Screenwriting : Who has written a Trump Screenplay? by Phillip E. Hardy, Prolifique

Vice got made and released last year and made a modest profit and garnered lots of critical acclaim and some gold statues. W was released in 2008 and didn't make money but still did almost 30 million at the box office. Additionally, Primary Colors, loosely based on the first Clinton Campaign, was also critical success. With all the attention Trump gets, who knows what could happen. So I think zero chance is excessive statement. Now I wouldn't put my dough into a Trump movie but I'd write one if some hired me for the gig.

Last year, some producer was looking for a Bernie Sanders script, so I pitched him a logline and brief synopsis for a Bernie movie with a comedy angle. He didn't get back to me.

Trump is a walking hatchet-job. A successful bio-pic could incorporate his perpetual braggadocio as part of the storytelling, like the way I, Tonya capitalized on how no one character could get their story straight about Harding’s life.

Kay:

You can dispute all you like. Just look up the Box Office Mojo figures. I'm not saying the films were big Financial winners. If you reread my thread, I stated that two of the films were critical successes. Again, I'm not debating the political aspects of it. Frankly, I don't give a rat's posterior.

I'd really like to see Martin Scorsese make a movie about the Trump Campaign and the Trump Administration.

Phil, I’m not so sure you can bring up Donald Trump then say you don’t want to debate politics. I mean, you “can,” but that’s almost like when Daffy Duck says, “I didn’t say you were stupid, I just said you look stupid.” It’s fine to talk about the most politically-divisive person on the planet, just don’t bring politics into it.

I haven't and wouldn't write one.

However, Russell Crowe's new TV series THE LOUDEST VOICE (about Roger Ailes and his founding/running of Fox News) is an interesting case study when it comes to writing about a divisive subject. For some, the show is like watching Darth Vader build the Death Star; for others, it's a celebration of a flawed but heroic character who railed against the establishment and won. It's a heck of a balancing act, but critics seem to think it's ok. I find it compelling. I disagree with the main character's beliefs, but there's no denying his intelligence. I wonder if a movie about Trump could please everyone in the same way and be successful. Or will it just go for the jugular?

I also wonder if THE LOUDEST VOICE would have gotten made if Roger Ailes didn't have a spectacular fall from grace? Probably not, because it's that part that makes it digestible for more than just one side of the political divide.

Personally, I think a great movie about Trump has already been made, BACK TO THE FUTURE 2. Why do we need another? ;-)

I also think WAG THE DOG was a very good film. That was about a fictional president, but everyone knew it was about Clinton. It made $64m worldwide on an approx. $45m total budget (according to Google).

By far, my favorite film about a president is Lincoln. I watched it for the first time a few weeks ago. Brilliant.

... but I digress.

Stephen:

With all due respect, sure I can. If you read my post, I asked if someone had written a Trump script and if so, did that have any interest for it. Not whether the Clintons, Trump or Nixon were criminals. Again, that's discussion for political forums. With all the coverage and controversy President Trump stirs, I'm surprised there's not a movie about him being made. Or if someone is working on something, what is their angle going to be. It's really a matter of keeping on topic, which for this forum is about the art of screenwriting. However, I can't stop people from getting sidetracked.

Phil Parker. I'd like to see the Roger Ailes film. However, not bad enough to pay HBO for membership. LOL

Some great acting and writing in The Loudest Voice (Roger Ailes). Worth watching... as are many of the political films: Primary Colors (engaging through and through), Game Change, Vice (fascinating story structure) and Fair Game. As mentioned above, Wag the Dog, is another great film.

Here's the thing, some people love to bury their heads in the sand and not pay attention to the world or what is or what is said is going on in the world. In my mind, such films as these, follow the thought: Entertain into enlightenment. Even if not historically accurate, how many times have you watched a film about something you knew nothing about, then Googled the hell out of it to find out what the real story was and came out a better informed person?

As for writing about Trump, I would consider it. But I would first wait for the second act climax, all is lost moment and denouement before doing so... unless I wanted to fictionalize the script. Sort of like I did with a script about terrorists pouring into Arizona from Mexico that was a well-touted talking point in this state. I fictionalized a sheriff and politician in that script... a fest winner and currently a finalist in San Antonio Film Festival.

Truth is, some folks want to see such movies, because they are intriguing and the characters are truly complicated and conflicted. These are not four-quad, but they are worth writing.

If movies existed back in ancient Greece, would Aristotle have been content with "Poetics" or would he have written about the double standards and bad behavior of the immortals?

Philip: Excellent philosophical post. I have my opinions about Trump and the state of politics in the US and world. As a Screenwriter, I want to be able to present all points of view as objectively as possible. When I wrote Four Negro Girls In A Church my goal was to tell a powerful civil rights story. I took this evaluation statement form Wildsound Film Festival as a high compliment:

This is a wonderfully moving retelling of the story of the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing of 1963, taking a deep look at some of the characters involved and giving an almost unsettlingly unbiased account. The script doesn’t ever lecture the audience in any way about right and wrong, just provides characters and context and lets them come to their well and should be respected.

The above response is validation that I've done my job as a storyteller.

First, tacayo, thank you and no doubt you have done your job as storyteller. The competition/fest attention you garner indicates that. And, it should be noted, festivals respond to such scripts and do accurately represent the pulse of producers at large.

Yesterday I had lengthy discussions with someone about writing a pilot script for a series that carries the views of pretty much everything I do not think and oppose politically (we have a very active political household). I like the director and he makes good films. So, I have to wrestle with am I okay with writing this if the guys who represent what I believe are the bad guys? It's time to dust of my guild registered nom de plume!

Philip: Congrats on this possible opportunity. It couldn't happen to a more professional individual. Let me know how things shape up, sir.

Trump has a role as the man with the false credit card in my short screenplay "Unholy Swap" . Kate Bush plays the lead. Is there any interest for it? I doubt it! But I do not care. It was just fun to write a dark comedy.

Ruger: I've done a few like that too.

Senor Felipe, will keep you posted!

I'd hate to spend so much time researching the man and then writing a script about him. That's a lot of time spent in the world of such a hateful and cowardly man and wouldn't be a very nice experience.

I'm working on a HUMAN CENTIPEDE:reboot. Guess who's the caboose?

Looks like there's a financier available for the reboot.

Tony S:

As long as he's not a loan shark.

Yeah, maybe it's 5% interest per hour.

Tony S. That's quite a vig... maybe we should send Chili Palmer to collect in this humid heat.

Why not. He can drive over in an Oldsmobile Silhouette. It's the Cadillac of minivans.

I wrote one. Since it was my first screenplay, I didnt really shop it around.

Tony S. Oldsmobile... they don't make 'em like dat anymore... really, they don't. Actually, I worked as a Get Shorty extra that night it poured when she shows Chili to the Cadillac of Minivans. That was one slow crawl back home to Brentwood on da 405 dat rainy night...LA traffic.

I would say about 1,000,000 screen writers have pens a Trump thing.

He'll get a biopic at some point, I feel, though probably not a decent one until people cool down about him. I don't know much about his life myself, but I could see a fine story coming from his experiences.

The only way Trump can be stopped becoming the US president for the next four years is when Arnold becomes a democrat, brainwashes the whole world into thinking he's a born American and then terminates Trump in the race for the next presidency. In other words, it will take at least an other four years before we see some -- in retrospect -- Trump movies.

Admittedly - good or bad - I auditioned twice for The Apprentice. 2003 and 2010. The 2nd time I brought a drum. They called me "Bongo Brian. Got me a call-back. They went with a guitar-played long-haired hippy instead of a drum-playing-hippy-yippy.

I have. About ten years ago. TV movie for ABC. “Trump Unauthorised”. It was quite good until the notes came from ABC’s lawyers…