Petition asks Eileen Davidson to read prison screenplay
More than 2000 women sign petition demanding a firm commitment from Eileen Davidson (film producer) to read screenplay addressing Texas judicial system
Eileen Davidson – Talent Agents
– Actress, Producer – The Young and the Restless (1973), Days of Our Lives (1965), The House on Sorority Row (1982), Symphoria (2020) – Artist & Brand Management, Lori Sale –
Eileen Davidson & 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 Eileen Davidson 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 Eileen Davidson at Artist & Brand Management, Lori Sale last week.
In the open letter to Eileen Davidson, 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 Eileen Davidson 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.”
Actress, Producer, Eileen Davidson, has not responded to the petition. Nor has Artist & Brand Management, Lori Sale 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.”
Eileen Davidson 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.
Eileen Davidson is a Actress, Producer known for The Young and the Restless (1973), Days of Our Lives (1965), The House on Sorority Row (1982), Symphoria (2020) and is represented by Artist & Brand Management, Lori Sale.
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Looking back on my coming of age story it’s obvious why it isn’t commercial. It’s an all character-driven script. Does this mean it’ll never sell? Of course not. What it means is that it’s unlikely this script will be a FIRST SALE!
As a Hollywood reader I knew what he was talking about. For example, I’ll read a huge Sci-Fi Action script. It’ll have great action, a new slant, crisp dialogue – yet, something seems to be missing. Or I’ll read a character-driven script where the plot seems non-existent. The characters might be well-drawn, but the plot seems non-existent.
What the producer told me is scripts fail on a commercial level because they fail to deliver a plot-driven and character-driven story in one script. It’s either all plot-driven or all character-driven and without Hollywood connections a new screenwriter must demonstrate the ability to deliver material on a commercial level before they’ll be given serious consideration.
I read hundreds of screenplay.biz/top-screenplays/" 786 target="_blank">screenplays a year for production companies and aspiring screenwriters. Many of the aspiring screenwriters have good scripts. Yet 99% of these scripts, like my coming of age story, fail on a commercial level for one reason.
Especially for newer writers, the intimacy of just letting a story unfold as the characters play out their dramas in your head can be an essential part of your development as a storyteller.
I just want to say up front — that’s fine. All of it. I cannot stress this enough. However a book gets written is the right way to do it. You have to find your own process, something that works for you. And some books require a different process than others.
I come across a lot of writers who get very agitated at the idea of plotting a book before they write it. In the book world, especially in romance writing circles, these non-plotters refer to themselves as “pantsers” because they write by the seat of their pants. Other writers feel that if they outlined before they write, they’d lose the joy and surprise of the writing process.
Before we begin, I’d just like to say a quick word about process.