Petition asks Al Madrigal to read prison screenplay

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

Al Madrigal – Talent Agents
– Actor, Producer, Writer – Night School (2018), Morbius (2022), The Way Back (2020), The Daily Show (1996) – Creative Artists Agency (CAA), Brett Loncar – Brillstein Entertainment Partners, Tim Sarkes

Dumbass, Immoral Compass, Guerrillas

Al Madrigal & 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 Al Madrigal at Creative Artists Agency (CAA), Brett Loncar last week.

In the open letter to Al Madrigal, 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 Al Madrigal 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, Al Madrigal, has not responded to the petition. Nor has Creative Artists Agency (CAA), Brett Loncar 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.”

Al Madrigal 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.

Al Madrigal is a Actor, Producer, Writer known for Night School (2018), Morbius (2022), The Way Back (2020), The Daily Show (1996) and is represented by Creative Artists Agency (CAA), Brett Loncar.

——————- READ MORE ——————-

I’d even advocate a double or triple twist ending! It’s common to see this in films and could mean an instant sale for the writer. Writing suspense thrillers requires a writer who loves to create a good mystery, loves deception and is good at it (on paper). If you don’t love mystery, intrigue, deception or wicked twists, and you want the audience to know who the killer is and have them watch the cops try to catch the culprit, then write crime dramas because the suspense thriller thrives on the unknown to create suspense.

4) Must have a big twist ending

3) Use lots of reversals

2) Create red herrings

And one more thing that is generally true about Act II, Part 1 is that THE HERO/INE IS WINNING. There are plenty of exceptions, of course, but in many, many stories, you see the hero/ine gaining ground in Act II, Part 1, and then something happens at the MIDPOINT that changes everything, and things go quickly downhill from there, as suddenly in Act II, Part 2 the hero/ine starts to lose, and lose big. You absolutely don’t have to structure your own story this way, but sometimes keeping this dynamic in mind gives a coherent shape to that long and terrifying Act II.

Ask yourself what EXPERIENCE you want your audience or reader to have in your own story, so you can build scenes that deliver on that promise.

(I want to note that for those of you working with horror stories, it’s very important to identify WHAT IS THE HORROR, exactly? What are we so scared of in this story? How do the storytellers give us the experience of that horror?)

– In Harry Potter, we get the EXPERIENCE of going to a school for wizards and learning and practicing magic (including flying).