Interview (6 Part Series): Isaac Adamson

Interview with the writer of the #1-ranked 2015 Black List script “Bubbles”.

The top rated screenplay on the 2015 Black List is “Bubbles” and it was written by Isaac Adamson. It’s a terrific story, one of the most, if not the most unique ways to approach writing a biopic I have ever seen: The story is a snapshot of Michael Jackson’s life told from the perspective of his pet chimpanzee Bubbles. I would have been interested in interviewing Isaac simply based on the creative inspiration of that idea — I mean, who thinks like that — but when it hit #1 on the Black List charts last year, it was a no-brainer. I reached out to Isaac’s manager Lee Stobby and we finally arranged a time in Isaac’s busy schedule to spend an hour together over the phone, talking with Isaac from his home in Portland, Oregon.

Here are links to the six installments of the entire interview:

Part 1: “Screenwriting is a kind of format where you spend six weeks or eight weeks or however long you spend, and you can have something that’s actually done. Something complete. It’s not perfect. It’ll need more drafts. But it’s ready to show to people.”

Part 2: “The thing that put everything into place was seeing Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and the Shakespearean relationship between some of the characters. It got me thinking about chimp hierarchies but also what if Bubbles had this pseudo‑Shakespearean way of talking.”

Part 3: “Bon Jovi was talking about how Michael was all about resting his voice and relaxing the night before a show. They really wanted to party with him but he didn’t want to go. But he did send down Bubbles.”

Part 4: “That was one of the central themes I was going for too, that ultimately Bubbles is punished for doing the one thing Michael Jackson can’t do, which is grow up.”

Part 5: “I tell people all the time, this is the kind of thing where if I’d tried pitching to somebody, it never would have been written. People would’ve likely responded, ‘That’s funny, but it’s too crazy. It will never work and here’s why.’”

Part 6: “I’m not a big high concept guy. I’ll stumble into a good high concept once in a while, but I usually don’t get those ideas that instantly lend themselves to loglines.”

Isaac is repped by CAA and Lee Stobby.

Twitter: @isaacadamson.