The account on classic and hit films. Details provided in our making of stories is direct from cast/crew or 3+ sources. Check out our podcast @ATRMPodcast 😁
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In 2006, J.J. Abrams was in Japan promoting his new film Mission: Impossible III. He visited a toy store with his son and was struck by how Godzilla was still hugely popular. This planted the seed and Abrams began to conceive of his own monster movie…
In the late 1980s, make-up effects guru Robert Kurtzman had an idea for a film - a crime thriller that, midway through, would morph into an action-horror-vampire film. The idea being it would be a great showcase for Kurtzman’s effects company, KNB.
In 1924, Austrian filmmaker Fritz Lang visited New York City for the premiere of his film Die Nibelungen and, struck by the Art Deco architecture, began developing ideas of a tale set in a futuristic city. He pitched it to German production company UFA, and they loved it.
Chicago is based on the 1975 stage musical a production by legendary choreographer Bob Fosse. However, that's not where it began. In 1926, journalist Maureen Watkins wrote a play based on two murder trials she worked on. She also called it Chicago.
Between 1997 and 2001, writer Michael Punke penned a new novel. Called The Revenant: A Novel Of Revenge, it was based on the true story of American frontiersman Hugh Glass and his survival of a savage bear attack in 1823 Missouri Territory.
In 1982, E.T. beat Star Wars' record and Lucas returned the favour and took out the below ad for Spielberg.
Following the back-to-back hits of Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction, Quentin Tarantino was the hottest filmmaker in Hollywood. Preparing for their next film, QT and producer Lawrence Bender bought the rights to Elmore Leonard novels Rum Punch, Freaky Deaky, and Killshot.
In the mid-2000s, Tarantino was contributing to a book about western director Sergio Corbucci and was inspired to visit the genre himself. He wanted to make “movies that deal with America's horrible past with slavery… but like Spaghetti Westerns, not big issue movies.”
17-year-old Alfred Mendes served in World War I and, despite having quite a tale to tell, he kept it to himself for decades. When Mendes’ memoirs were published in 1991, they would inspire his grandson, Sam, in his filmmaking career.
The original idea came to John Hughes on a family trip to Europe in 1989. He was making a list of things he didn’t want to forget and thought "What if I left my 10-year-old son at home? What would he do?"
In 1980, Frank Abagnale Jr published his autobiography. Telling the story of his life as a criminal and confidence trickster, movie studios were interested very quickly, and the rights to the book changed hands several times…
2 years after the success of Punch Drunk Love (2002), Paul Thomas Anderson was working on a new screenplay. It was a drama revolving around two wearing families but writer’s block set in. To inspire his creativity, Anderson read a few books, one of which was called Oil!
In 1961, aspiring writer William Peter Blatty appeared on TV quiz show You Bet Your Life. He won $10k, allowing him to quit his job and write full time. He had 4 novels published and moved into screenwriting, penning The Pink Panther Sequel - A Shot In The Dark - in 1964.
2/27 - 1978, US 
In 1979, police officer-turned-author Roderick Thorp wrote Nothing Lasts Forever, inspired by a dream he had of armed assailants chasing a man through a building. Inspired by The Towering Inferno, 20th Century Fox bought the rights to adapt it for the big screen.
After Django Unchained had been Quentin Tarantino’s most successful film at the box office in 2012, he decided Django’s story wasn’t done. QT began crafting a new tale – Django In White Hell – thinking it could work as either a novel or a feature film.
In 2004, Jordan Belfort was in prison for stock fraud. His cellmate was Tommy Chong (of Cheech & Chong fame). After Belfort regaled Chong with countless tales of his days as a stockbroker, Chong encouraged him to write a book. On his release, Belfort did just that.
After the huge critical and commercial success of The Godfather, Paramount had wanted to put a sequel into action immediately. Having had a bit of a torrid time directing the first film, Francis Ford Coppola wasn’t keen and put forward Martin Scorsese as a replacement.
The entire trilogy was filmed across an epic 15-month shoot in New Zealand where all three films were shot back-to-back. As such, most of the cast returned from the first two films. As did most of the massive 3000-strong production crew.
The whole trilogy was filmed across an epic 15-month shoot in New Zealand where all films were shot back to back. As such, most of the cast returned from the first film. As did most of the massive 3000-strong production crew.
