Well, all I have to say is that the call went very, very well.

First I'll begin with their concerns...

1. Because it's such a complex story with such a unique paradox, they wanted to know how open we were to doing another rewrite using some of their notes to help clarify things a little. Sometimes when you're so intimately involved in a project, it's hard to pull yourself away from it and recognize where an outside person might not make the same connections that seem so obvious to yourself.

J n' I are both *totally* open to doing a rewrite, and really appreciate the opportunity. We've had many passes from other production companies telling us, "Great concept - but it's too smart for your general movie-going audience." If we could find a way to make it clearer so everyone "gets it", that would be awesome. We have passed our script off to many of our friends looking for similar feedback on how we can clarify things, but we are really looking forward to getting some direction from actual industry professionals. K, the lady we were talking to, suggested that she will pass it off to 5 other readers and that they will get back to us with their notes in a couple weeks. She mentioned that not all their notes will agree with one other as everyone has their own opinions and tastes, but at least it will provide some good insight.

2. Our protagonist is too old, which limits casting choices, because there aren't many actors that age who can fill theaters. I suppose when you think of it, how many leading men can you count in their 40's/50's who would attract an audience vs. leading men in their 70's. While there are many fabulous actors in that older age bracket, let's face it, no one is running out to catch the next Albert Finney movie like they are for Johnny Depp, Bruce Willis, Kevin Spacey, etc.

This obviously came as no surprise, as we have heard this critique over and over and over again, and have had many great companies pass on our script as a result. "Very intriguing concept... but we'll have a hard time marketing it with a protagonist of that age."

We knew full well when we wrote the story with a 70 year old lead that it would present challenges. However, before we began writing, we listed out our pros and cons of a 20-something lead vs. 40-something lead vs. a 70 year old lead -- the eldest of the three felt like such a perfect fit for the story we wanted to tell.

So, rather than passing on our script altogether like so many other companies have done before, K wanted to know how open we'd be to doing a rewrite that takes place in present time with a protagonist of typical leading man age, just in case that's the kind of feedback we consistently get back from the other readers. (Even though K too likes the idea of an older protagonist. In fact, she even has a specific actor in mind for the older role, which I'll get to later.)

While we still like having a 70 year old lead, we agreed to entertain the idea and would try to see how we could rework the story to work with a younger man. Even just as a writing exercise I'd really like to try this because I love working on our script, writing and tweaking and playing. We both recognize that in many ways rewriting the story with a younger protagonist is a great benefit because it means that our story has a better chance of getting made, and it would also encourage us to cut out the present day bookends that our script currently has. Although we both really love our bookends to the story, we know that it has been a source of confusion for some people who have read the script. Also, by cutting those out, we'd be cutting off a few more pages, which we should probably do anyway as our story runs slightly over the two hour mark -- we both know we should really shave it down.

Anyhow, I guess we'll have to wait and see what the readers think first...

Now, getting to the fun stuff.

First, K loves J's directing style. She has absolute faith that he would do a great job with this movie. Also, by hiring one of the writers as the director, it would eliminate one of the common challenges which is that directors always wants to rewrite the story to make it his/her own. This is very cool news because only a few short months ago, K's company decided not to pursue working with us when they heard that J wanted to direct. When we got our 1M investment and approached them again, it instilled more confidence and so they took the time to check out J's short film. I'm glad they did. It seems that anyone who checks out his portfolio of work immediately changes their mind about the talent he has to bring to the table.

Next, we mentioned that we'd like to shoot the film in our beautiful little valley. We wondered if it'd be a stretch... assuming that they'd want to do it in LA or somewhere. Instead, she was totally sold on the idea. Very cool.

Finally, if the professional readers believe that we could get away with an older protagonist, the top actor who K wants to approach is Jack Nicholson... which, needless to say, is far better than we could have ever expected! K has a good producer friend, who is a personal friend of Mr. Nicholson. So if that is the case, once we polish up our script so the concept is crystal clear, it would be quite easy for K to get it into his hands. Naturally, there's the concern that he may not want to work with a first-time director like J, and so he may pass before ever giving it a look-see... but either way, I shouldn't need to tell you that the sheer possibility of it all is exciting enough.

Anyhow, as we wait to hear back, J and I have to start thinking about how we'd approach the story if we are asked to rewrite it with a younger lead.

In the meantime, we still have around 10 other production companies currently considering our script for development, thanks mostly due to J's cold calling efforts... so you never know what may come of those. Time will tell.

One final note, K wrote us back last night, and she ended her email with this paragraph which I thought was very nice...

"I got a really great vibe from you and Melodie on the phone, and I tend to trust my instincts about these things. But of course it's still early stages, so we'll take it one step at a time. See what our readers have to say. Then see how we feel about it and how you feel about it. See if can find a direction we're all comfortable with. If we're all on the same page, we'll come up with a strategy to move forward together. But I don't want you to feel in any way pressured to "give in" to our opinions if you don't agree. Ultimately, it's your script and you need to hold your vision of it. If we're not the right producers, so be it. The right producers will come along. And no matter what, know that I will always wish you great success with the film."

Really, that's as good as it gets. :o)