‘An American Werewolf in Paris’ has their name on it, but the finished product bears virtually no resemblance to the film writers Tom Stern and Tim Burns set out to make. Anotherfilmnerd talks to them about how a script everyone loved became a film everyone hated.

‘An American Werewolf in Paris’ has their name on it, but the finished product bears virtually no resemblance to the film writers Tom Stern and Tim Burns set out to make. Anotherfilmnerd talks to them about how a script everyone loved became a film everyone hated.

Writer Andrew Miller shares his vision for the eagerly-awaited Tremors TV series

Writer Andrew Miller shares his vision for the eagerly-awaited Tremors TV series

Writer Andrew Miller shares his vision for the eagerly-awaited Tremors TV series

 A couple of years before the adaptation of 'Hellboy' Peter Briggs co-wrote with director Guillermo del Toro hit the screens, Briggs was ready to ignore the conventional wisdom that 'There Can Be Only One' and take a stab at reviving a struggling franchise.

When Queen and Country called, writer John Rogers was wary until an executive ordered him to get his “nerd ass in and write the movie”. Rogers reflects on his adaptation of Greg Rucka’s classic comic two-plus decades later and his unaired (but leaked) pilot for Warren Ellis’ comic ‘Global Frequency’.

Genre vet Mark Verheiden reflects on his 'dark' days, prepping a shot-but-never-finished pilot remaking the classic gothic soap 'Dark Shadows', and a TV series designed to bridge the gaps between movies as part of a sprawling, epic adaptation of Stephen King's 'The Dark Tower'.

Australian actor-turned-producer Steve Kearney’s experience shooting his American feature film debut wasn’t what you could call ideal. Within three weeks of filming ‘The Nutt House’, the director was fired. By the time it was ready to be edited, all four of the film’s writers (Sam & Ivan Raimi, Bruce Campbell and Scott Spiegel) had disowned it. And the film’s ‘premiere’ at Cannes, well; it wasn’t how you’d hope a film premiere would go. Kearney spoke to Another Film Nerd about ‘The Nutt House’, ‘Pistol Pete’ - the pilot he filmed with legendary ‘Simpsons’ writer John Swartzwelder - and the path that brought him back to Australia.

It may not have set the box office alight, but the cult New Zealand sex-and-violence-laden puppet film 'Meet The Feebles' put filmmakers Peter Jackson and Danny Mulheron on the map. Before long, New Line Cinema enlisted the duo to take on one of their most beloved and feared franchises. Mulheron reflects on his brief time in Los Angeles, his work with Peter Jackson and an unsuccessful pitch into the world of television with the most unlikely of writing partners – a veteran writer from Jim Henson's popular educational program, 'Sesame Street'.

When push came to shove, a set of competing deadlines left writer/director Bill Lawrence confronted with a choice - stick with his hit TV series 'Scrubs' or leave the show behind to make his feature directing debut with a big-screen revival of the 'Fletch' series. And, to the surprise of many, he decided the world of features could wait, leaving Harvey Weinstein in a mad scramble to get something made before he lost the rights to the iconic franchise.

When ‘Tremors’ co-creators Brent Maddock and S.S. Wilson were approached to develop a fifth entry in the popular franchise, they envisioned sending gun nut Burt Gummer to the land down under the throw another graboid on the barbie. But a combination of unfortunate events and mysterious studio forces saw them unceremoniously dumped from the franchise.

Academy-Award nominated screenwriter Eric Heisserer’s first feature screenplay credit is one most writers would kill for - reviving a horror franchise that has enthralled and terrified audiences for generations. But a director with differing views and shifting studio attitudes gave the then-baby writer a baptism of fire into the world of studio filmmaking.

One-time' Walking Dead' and 'Damien' showrunner Glen Mazzara didn't just try to adapt Stephen King's sprawling epic 'The Dark Tower'; he lived and breathed the eight-novel series for more than three years. And while his pilot never saw the light of day, he remains proud of his plans for the Master of Horror's magnum opus.

One was too highbrow (despite the presence of a horny ox), the other was too sad - but the unaired pilots for ‘Brave New World’ (a workplace comedy set in a historical re-enactment village) and ‘Guess Who Died’ (a tale of lost and new love among retirees) hold a special place in writer Peter Tolan’s heart.

For the followup to his feature writing/directing debut, Alex Winter had a hot script, a talented cast and the money to make it happen. But at the eleventh hour, something happened that made him walk away. Winter delves into his operatic, ambitious and thoroughly compelling noir and an unmade political satire set to star Alan Rickman.

For the followup to his feature writing/directing debut, Alex Winter had a hot script, a talented cast and the money to make it happen. But at the eleventh hour, something happened that made him walk away. Winter delves into his operatic, ambitious and thoroughly compelling noir and an unmade political satire set to star Alan Rickman.

Much like the titular character in his comedic noir ‘Chad Schmidt’, it was a case of being in the right place at the wrong time for writer/director Steven Conrad. He had the script, he had Brad Pitt on board to star, but fate wasn’t willing to let the tale of a struggling actor with an uncanny resemblance to one of Hollywood’s leading stars reach the screen.

When John August got the chance to pitch to Warner Brothers on a standalone ‘Catwoman’ film, he developed a story that would expand on the mythos created in the classic Tim Burton film ‘Batman Returns’. Unfortunately, Warner Brothers - still smarting from the backlash to ‘Batman & Robin’ - had other ideas.

Orson Welles had The Other Side of The Wind. Terry Gilliam had The Man Who Killed Don Quixote, and independent filmmaker Michael Worth has Bring Me The Head of Lance Henriksen. After a shoot that lasted for around three years and a protracted round of distribution hassles, the ‘Boyhood’ of ‘That Guy’ pictures looks like it’ll finally be seeing the light of day.