How could a straight-to-series greenlight go so wrong for the first TV series I ever created?!
Today brings you the first part of a four-part real-life horror story I often describe as a cautionary tale for screenwriters – and artists, in general – about what can happen when all your dreams come true.
A story so terrifying it became infamous in two different countries’ TV industries.
I’m talking about the unbelievable true story of the development and pitch, sale, pilot script, and greenlight for NBC and Sky’s 2013 series “Dracula” starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers and a raft of other brilliant actors. If you’ve ever aspired to work in Hollywood, this is a must listen. Maybe it’ll help you avoid the fate that befell me when I finally “made it”. God, I hope so. Nobody deserves what happened to me!
Some StoryTalkers are familiar with this story by now. I’ve shared the gory details of it on other occasions. But this is the first time you can listen to me personally recount the story for you. More than that, I have poured so much effort into sound design here. I hope it significantly adds to the experience for you. Consider it part of a Halloween theme that seems to have unintentionally developed as I planned out October’s schedule at 5AM StoryTalk; if you haven’t checked out my podcast episodes with horror maestros the Cairnes Brothers (Late Night with the Devil), that’s already available here and in two weeks, writer-director Scott Derrickson will join me to talk about his life in horror, his new film Black Book 2, and a seminal artwork from his life — a film deeply personal to me, too — Dario Argento’s Suspiria. There are other surprises coming your way, too.
Part 2 of “The Horror of ‘Dracula’” is available here, Part 3 here, and Part 4 will be soon be published. Subscribe to 5AM StoryTalk here at Substack or at your favorite podcast player so you don’t miss out on the rest of this horrifying…er…horror story.
If you’d prefer to read this story instead, you can always check out the original essay form of it as shared just about two-and-a-half years ago here at Substack…
Watch the trailer for “Dracula” (2013) here…
