

   Injustice - The resolution between DKM and Paramount 





From: Daniel Keys Moran
Date: Sat, 06 Jan 1996 04:05:53 -0500


&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
Well, this is going to surprise some of you, and appall others ...


&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
About a month ago, my agent's assistant called me and left me a message
telling me that Paramount was trying to reach me in regards to something
pitched over there, years and years ago. I couldn't imagine what it was --
The Long Run screenplay? Street Angel? (The most non-commercial piece of
anything I ever put down on paper -- movie about four homeless people
robbing a bank to pay for the burial of another homeless man who had died
of AIDS.) My James Camber novels, perhaps? A three-novel outline for those
had been floating around --


&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
Couple days later, I was told that it was "Star Trek," calling about a
project called "The Golden People." Now, "The Golden People" was a
time-travel story I'd pitched to Star Trek: The Next Generation, about 5
years ago now. (On the list of titles of Continuing Time stories, "The
Golden People" is the same story; I lifted the original story outline to
pitch it as a 2-part episode to Next Gen, and when that failed to fly, went
on and re-adapted it back into the Continuing Time.)


&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
Now, most of you know about my allegation of piracy regarding my story
"Injustice," which was (I thought then and think now) the genesis of Evan
Somers' story "Ex Post Facto," which ran on Star Trek: Voyager earlier
this year. I posted a notice about that incident --


&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
About three weeks ago now, Robert Wolfe, story editor at DS9, called me. My
agent's assistant (filtered through their Hollywood branch -- there's about
four layers of business people in this deal) had gotten the details wrong.
It wasn't "Golden People" they wanted (which would have been very very very
interesting -- it was a "Next Generation" story and would have been hard or
impossible to do on DS9 or Voyager. And Next Gen is now a movie series ...)



&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
No such luck. Robert Wolfe wanted to buy "Injustice," the story I had
pitched to him and Evan Somers two years prior.


&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
Color me with Savagely Mixed Feelings.


&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
Well, we went around the block a couple times about various details, and
after clearing away some misunderstandings (some of them, perhaps
unsurprisingly, on my end; mostly, I think, on his) we have come to a sort
of an agreement ... I think.


&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
Contracts have been cut and are on their way to the Hollywood agent
representing me in this matter, Joel Gottler. Assuming Robert and I are on
the same page (I really can't say for sure -- this has been a difficult
negotiation) the contracts will basically be as follows:


&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
- I'm going to sell them "Injustice," and get half a story credit with Lynn
Barker. (The woman I took in to pitch with me, all those years ago; I
brought her with me because she was a Writer's Guild member and I wanted a
teleplay, but it was and is entirely my story.)


&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
- Injustice will be broadcast as the 19th episode of this season of DS9. I
don't know the date.


&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
- Next season, I'll be given a teleplay to write. It won't necessarily be a
teleplay based on one of my stories, though I hope that that can be
arranged.


&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
They're not very happy with me right now, over there at DS9. Robert
apparently thought we had an agreement at one point -- and the next day I
faxed Robert a letter telling him there was no way I was going to sell him
"Injustice" without the teleplay as well. (Story credit is $9K, which I'd
have split with Lynn Barker, so I'd get $4.5K for my Incredible Story of
Pain and Suffering ... while the guy who spent two weeks hammering out
their shooting script would get $13K, almost three times as much. Thanks,
but no thanks; I didn't need the half story credit or the $4.5K.)


&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
Unfortunately, the "next day" was the Friday before Christmas. Robert
wasn't in the office. He wasn't in the office again until January 2 ...
about 2 weeks before they had to shoot Episode 19.


&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
Ouch.


&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
Once they realized I really was going to kill this story (they were
genuinely shocked, and apparently Ira Behr, the producer, was and maybe
still is seriously ticked at me) they agreed to give me a teleplay next
season -- they're getting ready to shoot "Injustice" in about 8 or 10 days
as of this writing, and there was really no way for them to give me the
teleplay by the time I had managed to convince them I was deadly serious
about wanting it. The compromise really satisfies no one (thus proving it's
a compromise) ... I get a teleplay I don't "deserve" next season, and
somebody else (Robert Wolfe, I suspect) will write the teleplay for my
amazingly great story "Injustice."


&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
I think.


&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
I'll let you know what the contracts say when they finally arrive -- this
could all go south even yet.


&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
This is one of the most remarkable things that's ever happened to me, in
the course of my writing career.



P.S.: The opening and some of the details of "Injustice" have been changed
... so that they don't conflict with the story "Ex Post Facto," on Voyager.
Gotta give 'em points for balls. <G>



P.P.S.: After "Injustice" airs, I'll post the pitch document and story
outline that I sold Paramount. It'll be interesting to see how they get
changed between now and airtime, assuming, of course, that there ever is
one.




Date: Tue, 16 Jan 1996 16:49:27 -0500

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
It's confirmed --


&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
After two weeks of waiting for the other shoe to drop, today it did.
Paramount has sent contracts for half a story credit + a guaranteed
teleplay next season, on either DS9 or Voyager. They'll be signed and
sealed sometime in the next couple of days.


&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
I think they were running out of time, frankly ... if I'm not mistaken,
they started shooting "Injustice" today -- without owning it. Would have
made me nervous, in their shoes.


&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
In any event, all looks well -- or as "well" as possible, under the
circumstances. I'll let you all know when "Injustice" runs.




Date: Mon, 22 Jan 1996 05:52:55 -0500

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
The contract from Paramount, interestingly, didn't specify "teleplay;" it
specified writing assignments on a "Star Trek" television series, to total
not less than $15K -- roughly the payment for a teleplay. I thought about
it at some length, then went ahead and signed the contracts anyway and sent
it back. It was either that or sue them --


&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
-- which was an option. According to a source who works on Star Trek, they
were shooting "Injustice" last week -- and I didn't even receive my
contracts until Friday. Interesting ...




