Screenwriting : Winnie the Pooh in the Open Domain by Shellie Schmals

They should put Winnie the Pooh in as an unlockable boss in a Mortal Kombat game.

I heard about this the other day, Shellie Schmals. I thought about writing a script with Winnie and the other characters, but I'm not sure.

I haven't written anything from the public domain yet, but I have thought about it. I think using the public domain to find stories could be a great resource in our creative toolbox, I just need to take the time to see what is available and speaks to me...

I’ve developed some PD material. It’s always familiar and all nee at once. I encourage creators to reinvent the wheel for a contemporary audience. What would Winnie and his crew be doing today? Obviously a totally different tone but I like how Grimm updated that universe. I hope to see new Winnie content soon!

Well, it's something the lawyers can't touch... I think. So, you get that flexibility.

Yes, I adapted stories by HP Lovecraft for my screen play Anthology Tales From HP Lovecraft. Anything that he wrote before 1922 was up for grabs. I've also adapted Bram Stoker's Dracula into a pilot for a 10-episode and show Bible for a limited series.

I guess using something in the PD has the advantage of ready-made content. I have an unfinished script where I'm blatantly ripping off ahem I mean re-interpreting Macbeth for my purposes, not using any of the original character names though. More recently, I was looking at Oz (as in the wizard, not the prison series, ha ha) and Peter Pan as I have some abstract ideas about them.

Funnily enough... I was hired by Jagged Edge Productions to write this screenplay based on a basic premise they agreed on. I got 2 drafts in, submitted it to them (my name was credited on IMdB), and the next thing I knew it was already in production!

But after they finished shooting, my name disappeared from IMdB and I saw a shooting script which didn't have my name on it anymore. Also the character names had changed from what I'd written.

Lesson learned... get a contract beforehand.

If anyone wants to read my draft just DM me and I can email it to you. But, like I said, the finished film will probably be different to what was written by me.

Very active / Great track record.

Craig McLearie since you write the script can't you do anything about the copyright?

Bloody the Pooh is more like it. LOL

Aikaterini: it was a verbal contract where I was hired, and because they're a small production company and I'm non-union, I don't really have cause to fight it.

It depends how much of my original work made it to the final script. The title is mine, but without seeing the final script I don't know how much they kept.

Ultimately it was their idea and their Treatment I followed, so my job was to fill in the blanks, develop characters, and describe the settings and action.

Sorry that happened, Craig. You're right, get a contract beforehand.

Speaking of being pooh-pooh'ed, I understand the Soviets made 3 Winnie the Pooh pictures. Over there at the Russianfilmhub...

Wow Craig! What an awful experience, I'm so sorry that happened to you. Thank you for sharing your experience.