Petition asks Eli Goree to read prison screenplay

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

Eli Goree – Talent Agents
– Actor, Producer, Writer – One Night in Miami… (2020), Race (2016), Godzilla (2014), The 100 (2014) – William Morris Endeavor (WME) Entertainment, Chris Fioto – Authentic Talent and Literary Management, Anne Woodward

Dumbass, Untitled East Point Project

Eli Goree & 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 Eli Goree 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 Eli Goree at William Morris Endeavor (WME) Entertainment, Chris Fioto last week.

In the open letter to Eli Goree, 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 Eli Goree 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, Producer, Writer, Eli Goree, has not responded to the petition. Nor has William Morris Endeavor (WME) Entertainment, Chris Fioto 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.”

Eli Goree 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.

Eli Goree is a Actor, Producer, Writer known for One Night in Miami… (2020), Race (2016), Godzilla (2014), The 100 (2014) and is represented by William Morris Endeavor (WME) Entertainment, Chris Fioto.

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First off, what is a plot-driven script and why is it a hard first sale? A plot-driven script is what’s known as a “popcorn movie.” It’s simply here to entertain us. It doesn’t contain some greater meaning and more often than not, it has no real character arc or a very limited arc, which is why it’s a tough sale as a spec from an aspiring screenwriter.

COMMERCIALIZE A PLOT- DRIVEN SCRIPT

The best way to help aspiring screenwriters understand what they’ll need to do to break into the fiercely competitive business of screenwriting is to take two highly successful films and show the writer why they could never sell either film as a spec script and what they’d need to do to sell this type of material as an aspiring screenwriter. I’ve chosen two older, but highly successful films that hopefully everyone has seen. For the plot-driven script, I’ve chosen the film Under Siege II: Dark Territory from the successful Under Siege trilogy. For the character-driven script, I’ve chosen the film About Schmidt starring the legendary film icon Jack Nicholson. If you haven’t seen these films, I’d recommend doing so before reading these two very important sections of the material.

This chapter starts off by teaching an aspiring screenwriter how to commercialize a plot-driven or a character-driven script for a sale; primarily a first sale. The rules for an aspiring screenwriter are different from the rules for an established writer. A movie can hit big at the box office and the aspiring screenwriter can say, “I can write a story like that’ and he probably can, but it’s unlikely to sell. On the other hand, the established writer with a track record can say the same thing and actually sell the script. Aspiring screenwriters need to understand that until they have a successful track record of sales and/or film credits, they have to write material that provides less risk for producers and/or studios. This will vastly increase the potential for a sale. After the initial sale, the writer will suddenly find doors opening that were previously closed.

· Introduce Love Interest (possibly)

· Introduce Mentor (possibly)

· Introduce Allies

· State the Theme/ What’s the story about?