Possibly THE dream screenwriting gig

Recently we featured this interview with screenwriter Robert Mark Kamen. Today LA Times columnist Patrick Goldstein weighs in on his blog “The Big Picture” with this in-depth piece on the fascinating relationship between Kamen and French director Luc Besson — and a dream screenwriting gig. Some excerpts:

If this were a script, it would be an offbeat buddy picture. At 61, Kamen is the crafty old veteran, with credits going back to 1981’s “Taps” (which gave Tom Cruise his first major role) and 1984’s “The Karate Kid.” His writing partner is Luc Besson, the celebrated French director who burst to prominence with a series of visually striking thrillers, most notably “La Femme Nikita,” “The Professional” and “The Fifth Element.” Despite his success as a director, it turned out that Besson’s real dream was to produce international hits and start his own studio. He’s well on his way.

The year’s biggest action hit, “Taken,” which has grossed $118 million and is still the №3 box-office movie after five weeks in release, was produced by Besson and co-written by Kamen. The duo have collaborated on a string of action thrillers, beginning with 1997’s “The Fifth Element.” They also worked on Jet Li’s “Kiss of the Dragon” (2001) and “Unleashed” (2005).

But more notably, Besson and Kamen are behind the “Transporter” action film franchise. Besson has become the model of an international film producer, making action films — like “Taken” — that play just as well in Europe and Asia as in the United States but cost far less than a movie made by a Hollywood studio. Besson has already broken ground on a Paris-based studio that will feature 10 soundstages, post-production facilities, a cinema craft school, a five-screen multiplex and considerable office space.

If there is a dream existence for a screenwriter, Kamen has pretty much found it. He writes scripts with a collaborator he respects (and who respects Kamen), and those scripts get produced pretty much as is. Throw in working in France and owning his own winery in Sonoma, and I suspect Kamen is happy he “followed his bliss.” Especially considering the alternative:

“When I was living in L.A., I was like most screenwriters, spending years taking meetings with 25-year-old studio executives and dealing with the nightmare of the studio development process. I’d write a great script and it wouldn’t go anywhere. It was frustrating as all hell. Film scripts aren’t books that belong on a shelf. They’re meant to be made. The thing Luc said when we first met that impressed me the most was that he promised me he’d make everything because he couldn’t afford not to.”

It’s a great read — and inspirational, reminding each of us we don’t need to box ourselves in to the ‘realities’ that already exist, but are free to dream — and create — new screenwriting possibilities.