Run the Marathon
Hail and well-met, friends.
Welcome back to the sophomore edition of Hailing Frequencies. Since I began this newsletter last week, I’ve been delighted so many of you felt compelled to sign up. Hopefully you’ll enjoy what I have to share.
A SLATE OF PROJECTS IN FIERI
Last week, I suggested the purpose of this newsletter was partly intended as a “peek behind the curtain” on the real-world doings of being a professional creator. For those aspiring to work in prose, or screenwriting, or producing — or anything where art collides with commerce, really — the idea of making a sustainable living can feel daunting.
I hope the transparency I can give will make it a bit less so. Or at the very least, it’ll be interesting?
ALWAYS BE CREATING
Most professionals I know are always working on, at minimum, 3-8 things at once. It’s almost a prerequisite — especially in Hollywood where nothing is guaranteed, no timeline is certain, and everything is ephemeral until the money is quite literally in the bank. You really are running a marathon, passing the baton to yourself.
I am no exception. Recently, we wrapped on Season Two of Star Trek: Prodigy. As we eagerly await for the new season to drop on Netflix, I’ve been diving headfirst into the world of development.
It should probably be noted that the term encompasses a pretty wide portion of the process. Most of the cool stuff I’m working on, I am paid to do so — especially if I don’t own the intellectual property it’s based on. Some are developed with producers. Some, like spec scripts, are personal projects I create and own the rights to — at least until they are sold to a studio or network. Once they are sold to said studio or network, they are still are “in development” until they’re officially greenlit.
Below is a brief snapshot of the projects I’m laboring on this month. All of them are under some form of NDA, which makes it a bit tricky to discuss in depth — but rest assured, I will reveal their true natures once it is legal to do so — usually when they’re out in the world. Until then, inspired by the format used by colleague Marc Guggenheim for his newsletter, LegalDispatches — is it stealing if I give credit? — I’ll be using some codenames.
PROJECT PHANTASM - An original live action feature spec in the “gateway horror” space that I love so much, currently being sent out to producers now.
PROJECT COVE - A pilot currently in development, which I’m working on with a good friend of mine. I really love it — its a genre mashup you really wouldn’t expect, in a setting that I’ve never seen used this way before.
PROJECT FIRMAMENT - An adult animated adaptation of a beloved property in the gaming world. I can’t say much more than that.
PROJECT HAMLET - Another television project, about to pitch. This one is also a new spin on an existing and exceedingly popular franchise.
PROJECT GLITTERING - A television adaptation of a popular fantasy book series. Very early days, but I’m enjoying it quite it a bit.
PROJECT CONTAINMENT - An adaptation of an existing horror franchise that seems to have made it to every medium besides TV and film.
PROJECT SNOW - A feature film book adaptation I’m doing with a director friend of mine.
PROJECT UPWARD - A very cool graphic novel I’m working on with an equally cool group of people, inspired by the unfinished works of a master storyteller you’ve all probably heard of. Hopefully I will be able to reveal more about this one soon.
You’ll probably notice, the majority of what’s on my plate right now is based on pre-existing material. For better or worse, that’s the soup de jour in Hollywood at the moment. Existing IP means there is, in theory, an existing audience already built into any adaptation — which, in turn, makes it more appealing as an acquisition.
That’s not to say original ideas never get sold — they absolutely do — but most would agree the scales have tipped the other way in today’s buyer climate, at least for now.
From here on, I’ll try to give you updates on the above projects as they happen — and add any new that may appear!
A LITTLE Q & A
Tamitha asks,
If IDW decided to launch a Prodigy comic book, would you want to be a lead writer on a run?
I love writing comic books almost as much as I do reading them, and I am a loyalist to Star Trek: Prodigy to the end. I’ve been at this long enough to learn I should never say never. I’d be absolutely game if they’d have me — and circumstances permitted. Likewise, many of the other screenwriters of Prodigy are also very talented comic book authors as well — I encourage you to look them up! — so I’m sure a Prodigy comic would be in great hands, if it becomes a possibility.
THIS WEEK’S ONE COOL THING
Yesterday, I was lucky enough to be invited to the LA premiere of LegionM’s new documentary on William Shatner, You Can Call Me Bill. It was a wild night hosted by Kevin Smith, and I got to see many friends and colleagues there. The film itself is surprisingly introspective — less a traditional biography, and more of a philosophical rumination of someone looking backward at a long life in the public eye — and what it all means.
I also got to take this photo with Benjamin R. Harrison of the Greatest Trek podcast and Jordan Morris of Jordan, Jesse, Go!
Have a great weekend.
Aaron J. Waltke
Glendale, CA
3.22.24