Print Screen: From Print to Screen

8/27/2009 3:45 PM | 5 Comments | Page 1 of 3

The path from game journalist to game developer is well trod. As the gaming media has contracted over the last few years, some of the business' leading lights have moved into producer or public-relations jobs. But why do that when you have the talent to do something really cool? Like finish that screenplay, and see it turned into a major motion picture starring Oscar winner Denzel Washington?

Gary Whitta is the former editor-in-chief of PC Gamer magazine and was, therefore, once one of the most powerful game journalists in the business. Since leaving the industry he's turned his pen to fiction, writing for major game titles (Prey and Gears of War). Now his first original screenplay is in post-production.

"The Book of Eli" is described as a post-apocalyptic Western. Directed by Allen and Albert Hughes, the movie has one of those casts that makes people stand up and take notice. Yes, Washington's name is at the top of the marquee, but there's also Gary Oldman, Mila Kunis and Malcolm McDowell. The trailer was unveiled to an excited crowd at this year's ComicCon and the directors pointed out Whitta to the audience, giving it time to pay respect to the man with the vision.

Whitta agreed to answer a few questions about games, screenwriting and how he ended up with such a wonderful opportunity.

Crispy Gamer: Hollywood screenwriter is a much cooler job than game journalist. Any chance you'll lose that geeky side that has endeared you to readers and listeners?

Gary Whitta: I take issue with the idea that it's inherently cooler. Some of the best memories of my life came from my time as a game journalist. Getting paid to write about games, to see and play the latest stuff before it comes out, travel all over the world, and hang out with your gaming heroes ... it's nothing to be sneezed at. And that's part of the reason why I'm confident I'll never be any less of a geek than I've always been. I'm a gamer for life; it's in my DNA, although you'd never guess that from the way I play Team Fortress 2.

Crispy Gamer: These are, after all, two jobs that a lot of teenagers want but that few get the chance to do. You get to do both in one lifetime, and you're younger than me.

Whitta: I've been remarkably lucky on both counts. And very persistent, too. In both game journalism and screenwriting I pretty much just banged on the door until someone let me in. The key to both is simply to write, write, write. I wrote a lot of sample game reviews before I had anything I felt was good enough to submit to anyone, and the same is true with the screenplays -- though "Eli" is the first film of mine to be made, it's probably about the 15th full-length screenplay that I've written.

Crispy Gamer: How long have you been writing scripts?

Whitta: I first started dabbling when I was about 16. I think I was really inspired by seeing "Die Hard"; it was, at the time -- and remains -- the best action movie I'd ever seen. I still believe you could teach a weeklong master class in popular screenwriting based on that movie. Over the years since I wrote about a dozen more scripts, writing whenever spare time permitted, but it wasn't until a few years ago that I finally found myself with the time (thanks, dot-com bubble!) to really sit down and give it a serious crack.