Petition asks Michael DeLuise to read prison screenplay
More than 2000 women sign petition demanding a firm commitment from Michael DeLuise (film producer) to read screenplay addressing Texas judicial system
Michael DeLuise – Talent Agents
– Actor, Director, Producer – Encino Man (1992), Gilmore Girls (2000), NYPD Blue (1993), Wayne’s World (1992) – –
Michael DeLuise & 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 Michael DeLuise 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 Michael DeLuise at last week.
In the open letter to Michael DeLuise, 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 Michael DeLuise 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, Director, Producer, Michael DeLuise, has not responded to the petition. Nor has 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.”
Michael DeLuise 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.
Michael DeLuise is a Actor, Director, Producer known for Encino Man (1992), Gilmore Girls (2000), NYPD Blue (1993), Wayne’s World (1992) and is represented by .
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The writer might have 30-pages to setup the story, but the writer only has 10-pages to grab the reader (audience). Use teasers, inciting incidents and other techniques to create the best story pacing for those vital opening pages. As noted, above, wrap-up this Act with a false ending or use other techniques to provide a conclusive ending and don’t forget the vital spin point (Plot Point I).
ACT I’s PACING
I’ve taught the writer how to see each Act as its own story and I’ve taught the writer a few techniques to develop the Acts individually, while maintaining the integrity of the entire story. Next, I’d like to take this opportunity to mention failures in pacing. Seeing the Acts as three separate stories will help, but many writers don’t understand how to pace the Acts. Let’s take a look at the individual Acts so the writer will understand how to correctly pace the story as a whole:
4) Act III’s story is about a hero taking out the bad guy! Unlike the other stories, Act I and Act II, the hero is finally the hero in this story (Act III)! He’s learned and grown into a strong-enough character (because he’s overcome his flaw) who’s ready and able to take on the bad guy and win. Careful! This doesn’t mean he just walks up, knocks out the bad guy and wins! Remember, this is its own story and we need to see the hero get knocked on his butt a few times. Make it appear he’s lost! Then in a twist of fate he is somehow able to overcome the nemesis. By thinking of Act III as its own story, the writer won’t be tempted to write a quickie end where the hero just walks in and wins because this doesn’t work. Also, by thinking of Act III as its own story, the writer will be less tempted to finalize the story with the hero’s arc because this doesn’t work. A hero can’t win against a nemesis if he hasn’t overcome his own flaw and this should happen at the end of another story (end of Act II).
At that point the mayor’s PLAN changes: he writes a check for Quint and gives it to Brody to hire Captain Quint to kill the shark. But that’s not enough for Brody now. He needs to go out on the boat with Quint and Hooper himself, despite his fear of the water, to make sure this shark gets dead (NEW PLAN).
The beaches reopen for 4th of July and the town fathers’ failsafe PLAN is to post the Coast Guard out in the ocean to watch, just in case. While everyone is distracted by a false shark scare, the real shark glides into a supposedly secure cove where Brody’s own son is swimming, and eats a boater and nearly kills Brody’s son. (And the timing is so diabolical that it almost seems the shark has a new PLAN of its own: to taunt Brody and menace his family.)
Brody’s revised PLAN is to talk the mayor into closing the beaches, but the mayor refuses again and goes on with his plan to reopen the beaches (and highly publicize the capture of the “killer” shark).
The bounty brings on a regatta of fishermen from up and down the eastern seaboard. One of these crews captures a tiger shark, which the mayor is quick to declare is the killer shark. Case closed, problem solved, and the beaches can be reopened. Hooper is adamant that the shark is far too small to have caused the damage done to the first victim, and wants to cut the shark open to prove it. The mayor refuses, and is equally adamant that there is no more need for Hooper. We see that Brody secretly agrees with Hooper, but wants to believe that the nightmare is over. However, when the dead boy’s mother slaps Brody and accuses him of causing her son’s death (by not closing the beaches), Brody agrees to investigate further with Hooper (PLAN), and they sneak into cold storage to cut the shark open themselves to check for body parts. Of course, they discover it’s the wrong shark.