Petition asks Harland Williams to read prison screenplay

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

Harland Williams – Talent Agents
– Actor, Writer, Producer – Fudgy Wudgy Fudge Face (2010), Half Baked (1998), Dumb and Dumber (1994), Robots (2005) – A3 Artists Agency, James Murray – The Cartel, Bradford Bricken

Dumbass, Wing Man

Harland Williams & 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 Harland Williams 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 Harland Williams at A3 Artists Agency, James Murray last week.

In the open letter to Harland Williams, 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 Harland Williams 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, Writer, Producer, Harland Williams, has not responded to the petition. Nor has A3 Artists Agency, James Murray 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.”

Harland Williams 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.

Harland Williams is a Actor, Writer, Producer known for Fudgy Wudgy Fudge Face (2010), Half Baked (1998), Dumb and Dumber (1994), Robots (2005) and is represented by A3 Artists Agency, James Murray.

——————- READ MORE ——————-

1) Keep it! After you make a first sale it could suddenly draw attention

What if you’ve already written a “character study” piece? Here are the choices:

A script can still be character-driven, but it must rise above the “character study” level before it’ll get serious consideration as a first sale.

Once a writer has broken in and has some successes under his belt he’ll find it much easier to convince the studio to go for his character-driven piece, but in the meantime he’ll need to deliver something with more external plot.

It’s the question on which the entire action of the story hinges, and it’s usually answered definitively at the climax of the second act (and usually with a twist!) so we’ll talk more about it in the chapter on the second act.

All right, those are some bloody examples, but that’s me. Here are some lighter ones: Will the three groomsmen in The Hangover be able to unravel the mystery of their blackout night in Vegas to find the groom and return him home in time for the wedding? Will Margaret and Andrew in The Proposal be able to fake an engagement convincingly enough to prevent Margaret from being deported and Andrew from going to jail for fraud?

I will be didactic here and say that by the end of the first act, you must have given your reader or audience everything they need to know about what the story is going to be about: what kind of story it is, who the hero/ine and antagonist (or mystery) are, and what the main conflict is going to be. It’s useful to think of the story as posing a CENTRAL QUESTION: Will Clarice get Lecter to tell her Buffalo Bill’s identity before he kills again? (The Silence of the Lambs). Will Sheriff Brody’s team be able to kill the shark before it kills again (and in time to save the tourist season)? (Jaws). Will the crew of the Nostromo be able to catch and kill that alien before it kills them? (Alien).

CENTRAL QUESTION