience to better understand why Paul "Wrecking" Crewe (Adam Sandler), Caretaker (Chris Rock) and the other prisoners acted the way they did behind bars and on the football field.

The remake delves into current issues that inmates face while in prison.

There was also a concern about how women would relate to a football movie with all men in a prison setting.

"The original draft that we did of the movie had a female character in it. Adam, to his credit, said to take it out. I think he was right to do so because ultimately it's hard to buy into the proverbial female placed in a prison setting. It just seemed odd and Adam was dead on right and I give him all the credit for that."

"All those sorts of things I think you kind of have to confront. But for the most part, we remained incredibly faithful to the original," according to Turner.

He said that was a big priority for Adam and his producing partner in the film, Jack Giarraputo. "There were lines that they fought to keep verbatim in the movie. From a writing standpoint, I certainly didn't want to be seen as somewhat of a plagiarist as going back, but those guys were incredibly dutiful to it and they were right because people are responding to it."

"I think that the key to this movie and what I am most proud of, and it's not even me, it's truly Pete Segal (director) who did an amazing job and Adam and all the other guys who made it come to life--the heart of the movie."

Turner is currently working on more scripts for future releases. He's staying pretty busy these days.

"Right now I'm writing 'Magneto', which is an off shoot of the X-Men franchise for Fox. Which is sort of following the path of a villain, the character played by Ian McKellen when he was a young man. It's a prequel of sorts. I'm finishing that up.

"I'm also adapting a book for Warner Bros. for Jennifer Anniston and Meryl Streep who star in 'Wanted'. It's sort of a modern 'Thelma and Louise'. I'm just looking for the next thing--the next inspiration.

"These are both original. 'Magneto' is something that I pitched to the studio that they responded to. And then 'Wanted' is a book that my agents identified and brought to me and then I got Jennifer Anniston and Meryl Streep attached and went to the studio and set it up. So they are both originals. On occasion I will do a polish on a screenplay that's not my own, but for the most part, I'll usually set up things that are mine and have a certain sense of propriety to it."

[ June 10, 2005, 02:21 PM: Message edited by: rebelman20 ]