LogFAQs > #978886985

FortuneCookie posted...

I know these are old examples, but Mario Puzo was asked to write Superman: The Movie based off of the strength of The Godfather. They probably didn't put a gun to his head, but what do those two stories have in common? It was a clear case of, "You're talented. You can make this story work."

And Michael Crichton was absolutely pressured by Steven Spielberg into writing a Jurassic Park sequel that he never intended. Worse yet, he used virtually none of the material from the novel. And then Spielberg himself lost interest in the story somewhere along the way. I still like The Lost World: Jurassic Park, somewhat begrudgingly, but it is uninspired to say the least.

Yes, extremely successful name authors sometimes get projects pitched to them.

They get taken out for a very nice lunch and get offered a big cheque. They are free to say yes or no. They are just being offered work, that's all.

You make it sound like they sit trembling in their apartment, dreading the knock on the door, and the cry of 'you better do this TMNT crossover, or else!'.

Worry about this as an unknown author is like being a kid in a school play fretting about how they will handle their Oscar acceptance speech.