A new feature in The New Yorker has gone in-depth on screenwriter Scott Frank’s successful career.
To many, he’s known for creating the Netflix mini-series sensation “The Queen’s Gambit” and, before that, the acclaimed Western series, “Godless”. He also directed the underrated 2007 gem, “The Lookout.”
However he’s primarily known for his writing — “Dead Again,” “Get Shorty,” “Out of Sight,” “Minority Report,” and “Logan”. Frank’s reputation is that of one of the best screenwriters in the business, which got me thinking … who else is up there in the ranks?
I’m not counting famous filmmakers who also happen to write their own stuff, like Joel and Ethan Coen, I’m talking writers who are primarily known for their screenplay work. The cream of the crop seems to come down to six other names: Aaron Sorkin, Eric Roth, Steve Zaillian, Scott Frank, John Logan, John Ridley.
The New Yorker piece is well worth a read.
It goes in depth on Frank’s services as a script doctor, revealing that he charges a whopping $300,000 weekly fee for his services to fix a film’s script — having done so for nearly sixty films, such as “Saving Private Ryan,” “The Ring,” “Gravity,” “Rise of the Planet of the Apes,” “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire,” “Unfaithful,” and Luca Guadagnino’s scrapped “Scarface” remake.
For the full piece, head over to The New Yorker.