I haven’t been out to the movies all that much this summer. I think the summer started off really strong, but I haven’t been driven to see anything since Mission Impossible. That being said, where have all the great summer movies been? Seems like all of August was a dud. Fall is coming, and I think some new and exciting releases are coming our way. For now, we’re going to do a throwback to my favorite comedy of the year, Game Night, and the man who wrote it, Mark Perez.

Mark Perez is otherwise well-known for having written Accepted,  Herbie: Fully Loaded,  and Back Nine. Today’s interview gives some great insights on what it’s like having to release your script into the wild, and what it’s like having it rewritten by other writers. There’s also some great bits about how long a screenplay can sit on the shelf before it’s actually turned into a movie. The interview was conducted by Edward Douglas over at The Tracking Board. There are some particularly good insights on writing film in this interview.

Here’s a few questions:

“How did Game Night come about? Was it always called Game Night?”

“How long ago did you come up with the idea and sell it to New Line?”

“Obviously, Jonathan and John Francis Daley are writers themselves, so once they get involved in the project, are you still involved, working with them or the actors, or do they take your script and go off on their own?”

And here’s the full interview:

“GAME NIGHT” SCREENWRITER MARK PEREZ ON HOW THE HIGH-CONCEPT COMEDY CAME TO BE