Update: “The Help”

As The Help continues to perform at the box office, The Wrap has a revealing article on the backstory of the project’s history in Hollywood.

Like Kathryn Stockett’s much-rejected book manuscript, “The Help” is a movie that almost wasn’t… But now DreamWorks’ Stacey Snider — who decided with partner Steven Spielberg to greenlight the film — is reaping the commercial benefits of what cannot have been an easy call.

Indeed, Snider turned the project down at first, when it was brought to her with newbie Tate Taylor (pictured at left with author Stockett) attached to write and direct.

She couldn’t justify the cost with a first time director on board, but said, “call me if you don’t get it set up.” 

“And by the time (Tate) called me, he had written the script, which was beautiful, and it proved more than just that he had ambition,” she has said. “It proved that he actually had talent. Still doesn’t tell you if he can direct a movie, but when you read a script that was as emotional and respectful as it was, it was a good sign.”

And then check this out:

[Chris] Columbus praised Taylor’s decision to feature one character’s narrative voice-over in the film, noting that there are three main voices in the book. “It’s not an easy translation,” Columbus told TheWrap.

Taylor settled on Abileen — played by Viola Davis — for that role. “I thought that was brilliant,” Columbus said.

Note how critical the script was in this process. In the first case, “it proved that he actually had talent.” That alone helped change Snyder’s perception of Tate, a first-time director. In the second case, it shows how a key decision — in this case to have one voiceover narrative, the character Abileen — can not only impact the story in a critical way, it can also make a strong impression on important people involved in a project such as producer Chris Columbus.

The success of The Help, both the book and the movie, are a testament to the power of words — the right words — on paper.

For more of the article, go here.

And for an analysis of the movie’s remarkable B.O. performance, check out this article.