Petition asks Anabelle Acosta to read prison screenplay

More than 2000 women sign petition demanding a firm commitment from  Anabelle Acosta (film producer) to read screenplay addressing Texas judicial system

Anabelle Acosta – Talent Agents
– Actress, Producer – Kill Chain (2019), Quantico (2015), Ballers (2015), Freelancers (2012) – The Gersh Agency, Steven Gersh – Untitled Entertainment, Evan Hainey

Dumbass, Lost and Found En Cuba

Anabelle Acosta & Adam Sandler’s film company targeted by Texas petition

Will Hollywood just rollover and let prisoner’s suffer?

EXCLUSIVE

The signatories, including state senators, professors of criminal justice, social workers, family, and inmates, call for a “firm commitment” to tackle the unjust prisons in Texas. The petition has also been signed by Beto O’Rourke, and Matthew McConaughey. These two signatories might face each other in the 2022 Texas governors election. Both have expressed interest in the job.  The petitions arrived for Anabelle Acosta at The Gersh Agency, Steven Gersh last week.

In the open letter to Anabelle Acosta, the 2080 women write that they are “heartbroken for first-time drug offenders many times addicts who have received extremely harsh sentences in Texas when rehabilitation has proven a cheaper and more effective solution.”  The petition goes on to say their family and friends are often heartbroken for and looking for redemption and rehabilitation for the victimless drug crimes.”

The signatories, including attorneys, professors, politicians, family members, and inmates, call on Anabelle Acosta for a ‘firm film commitment’ to tackle the issue of operating the Texas prison system for profit.

The petition came to light when women discovered the screenplay, a copy which was dontated to all 580 of the state’s prison and jail libraries. The existence of the petition surfaced on International Women’s Day. Women in Texas face extreme prejudice in Texas and often receive extremely harsh penalties for even a small amount of drugs, including marijuana. Marijuana is legal now in 21 states.

Inside prisons, the women are faced with such horrendous conditions… the petition demands that “filmmakers begin to take the issue seriously.”  Also, the petition reminds that “even here in the USA in the 21st century citizens are not safe from government oppression.”

Actress, Producer, Anabelle Acosta, has not responded to the petition. Nor has The Gersh Agency, Steven Gersh responded with a comment.

The screenplay “Dumbass” was penned by writer and retired professor of political science Alan Nafzger.

The premise of the story is that, “Adam Sandler writes letters and saves numerous women from the monotony of prison life, and later when he gets into trouble with a drug cartel they return the favor by rescuing him.”

The film would be set in contemporary, Gatesville Texas. There are four women’s prisons located in Gatesville. And of course, Texas is famous for putting everyone in prison for a long sentences for little or no reason. The number of women in Texas prisons has tripled in the last ten years, as mass incarcerations have proven profitable to not only the state but also profitable for an array of business interests.

Writer Alan Nafzger has called on Governor Greg Abbott to, “end the prison industry.”

Recently, “Wheel of Fortune” host Pat Sajak spoke out against the Texas system and put a good word in for mercy and forgiveness out on social media. “How nice for those who have lived such exemplary lives that they can express glee when others have their lives ruined by a mistake, real or perceived,” Sajak tweeted last month.

The petition states, “Why don’t we have the ‘Adam Sandler’ character… sending letters to women in prison and being their friend and trying to help them adjust, giving them hope… and when they get out of prison he picks them up so they don’t have to ride the smelly bus back home… but his pickup truck is a junker, smoking and sputtering … worse than the bus. But his heart is in the right place… He’s the last “chivalrous” man on earth.”

Anabelle Acosta has not commented on the script, thusfar. A statement is expected soon.

Professor Nafzger has made a short treatment of the project available online.

He has made the finished script available at for select filmmakers.

Jana Sandler of Happy Madison Productions has also expressed interest in the screenplay.

Anabelle Acosta is a Actress, Producer known for Kill Chain (2019), Quantico (2015), Ballers (2015), Freelancers (2012) and is represented by The Gersh Agency, Steven Gersh.

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CIRCUMSTANCES

When the couple meets is also important. A huge mistake screenwriters make is not having the couple meet until pg. 20 or after, often at Plot Point I! The couple should meet ASAP, preferably within the first ten pages!

How does the couple first meet? It better be memorable! In The Wedding Planner the lead female’s high heel gets stuck at the same time a run-away dumpster’s headed her way. She’s saved by the male lead! This is the fun part of writing a RomCom! The cute meet can involve breaking the physical barrier. Perhaps the male lead has to literally catch the female lead to prevent her from harm and she ends up in his arms. Or the cute meet can be over-the-top, like the runaway dumpster scene in “The Wedding Planner”. Coming up with a unique and fun way to have the couple meet.

THE CUTE MEET

ESCALATING ATTACKS BY ANTAGONIST

On the other hand, new help sometimes surfaces for the hero/ine in a scene that Joseph Campbell called “The Visit to the Goddess.” Vogler left this step of the Mythic Journey out of his The Writer’s Journey (typical sexist Hollywood!), but this can be an extremely powerful scene: think of Neo’s visit to the Oracle in The Matrix and Galadriel’s gifts to the Fellowship in the first Lord of the Rings; and on a lighter note, Margaret’s bonding with Grammy in The Proposal. External action has failed the hero/ine, and a consultation with a feminine, more intuitive power often yields the glimpse of a solution.

VISIT TO THE GODDESS

Often the hero/ine will lose support from key allies when s/he begins to cross the line. This is the place that you see a friend or loved one lay into the hero/ine with a blistering monologue about how the hero/ine is doing everything wrong, or even walk out on the hero/ine, saying they can’t recognize the hero/ine anymore.