Petition asks Drew Goddard to read prison screenplay

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

Drew Goddard – Talent Agents
– Producer, Writer, Additional Crew – The Martian (2015), The Cabin in the Woods (2011), Bad Times at the El Royale (2018), Lost (2004) – United Talent Agency (UTA), Julien Thuan –

Dumbass, Project Hail Mary, Robopocalypse, The Sinister Six

Drew Goddard & 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 Drew Goddard 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 Drew Goddard at United Talent Agency (UTA), Julien Thuan last week.

In the open letter to Drew Goddard, 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 Drew Goddard 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.”

Producer, Writer, Additional Crew, Drew Goddard, has not responded to the petition. Nor has United Talent Agency (UTA), Julien Thuan 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.”

Drew Goddard 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.

Drew Goddard is a Producer, Writer, Additional Crew known for The Martian (2015), The Cabin in the Woods (2011), Bad Times at the El Royale (2018), Lost (2004) and is represented by United Talent Agency (UTA), Julien Thuan.

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4) The dialogue is real-life verbatim.

-A story with all internals is a tough sell. Film is a visual medium!

3) Nothing external is at stake. Warren won’t lose his home with his wife gone. He doesn’t try to kill himself. His entire dilemma is internal.

#NAME?

And the family in jeopardy as the stakes is not always just cheap emotion — it can make a fascinating moral story, as we see in The Godfather. Michael is locked into the story when his father, Don Corleone, is nearly killed by a rival family, and the family — and the family empire — is in jeopardy. The twist and terrible irony is that Michael is the least likely member of the family to risk himself to save his father and the family business, but he’s the one who steps up to the plate with a brilliant ruthlessness that proves him to be every bit his father’s son —”Famiglia” through and through.

In Die Hard, the STAKES are made very clear: John McClane’s wife is trapped in a building that has been taken over by terrorists. McClane is going to do whatever it takes to save his wife. This is a staple of action movies — it’s the hero’s family in jeopardy. Personally I think that’s cheap, not to mention a low form of morality on the Kohlberg scale (every writer should know the Kohlberg Stages of Moral Development!) — but then, I’m not a big action story fan, either.

Our awareness of the stakes may grow along with the main character’s growing awareness, but it most stories there are clues to the bigger picture right from the beginning.

Just as good storytellers will be sure to make it perfectly clear what the main character’s inner and outer desires are, these storytellers will also be very clear about what we HOPE and FEAR for the main character. Generally, what we hope for the character is the same as her or his INNER NEED. In It’s a Wonderful Life, we hope George Bailey will defeat Mr. Potter. We fear Potter will drive George and his family into ruin (and George possibly to suicide). Our fear for the character should be the absolute worst case scenario: in a drama, mystery, or thriller we’re talking madness, suicide, death, ruin, or even the end of the world. (This is also what is AT STAKE). In a comedy or romance, the stakes are more likely the loss of love.