Interview: Justin Malen (“Bastards”)

Script magazine snagged an interview with Justin Malen who sold the spec script “Bastards” just two weeks ago (my post here). Some excerpts from the interview:

SCRIPT: How did you get the idea for Bastards?

JUSTIN MALEN: I actually had the germ of the idea a year ago. I was a big fan of The Hangover. And a big fan of Flirting with Disaster, too. And I thought there could be a really fun Hangover-like twist on Flirting. I told the idea to Mark O’Connor at Green Hat Films — that’s Todd Phillips’ production company — and he was very enthusiastic about it. It came from these ideas about “what you know about your parents” and “what you don’t know about your parents” and “what you thought not turning out to be the case.” I wasn’t setting out to write an R-rated script specifically, but because the story is about guys learning that their conservative mother was actually very promiscuous — and the shock of that — going R-rated was essential to getting the most out of the concept both comedy-wise and plot-wise. I love all types of comedy, but I do gravitate to R-rated ones. The first script I set up was called Prick, about the world’s biggest asshole. So, I was excited to write something in that tone again — minus the asshole, of course. And I also had just done an R-rated rewrite for Paramount called Time Out.

Now for some takeaway observations:

* The importance of breaking your story in prep: “I had never been big on outlining. With my early scripts, I loved the creative freedom of just going with it. Through the projects I’ve done, though, I’ve learned how important structure is. It’s good to know where you’re going even if you wind up deviating from the original plan.” 

* The importance of the story concept: “In seeing other things not sell that I’ve written, I learned how important the concept is. Given the current market, just writing a heartwarming or funny script probably won’t be enough to sell. In my experience, the concept needs to be big enough or commercial enough to get people excited enough to think ‘it’s a movie and want to buy it.’”

* The importance of a sympathetic protagonist: “But when it’s important that they root for the character, the character needs to be likable or relatable enough with the things that they’re saying and doing for the audience to feel for them.” 

Those quotes sound like they come right out of a GITS echo chamber. 

So if you get sick and tired of hearing me pound these points, now you have a screenwriter who just sold a spec script in a 36-hour-turnaround-bidding-war to lay some truth on you.

For more of the interview, go here.