Petition asks Richard Steven Horvitz to read prison screenplay

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

Richard Steven Horvitz – Talent Agents
– Actor, Additional Crew, Producer – Invader ZIM: Enter the Florpus (2019), The Angry Beavers (1997), The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy (2006), The Informant! (2009) – Innovative Artists, Zack Kaplan – Terrie Marroquin, Terrie Marroquin

Dumbass, Nicktoons

Richard Steven Horvitz & 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 Richard Steven Horvitz 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 Richard Steven Horvitz at Innovative Artists, Zack Kaplan last week.

In the open letter to Richard Steven Horvitz, 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 Richard Steven Horvitz 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, Additional Crew, Producer, Richard Steven Horvitz, has not responded to the petition. Nor has Innovative Artists, Zack Kaplan 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.”

Richard Steven Horvitz 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.

Richard Steven Horvitz is a Actor, Additional Crew, Producer known for Invader ZIM: Enter the Florpus (2019), The Angry Beavers (1997), The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy (2006), The Informant! (2009) and is represented by Innovative Artists, Zack Kaplan.

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Example of a Commercial Character-Driven Script

This type of integration of plot/character in a story like About Schmidt would be a far more likely candidate for a first sale.

We watch the inner-city kid act as a mentor to teach Warren to cook, clean and loosen up with his money enough to enjoy what’s left of his life. The kid could side with him on getting rid of the future son-in-law. Later, their plight would be defeated, but the defeat would help them both grow and change and realize they must accept things about who they are and who others are – rather than the way they’d like them to be.

The underlying tension of any story is the continual clash between the hero/ine and the villain; essentially, they are your story.

Instead of going straight on to Elements of Act Two, I’m going to stop here and do a couple of chapters on character, namely, the two characters who make up the heart, soul, and skeleton of your story: The HERO/INE and the VILLAIN (aka the PROTAGONIST and ANTAGONIST, or MAIN CHARACTER and OPPONENT.).

8. Hero/ine, Protagonist, Main Character

There are separate chapters coming up for Act Two, Part 1; Act Two, Part 2; and Act Three that detail the different elements of each act, but I thought it would be useful for you all to have just a basic list that you can use when you’re watching a film or doing the index cards for your own story, so I’ve given it its own chapter: Chapter 17, Story Elements Checklist.