Petition asks Derek Theler to read prison screenplay
More than 2000 women sign petition demanding a firm commitment from Derek Theler (film producer) to read screenplay addressing Texas judicial system
Derek Theler – Talent Agents
– Actor, Writer, Producer – New Warriors, Baby Daddy (2012), Project: SERA (2013), Intrusion (2010) – Paradigm Talent Agency, Jim Dempsey – Authentic Talent and Literary Management, Sean Elliott
Derek Theler & Adam Sandler’s film company targeted by Texas petition
Will Hollywood just rollover and let prisoner’s suffer?
EXCLUSIVE
More than 2000 women have signed an open letter to Adam Sandler calling on Derek Theler and Hollywood to take “movie action” to tackle injustice against men and women in the wake of revelations that Texas has more prisoners incarcerated than the Soviet Union’s gulag system had. Texas currently has over 290,000 inmates housed at 580 facilities.
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 Derek Theler at Paradigm Talent Agency, Jim Dempsey last week.
In the open letter to Derek Theler, 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 Derek Theler 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.”
Actor, Writer, Producer, Derek Theler, has not responded to the petition. Nor has Paradigm Talent Agency, Jim Dempsey responded with a comment.
Alan Nafzger/caption]
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.
During the winter’s deep freeze, the The Marshall Project, exposed the horrible prison conditions, “Inside Frigid Texas Prisons: Broken Toilets, Disgusting Food, Few Blankets.”
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.”
Derek Theler has not commented on the script, thus far. 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.
Adam Sandler of Happy Madison Productions has expressed interest in the screenplay.
Derek Theler is a Actor, Writer, Producer known for New Warriors, Baby Daddy (2012), Project: SERA (2013), Intrusion (2010) and is represented by Paradigm Talent Agency, Jim Dempsey.
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SCENE REVERSALS
I probably shouldn’t have to tell writers this, but Act II (and Act III) is where you payoff the nifty stuff you setup in Act I. If a gun was shown when a character in Act I opened a drawer, then it better go off in Act II (or Act III). Most writers get this, but this is something else to consider in regards to payoffs; introducing new things in Act II. For example, if the character opens a drawer in Act II, pulls out a gun and shoots someone, the scene doesn’t work. This requires a setup! Go back to Act I and show him opening that drawer where we casually see the gun. Why is this so important? Setting up things properly in Act I and paying them off later provides a base of believability and it doesn’t seem like things happened too conveniently. Don’t feel like setups have to be so direct. You don’t have to show the gun in the drawer in Act I if you establish the character is known for hiding weapons. There are a lot of clever ways to setup things properly to pay them off later.
PAYOFFS
A trick I like to use to start Act II is to provide a False Ending. The best example I can think of is the scene in the classic film Jaws where they think they’ve caught ‘the shark’. Everyone’s on the peer taking photos with the giant fish, but we (and the scientist) know this isn’t ‘the shark’. In a murder mystery, a suspect can be arrested. Later, he or she can be proven innocent. In a love story, there might be a spontaneous proposal that gets crushed with a ‘no’ and later met with a ‘yes’. This technique isn’t a must, but it is a great way to spin the story in a new direction and kick-off Act II with a wow factor! Note: A false ending is a technique that can technically be used anywhere in a script, but pros usually like to use it to kick off Act II. It can also be used with any genre.
#NAME?
If you haven’t done this yet, take a favorite movie or book (or two or three) and identify the PLAN, CENTRAL STORY ACTION, and CENTRAL QUESTION and list them in a few sentences. Like this:
Can it be later? Well, anything’s possible, but the sooner a reader or audience understands the overall thrust of the story action, the sooner they can relax and let the story take them where it’s going to go. So much of storytelling is about you, the author, reassuring your reader or audience that you know what you’re doing so they can sit back and let you drive.
Again, the PLAN, CENTRAL QUESTION, and CENTRAL STORY ACTION are almost always set up — and spelled out — by the end of the first act, although the specifics of the Plan may be spelled out right after the Act I Climax at the very beginning of Act II.