JMS on dreams coming true and the future

[Jan]

Just found this over on the moderated newsgroup:

Title: from jms
Author: "jmsatb5@aol.com" <jmsatb5@aol.com>
Date: Sat, 7 Jun 2008 22:36:00 -0700 (PDT)
Message-ID: <b4acccc9-8f4e-443c-ac62-53bb55bd0282@w5g2000prd.googlegroups.com>




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It?s been a while, I know...but things have been awfully crazed at
this end of the modem.

I was there for the premiere of Changeling (no the name isn?t going to
change) at Cannes, and it was, overall, perhaps the most surreal
experience of my life. I was ensconced at the Hotel du Cap
overlooking the French Riviera, just abaft from Clint Eastwood and
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt and Mick Jagger (who came to dinner with
the bunch of us that Friday) and surrounded by sights I could never
have imagined myself seeing. Day-trip drives into the South of France
for shopping, into Monaco and Monte Carlo where I dropped five hundred
Euros at the casino because, well, you pretty much have to...and the
premiere.

Imagine for a moment: a procession of twenty one cars preceded and
followed by French police running lights and sirens to get the
motorcade through the streets of Cannes en route to the press
conference and, several hours later, the premiere. A sea of popping
flashbulbs. Paparazzi and TV cameras and microphones, reporters from
all over the world, and everyone shouting questions, to look this way
or that way. The red carpet, long and broad as the ocean. The
theater, three thousand seats filled with tuxedoes and gowns and
stars. Smiles and tears at the right moments as the film rolled by.
A ten minute standing ovation. Proclamations and prophecies of
Oscars.

Surreal. Dream-like. Impossible. Was any of this really happening?
To me?

Impossible. But there it was.

Then: after more days of interviews and press and screenings and
stunningly positive, glowing reviews, on to Berlin, where my script
for Ninja Assassin was being filmed. Brilliant stunt work. Dinners
in the cool German evening. Then off again to London for meetings
with several production companies regarding TV projects, and a meeting
with director Paul Greengrass on They Marched Into Sunlight, for Tom
Hanks? company, before flying back to LA for four days of massive
jetlag.

Never give up, folks. Never stop trying. Never surrender dreams.

Because sometimes they come true.

Two asides before I crash.

First, on the plane ride home, I?d picked up the July issue of T3
Magazine, which contained in the mylar packet a subsidiary slim issue
about future tech and jargon and looked ahead to gadgets yet to come.
I meant to take it with me off the plane for research on another
project, but left it behind and it doesn?t seem to be available
anywhere here; I may have missed the issue. Point being, could one of
our UK friends scan that magazine (it was only like 20 pages) and
upload it to me? If you do volunteer, could you note it here first to
avoid lots of folks duplicating the efforts? Accept my thanks in
advance.

Second, keep an eye out for Daily Variety on June 19th. Another
surprise yet to come.

This is the dream. This is the fairy tale we all expect but so rarely
get. I am at peace. Go figure.

jms

Jan

[AaronB]

Originally Posted by Jan

Just found this over on the moderated newsgroup:



Jan

Any thoughts as to what the surprise will be? I'm thinking it's the Lensman announcement.

[Jan]

Originally Posted by AaronB

Any thoughts as to what the surprise will be? I'm thinking it's the Lensman announcement.

Could be one of the spec scripts he sold, too.

Jan

[glindros]

I'm really happy for Joe.

It's nice to see hard work pays off.


I wish he would comment on where all these projects leaves future lost tales.

Sounds like someone's happy

Lensmen's not really a surprise anymore. My guess (and hope) would be either the WWZ director, or the remake of the "nearly legendary sci-fi film".s

ETA: Hmm... TV projects? Could be the mysterious project by "the group", couldn't it?

[Jan]

Originally Posted by glindros

I wish he would comment on where all these projects leaves future lost tales.

Well, as of May 11, WB Direct to DVD division was jockeying for position with WB Features (which kept slouching away every time JMS mentioned "Total Creative Control). He left on May 18 for France, Germany and London, seemingly only getting home this past week. I doubt anything's changed yet.

I'm betting it's the project that's it's

One of the announcements he hopes to make in the next few weeks is a for a feature film that's "near and dear to the heart of every person in the room".

Jan

[glindros]

Originally Posted by Jan

Well, as of May 11, WB Direct to DVD division was jockeying for position with WB Features (which kept slouching away every time JMS mentioned "Total Creative Control). He left on May 18 for France, Germany and London, seemingly only getting home this past week. I doubt anything's changed yet.

I'm betting it's the project that's it's

Quote:
One of the announcements he hopes to make in the next few weeks is a for a feature film that's "near and dear to the heart of every person in the room".

Jan

So I guess Paramount is ditching JJ Abrams, and going with JMS' idea for Star Trek?

[*Starstuff*]

Jan, thanks for posting!

And sheesh, had I known he was in Berlin ... it's only about two hours by car from here.

But I am very excited for JMS and glad people appreciated his work and he got treated to that experience.

[Susitcha]

It is a little odd, but reading that I felt as happy and proud as I would were it one of my close personal friends who had achieved the stuff that dreams are made of.

[Jan]

Originally Posted by Susitcha

It is a little odd, but reading that I felt as happy and proud as I would were it one of my close personal friends who had achieved the stuff that dreams are made of.

I don't think that's odd at all Susitcha. JMS has made us think and experience a whole spectrum of emotions. I think it's natural that we'd at least feel happy that others are discovering the talent that we were already aware of.

Either that or I'm odd, too. Or both.

Jan

[Joe Nazzaro]

Much as I know everybody on this board is anxiously awaiting new B5 news, I can't help thinking what a wonderful feeling it must be for JMS to have that rare luxury of being able to ask for creative control and be able to walk away from the table. Meanwhile, the powers-that-be at Warners are seeing all these other studios courting (and getting) him for their projects, while the only thing stopping them is not wanting to give up that control. As the old saying goes, ten percent of nothing is still nothing.

[babylonlurker]

Originally Posted by Jan

I don't think that's odd at all Susitcha. JMS has made us think and experience a whole spectrum of emotions. I think it's natural that we'd at least feel happy that others are discovering the talent that we were already aware of.

Either that or I'm odd, too. Or both.

Jan

I had the same feeling reading the post. Also, JMS is a brilliant writer, even when he "just" tells you what happened to him.

To paraphrase a quote :"We are *all* odd"

[Morden]

Originally Posted by glindros

So I guess Paramount is ditching JJ Abrams, and going with JMS' idea for Star Trek?

Well, I think they are going with JMS' idea for Star Trek without ditching JJ Abrams...!

On topic: I'm glad that his career worked out so good for JMS!

[Anders]

Great news, thanks for posting Jan.

[NotSoWize]

I almost think of JMS as being like the "million monkeys banging away on their typewriters" who could supposedly recreate Shakespeare. I mean the guy (at least before his recent popularity) wrote for several hours every day, 363 days a year. He was bound to finally produce some works of such amazing skill that the Hollywood folks could not help but produce them

Good for Joe!

Whenever I think of how much written material he must have produced over the years, I wonder how much of it will ever see the light of day. That will someday be one heck of a job for an archivist!