Interview: Will Simmons — Part 2

Will Simmons made a splash when he wrote the 2012 Black List script “Murder City” which was subsequently acquired by Aldamisa Entertainment. He also has two other projects in the works: “Romeo,” a modern day re-imagining of Shakespeare’s play, and “Defenders,” a science fiction thriller pitch bought by Warner Bros in June 2013 based upon a Hugo Award-winning novel.

I recently had the opportunity to speak with Will at length about his background, “Murder City,” and the screenwriting craft.

Today in Part 2, Will relates how he made his way to Hollywood and gives us background about the spec script that helped him break into the movie business: “Murder City”:

Scott: How did you get your first writing gig in LA?

Will: Moving to LA is a monumental step in itself. And while I don’t think the success of any writer is necessarily predicated on their physical presence in Hollywood, I do think it’s crucial for young and emerging writers to be available for meetings. This is an industry of relationships and trust. Executives aren’t just buying your scripts, they’re buying you, and everything you represent. Face to face interactions are a far more effective means of conveying your personal and professional qualifications than phone-conferences or Skype calls.

As for my first writing gig, it didn’t come right away. I ventured to Hollywood with a nest egg of cash and a recently completed short film, which was by far my most accomplished work to date. But I only knew one person in the industry — my good friend, Nicki Cortese who’s the current VP of Production at Akiva Goldsman’s production company, Weed Road.

She was an important early supporter of my work, and she believed in me enough to introduce me to several of her contacts, which snowballed into meetings with Brett Gursky, a fellow writer repped by Energy Entertainment, and Scott Carr, who at the time was a junior agent at UTA and is now a manager. They saw potential in my writing sample and introduced me to my manager, Brooklyn Weaver.

Brooklyn has been a fierce advocate for my work and an incredible collaborator. He’s someone who not only has preternatural intuition for creativity, but also goes above-and-beyond for his clients. I can’t overstate the importance of finding representatives who share your creative taste and are in sync with your long-term goals. Geoff Morley at UTA is also a pivotal voice of my corner. He’s been a staunch proponent of my writing, along with Jason Burns.

Scott: That speaks to the importance of A, writing a bunch of material, and B, nailing something that at least serves as a writing sample, conveys your voice, right?

Will: No question. A writer’s currency is a finished screenplay. And there’s no better way to master your craft than by buckling down and writing pages.

Scott: Let’s talk about “Murder City”. Here’s a description from the trades: “A crime thriller following an ex‑con who uses his former law enforcement connections to protect his wife and child when he becomes the hunter and target of a ruthless Detroit gangster.” What was your inspiration for writing this script?

Will: The inspiration came from a concept-riffing session with Brooklyn. We tossed around a few basic ideas about tone, characters and a rudimentary story arc, and then I immersed myself in research for the next four weeks. Admittedly, I’m a bit of a research junkie. Authenticity is such a crucial component of storytelling, especially when you’re writing in the world of law enforcement and organized crime. If you haven’t done your homework, the writing will come across as disingenuous and false.

“Murder City” was born from the plight of its protagonist. It all started with that character, and his fall from grace. The narrative events are a function of his destructive decisions, and for me that’s the most essential tenet of storytelling; make sure your character is driving the action, not the other way around.

Scott: There’s such a visceral sense of place in “Murder City,” a real gritty urban atmosphere, Detroit, a city in major decline. It’s almost as if you approached the place as a character. I was wondering how important it was for you to convey that sense of “world” in the script. How much research and what type of research to find that feel?

Will: I’ve always been fascinated by the “nature vs nurture” debate; are we a product of our environment or are we doomed or blessed despite our surroundings. Detroit’s reputation as a rough-and-tumble city made it an ideal location to search for truth. It’s a city of such immense beauty, even in the rundown neighborhoods with abandoned factories and warehouses. There’s something tragically romantic about the urban decay. All of these buildings were once thriving places of commerce and now they’ve been left to rot. Standing inside them, you can feel an almost spectral sense of energy. I wanted to infuse “Murder City” with that essence, where the city’s burden was shared by all of the characters. They’re victims of their environment, and they’re forced to make a choice between embracing the ingrained culture of crime or breaking the cycle and facing the consequences.

Scott: There is a sense in the script there are these ghosts in individual people’s lives, particularly, the protagonist, Neil. He’s got this whole back‑story and a series of connections where there’s stuff that’s gone on in the past that’s definitely still playing out and lingering, and overshadowing him.

Also, too, I’m wondering whether that void that exists in Detroit, where all these things have gone on, it’s like the crime element has filled that void, so there’s a double way in which that kind of emptiness, the ghost part of it and the void part of it comes across in the script.

Will: The shadows of the past weigh heavily on the characters.

Scott: Yeah, precisely. That whole idea of shadow, you’ve got that in the script itself. There’s a prologue that establishes some key dynamics that occur basically two years before the present in the life of the protagonist, Neil. But then you did something interesting. The story takes place in a compressed time frame, it’s basically just a couple of days after the prologue.

Was that a decision on your part to write a story with that narrative construct? If so, what are some of the advantages you found in working with a compressed‑time frame story?

Will: Most crime films fall into one of two categories; they’re either epic “Godfather”-esque sagas where we’re observing an ascendancy and an entire lineage of crime, or you can focus on a condensed, climactic time-frame where stakes are heightened and lives are radically altered in a matter of days or hours. Most contemporary crime films fall in the latter category, primarily because television has become a more suitable medium for long form or generational storytelling.

The compressed narrative was a natural fit for “Murder City”. Urgency mixed with desperation is a recipe for earned and effective character transformation. I wanted to put my protagonist under as much pressure as possible to test the limits of his resolve, and see if he would rise to the occasion or crumble under the stress.

Tomorrow in Part 3, Will delves into the ensemble cast in “Murder City” including the story’s memorable Nemesis character.

For Part 1, go here.

Please stop by comments to thank Will and ask any questions you may have.

Will is repped by UTA and Energy Entertainment.

Twitter: @willsimmons_.