Petition asks Dan Fogelman to read prison screenplay

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

Dan Fogelman – Talent Agents
– Writer, Producer, Director – This Is Us (2016), Life Itself (2018), Tangled (2010), Cars (2006) – William Morris Endeavor (WME) Entertainment, Ari Greenburg –

Dumbass, Honeymoon with Harry, Nathan Decker, Untitled Steve Martin/Martin Short/Hulu Project

Dan Fogelman & 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 Dan Fogelman 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 Dan Fogelman at William Morris Endeavor (WME) Entertainment, Ari Greenburg last week.

In the open letter to Dan Fogelman, 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 Dan Fogelman 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.”

Writer, Producer, Director, Dan Fogelman, has not responded to the petition. Nor has William Morris Endeavor (WME) Entertainment, Ari Greenburg 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.”

Dan Fogelman 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.

Dan Fogelman is a Writer, Producer, Director known for This Is Us (2016), Life Itself (2018), Tangled (2010), Cars (2006) and is represented by William Morris Endeavor (WME) Entertainment, Ari Greenburg.

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The best way to pick a theme is to start by writing a paper on your holiday woes. Explore the holiday areas that push your buttons emotionally. Don’t look at the good stuff – holiday films explore the negative side and turn it into the good stuff. Let’s take a look at how this can be done:

How do you pick a theme to explore? The best way is to use your personal experiences. What frustrates you about the holidays? Do you find the holidays stressful? Do you cringe at the thought of the in-laws coming over? Do you dread seeing Uncle Buck and his drooling tobacco habit? Do you hate the mess, the dishes, the crowds, the traffic and the expensive gifts? Do you despise the cousin who brags of his latest six-figure purchase while you struggle to find enough money to put a turkey on the table? Do you dread digging out the ornaments and even procrastinate to the last minute? Do you dread shopping and put it off until Christmas Eve, then rush to pick up gifts for twelve people? Is New Year’s Day just another day?

Again, the key word is ‘learn’. It’s all about learning to believe in yourself, your world, your family, your career, your abilities, etc. This keyword directly relates to the theme. Remember, the theme is the hero’s arc. The hero changes as a result of the story’s conflict and the lesson he learns becomes the theme.

Themes under this category often deal with a need to belong, a need for acceptance or recognition. It’s learning one’s own self worth. Films that have explored this magic include Fred Claus, Home Alone, Jack Frost, etc.

But structurally, this is exactly the point in your story that your hero/ine is feeling those exact same things. In other words, it’s the BLACK MOMENT, or ALL IS LOST MOMENT, or the VISIT TO DEATH.

I had a friend in movie development who called it “The third-quarter drop dead.”

Also remember that the NEW REVELATION is often a deep CHARACTER REVELATION. The protagonist coming to an understanding of her or his essential character is very often the means of solving the entire dilemma of the story.

It can even be not so hard to get through Act II, Part 1 to the Midpoint. But it’s that third quarter where things get murky. You feel like you’re not getting anywhere. In fact, you have no freaking clue where you are, or why in the hell you’re wherever the hell you are to begin with, and you just want to give up and sleep for a week, or eat chocolate and watch television for a week, or all of the above. In my own life, I have more than once declared to my significant other that I’m going to have to give back the book advance because I’m just never going to be able to pull the thing off.