This Month in Filmmaking History - June 2022

David Simon's "The Wire" debuted on this day in history in 2002 on HBO. Simon is a former police reporter, and his writing partner Ed Burns is a former homicide detective. Simon wanted to create a show that offered a realistic portrayal of law enforcement and its interactions with various city groups in Baltimore, Maryland, including schools, government, and media. The show wrapped up in 2008, and although it wasn't a massive hit with critics at the time, it's now considered one of the great television shows for its portrayal of real, urban life. 

Gary Ross and Anne Spielberg were nominated for the Best Original Screenplay Oscar for "Big," a film starring Tom Hanks that follows a kid who wishes to be big and becomes an adult overnight. The film premiered on this day in history in 1988. Hanks was also nominated for Best Actor for the film, which went on to become a huge box office success. The movie had an $18 million budget and grossed $151 million worldwide.

Andrew Niccol both wrote and co-produced "The Truman Show," which debuted on this day in history in 1998. Niccol was inspired to write the spec script after watching an episode of "The Twilight Zone," and his original version was more of a science-fiction thriller than the comedy-drama that was later produced. After producer Scott Rudin purchased the script, Niccol rewrote it a reported 16 times before director Peter Weir felt it was ready for filming. Niccol was originally going to direct the film, too, which would have been his directorial debut, but Paramount Pictures felt the budget was too big to hand over to a first-timer, so they paid Niccol extra money to step aside. In all, he was paid around $1 million for the script.

"Un Chien Andalou," or "An Andalusian Dog," premiered on this day in history in Paris in 1929. Salvador Dali and Luis Bunuel wrote and produced the 17-minute silent film based on their dreams after having a conversation about them at a café. The pair wanted the film to be nonsensical, saying that nothing that could be explained as rational would be included. And nonsensical it was, but it ended up being hugely popular among the Parisian elite. This was the opposite of what Bunuel wanted. He said he was actually disappointed that the upper-class seemed to gravitate toward whatever was new, even though the violence depicted in the film should have gone against their convictions. The film paved the way for the pair to be officially accepted into the French surrealist movement.

Did you know that one of the "Ghostbusters" himself wrote the script for the film? Dan Aykroyd was always interested in the supernatural, and his original idea for the movie starred himself and John Belushi traveling through time to combat supernatural villains. The studio felt his concept would be too expensive to produce, so, following Belushi's death, Aykroyd teamed up with Harold Ramis to rewrite the script, moving its central location to New York City. "Ghostbusters" became a cultural phenomenon and spawned a massive media franchise.

Film experts consider "The Grand Illusion," written by Charles Spaak and Jean Renoir, to be one of French cinema's masterpieces. The war film premiered on this day in history in 1937 and followed a group of French prisoners of war plotting to escape. The film's themes include class, prejudice, and human relationships that transcend political politics and nationalism. "The Grand Illusion" is the first foreign-language film to be nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards.

Ever wonder where the rating of PG-13 came from? You can thank "Gremlins" for that. Written by Chris Columbus, the story follows a kid who is given a creature that spawns evil little monsters, who then go on a violent rampage. Critics liked the movie, but many people felt it was too violent for its PG rating. They complained to the Motion Picture Association of America, who, in turn, added a new PG-13 rating a couple of months later. Columbus said he got the idea for the spec script from his old loft, where he'd often hear a "platoon of mice skittering around in the blackness." He wrote the script just to show potential employers that he had writing skills, but Steven Spielberg came across the screenplay and loved its original concept, so he bought it.

Tom Schulman's "Dead Poets Society" premiered on this day in history in 1989, and Schulman went on to win the Academy Award that year for Best Original Screenplay. The film starred the late Robin Williams as an English teacher who inspires his students through poetry. Schulman wrote the screenplay based on his former teacher Samuel Pickering at Montgomery Bell Academy in Tennessee. Director Peter Weir received the original script from Disney's chairman at the time, Jeffrey Katzenberg. Weir fell in love with it and started casting the main characters just six weeks later.

Happy birthday to David Koepp, one of the most successful American screenwriters of all time (by gross box office receipts). Koepp is best known for writing the screenplays for "Jurassic Park," "Mission: Impossible," "Spider-Man," and "War of the Worlds," but his range is wide. He's written across all genres, including the horror flick "Panic Room," which he sold for $4 million.

Happy birthday, Aaron Sorkin! The master of dialogue-driven stories, Sorkin earned a career that screenwriters around the world revere. From "The Social Network" film to TV series such as "The West Wing" and "The Newsroom," we admire his style, and we have so much to learn from him.

One of the first films selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the US National Film Registry, "Nanook of the North," premiered on this day in history in 1922. It is classified as a docudrama, with some events staged, but at the time, there was no concept of separating films into documentaries versus dramas. The silent film captures an Inuit family's lives in the Canadian arctic and their journey of survival. Robert J. Flaherty captured the footage over several years, only to have 30,000 feet of film burned by his cigarette. He returned to Canada and decided he'd focus on just one family while reshooting. While some of the footage was real, a lot of it was staged – including the Nanook's two wives, who were actually common-law wives of Flaherty, Nanook's hunting scenes, and the claim that Nanook died of starvation two years after filming, when in fact he likely died of tuberculosis. Still, critics felt it was a groundbreaking film because it captured the stories of people unknown to most, living in a very remote location.

On this day in history, Steven Spielberg unleashed “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” on the world. Written by the late Melissa Mathison, E.T. was inspired by Spielberg's childhood imaginary friend. "ET" has become one of the most famous stories about friendship, and it ranks as the greatest science fiction film ever made.

"Jurassic Park" made history when it debuted on this day in 1993. The story is based on Michael Crichton's novel by the same name, which he adapted for the screen for an additional $500,000 fee after Steven Spielberg acquired rights to the book for $1.5 million. David Koepp wrote the final draft, toning down a lot of the violence that was in the book. The movie used revolutionary computer-generated imagery and broke box office records as the highest-grossing film of all time at that point in history.

"Raiders of the Lost Ark" became the highest-grossing film of 1981, after its premiere on June 12. While George Lucas and Philip Kaufman conceived the original story for the film, Lucas decided to instead focus his efforts on "Star Wars," so director Steven Spielberg picked up the project and hired screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan to fill in the gaps in the story. Many now consider the film to be one of the best action-adventure movies, and it's now a major franchise, with three movie sequels, theme park rides, video games, a TV series, toys, and more. Kasdan had only been working as a professional screenwriter for a month when he got the gig. He completed his first draft after five months of collaboration and writing.

"The Shining" terrified audiences around the world during its wide release on this day in history in 1980. Based on the Stephen King novel, Stanley Kubrick and Diane Johnson adapted the story for the screen about a writer who takes a job as an off-season caretaker at a hotel, bringing his family along for the terror. Critics said the film was too slow, and the script removed much of what was so terrifying in King's book. King agreed, saying it is the only one of his novel adaptations that he could remember hating. Kubrick was even nominated for a Razzie Award for Worst Director. But, it's now considered one of the best horror films ever made and has had a significant influence on horror films since. It was also selected for preservation in the United Stations National Film Registry.

The first in a series of three films, "The Bourne Identity," premiered on this day in history in 2002. Tony Gilroy and William Blake Herron wrote the screenplay based on Robert Ludlum's 1980 novel. The story is about Jason Bourne's journey to discover his identity amid his amnesia episodes and a conspiracy within the CIA. Director Doug Liman spent two years getting the rights to the novel from Warner Brothers, a book he had read first while in high school. He spent another year developing the screenplay with Gilroy before Universal Pictures acquired the film rights and brought in Herron to rewrite the script. The film was a box-office success, earning $214 million against a $60 million budget and resulting in four more "Bourne" films.

"Having your film made is the award. That alone is a miracle," writer and producer Diablo Cody said. She is 41 this year. Happy birthday to this award-winning scribe of "Juno" (Oscar for Best Original Screenplay), "United States of Tara," and "Young Adult."

Director Christopher Nolan co-wrote "Batman Begins" with screenwriter David S. Goyer, which premiered on this day in history in 2005. They knew full-well they were up against challenging circumstances following two "Batman" box office flops the decade prior. But their vision of Batman and Bruce Wayne's origin story was different, darker, and more realistic, and made audiences feel for both character identities. Their story and the superstar cast were hits, spawning "The Dark Knight" and "The Dark Knight Rises" and reinvigorating the superhero genre.  

"The Apartment" was a big winner at the Academy Awards in 1961, taking home Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, and more. The film premiered on this day in history in June 1960. Billy Wilder and I.A.L. Diamond wrote the romantic comedy-drama screenplay about a man who tries to climb the corporate ladder by allowing his higher-ups to have extramarital affairs at his apartment. Wilder and Diamond got the idea from several real experiences, including a producer who shot an agent after learning he was sleeping with his wife at a low-level employee's apartment. Wilder had wanted to make a similar film in the 40s, but the Motion Picture Production Code disallowed depictions of adultery at the time.

It wasn't until "Psycho" debuted on this day in history in 1960 that viewers were truly convinced urban horror flicks would go mainstream. Before then, monster movies abounded, but Joseph Stefano's screenplay – based on the novel by Robert Bloch – sent chills down audiences' spines that we still feel today. Stefano is known to have taken many risks in writing this screenplay, including killing off the star halfway through the film.

Though it was one of the most expensive films produced at the time, "Toy Story 3" was also one of the most successful, holding the record for the highest-grossing animated film with more than $1 billion in worldwide ticket sales. Michael Arndt wrote the screenplay, and the movie premiered on this day in history in 2010. Its journey to the screen went through at least two completely different scripts and a different Disney studio, as negotiations with Pixar had soured at that point. Later, Disney would announce it would buy Pixar, so the project moved back to that studio and continued, but with a completely new script. The original writers started from scratch by visiting the house where they first pitched "Toy Story" and came up with a new story over a weekend. It was assigned to Arndt to write. Instead of showing the script to the actors to get them back on board, the studio created a complete reel of the film using storyboards, and the actors all agreed to sign on after that.

Walon Green and Roy Sicker wrote the original story and screenplay for "The Wild Bunch," which was edited and readied for production by director Sam Peckinpah. The film premiered on this day in history in 1969. While the final screenplay of the Western film was nominated for an Oscar, the film's editing made the movie a standout. Peckinpah used quick cuts from multiple angles and slow-motion shots to depict the chaos of the gunfights. The story depicted a more real version of the violence that occurred in the outlaw gunfighter era, and it was criticized for its brutal imagery. There have been rumors of a 21st-century remake of the film, including a version that includes Will Smith starring and producing. Another version includes Mel Gibson co-writing and directing. It's unclear if any of these versions are proceeding.

Film Critic Roger Ebert was born on this day in history in 1942. Ebert is best known for co-hosting "At the Movies with Gene Siskel & Roger Ebert," and coining the term "two thumbs up," but he was also a journalist and screenwriter, penning scripts for "Beyond the Valley of the Dolls," "Up!" (1976), and "Who Killed Bambi?" He began his career as a film critic for the Chicago Sun-Times and won a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism. He continued to write for the Sun-Times until he passed away in 2013.

“Yankee Doodle Dandy” dazzled audiences with its musical and biographical portrayal of George M. Cohan, known as the man who owned Broadway. The screenplay is credited to Robert Buckner and Edmund Joseph, but the Epstein Brothers (“Casablanca”) also contributed to this 1942 Academy-Award-winning film. It's been named to several AFI Top 100 lists and was selected for preservation in the US National Film Registry by the Library of Congress.

Screenwriter Robert Towne won a Best Screenplay Oscar for his script for "Chinatown," which debuted on this day in history in 1974. Considered by many to be one of the best films of all time, the neo-noir mystery film was inspired by the California Water Wars, a series of fights between Los Angeles and Eastern California ranchers over water rights. Before Towne started writing the script, he had been offered $175,000 to write a screenplay for "The Great Gatsby," but he felt he couldn't make it better than the F. Scott Fitzgerald novel. Instead, he asked for $25,000 to write "Chinatown." The original script was more than 180 pages. Director Roman Polanski and Towne eventually parted ways on the project over a disagreement about what should happen to the character Evelyn Mulwray, with Polanski getting his way by rewriting the final scene.

Happy birthday to filmmaker Robert Rodriguez! Rodriguez is best known for the "Mexico Trilogy," which includes his films "El Mariachi," "Desperado," and "Once Upon a Time in Mexico." He often works alongside Quentin Tarantino, whom many consider to be one of Rodriguez's best friends. He's usually the writer, producer, and director of his films, and he's also been known to act as the composer, production designer, sound editor, camera operator, and more, earning the title of "one-man film crew."

Walt Disney Productions bought the rights to the book "Who Censored Roger Rabbit" by Gary K. Wolf and hired Jeffrey Price and Peter S. Seaman to write the screenplay. The film premiered on this day in history in 1988. The writers leaned heavily on 1940s storylines and were inspired by the Golden Age of American animation in both Walt Disney and Warner Brothers cartoons. While Warner Brothers was not involved in the production, it did grant permission to Walt Disney Studios to use some of its characters in the film, including Daffy Duck and Bugs Bunny, as long as they got equal billing in the scene to the Disney characters. The film made history because of its innovative mix of live-action and animation and is credited with leading Disney into its renaissance.

Ernest Lehman wrote the screenplay for "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf," which premiered on screen on this day in history in 1966. The film was an adaptation of the Broadway stage play, with a story centered on the complexities of marriage. Nearly all of the dialogue from the play remains in the film version, including some language that audiences considered shocking for the time that also went against standard moral guidelines for a film. But Lehman chose to keep the profanity and prevailed. The film was a big financial success. It is one of only two films ever to be nominated in every category it was eligible for at the Academy Awards (the other was "Cimarron").

Though Dan O'Bannon has the sole screenwriting credit on "Alien," Ronald Shusett has story credit, and David Giler and Walter Hill wrote the final shooting script. The film premiered on this day in history in 1979. The movie is considered one of the best science-fiction horror films of all time, and many believe the screenplay to be an excellent example of why simple is better in a script. O'Bannon had the idea for the story early on in his life while he was in film school, but it got better with time and with Shusett's help, as the pair pulled inspiration from several sci-fi stories to complete their own. O'Bannon has famously said that he didn't steal the story idea from anyone, "I stole it from everybody!"

Billy Wilder was so many things: screenwriter, filmmaker, producer, journalist, and artist. For more than five decades, he created films including "Some Like it Hot," "The Seven Year Itch," "Sunset Boulevard," "Double Indemnity," and "The Apartment." AFI honored Wilder with its Lifetime Achievement Award, and he also received the National Medal of Arts. He would have celebrated a birthday on June 22, but his films will live on in our hearts and minds for many years to come.

"The Lion King" debuted on this day in history in 1994, during a time that was known as the Disney Renaissance when Disney was making movies based on well-known stories and experiencing huge box office successes. Irene Mecchi, Jonathan Roberts, and Linda Woolverton wrote the script based on a film treatment by Thomas Disch. Linda Woolverton spent a year writing drafts of the script on her own, and in her original versions, Scar was the leader of the baboons, and Rafiki was a cheetah. It was Disney's first attempt at an animated feature that was an original story and not based on existing work, and it was a huge success. "The Lion King" was the highest-grossing movie that year.

Bill Lancaster wrote the final script for "The Thing," based on the novella by John W. Campbell, Jr., "Who Goes There." The movie didn't have an easy path to the theater, nor did it have an easy time when it finally made it there on this day in history in 1982. Many screenwriters wrote many drafts for the film before director John Carpenter was attached. Carpenter, a talented screenwriter himself, didn't want to write the script, so Lancaster was ultimately hired to write it, chosen for his intention to stick closely to the novella. Things started well, but Lancaster reportedly struggled with the second act, and so the writing process dragged on for months. In the end, he wrote four drafts of the screenplay before production began. Critics hated the movie back then, but it's since become a cult favorite and is considered another one of the sci-fi horror greats.

Hampton Fancher and David Webb Peoples wrote the screenplay for the highly influential film "Blade Runner," directed by Ridley Scott, which premiered on this day in history in 1982. The science fiction film initially split critics, but the movie is now considered one of the best sci-fi films of all time for its production design, thematic complexity, and visuals. Many consider the special effects to be some of the best of all time, and the film is often given as an assignment in film school. While Fancher wrote the initial script, Scott felt it focused too much on environmental issues, and the two parted ways. Scott later hired Peoples, but Fancher came back to help with rewrites.

Happy birthday, Paul Thomas Anderson! We have PTA to thank for "Boogie Nights," "Magnolia," "Punch-Drunk Love," and "There Will Be Blood," which he wrote and directed. The auteur is known for his often desperate characters, his use of repetition, bold visuals, and an always-moving camera. What are your favorite PTA films?

Happy birthday to Mel Brooks! Brooks has done it all during his accomplished career in entertainment, including acting, producing, directing, writing, and composing. He specializes in comedy, helping to write the late 60s comedy series "Get Smart," and he later became one of the most successful filmmakers of the 70s for movies like "The Producers," "Blazing Saddles," "Young Frankenstein," and "Spaceballs." He's also on the limited list of creatives who are EGOT winners, meaning they've won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony award.