What are you going to use the movie for?

--QD Jones

i saw a story on t.v. that would make a great movie (in my opinion) but i want to add a whole bunch to it, get to know the characters more. the show was one of those justice files type shows about a kid from texas who was killed.

This film cost $31 million. With that kind of money I could have invaded some country.
? Clint Eastwood

i dont believe there are any legalities there. But then again im not a lawyer. However, Eli Roth came up with his idea for Hostel by reading an online forum about those events and didnt have any legalities to worry about. Im pretty sure as long as you dont use the real names then you should be fine. You would be amazed at the number of movies that dont really come straght from the head of the writer. Almost every movie started with a writer seeing something or hearing about something then expanding on the story or making the rest of what the heard up. In the special features of A Few Good Men Araon Sorkin said got the idea because his sister was a JAG officer and told him about the case that the movie was based on. Now, he made up the characters but used what happened to the victim and what the murderers were being charged with as the basis for the film.

But once again im not a lawyer so all i can tell you is what i have heard. Good Luck

"Anyone who has ever been privileged to direct a film also knows that, although it can be like trying to write 'War and Peace' in a bumper car in an amusement park, when you finally get it right, there are not many joys in life that can equal the feeling." - Stanley Kubrick

Hollywood has bidding wars over the rights for this kind of stuff so there is clearly some kind of legalities in there. I would assume if you changed all of the names and locations you would probably be safe, but otherwise you might be stepping into it.

It would suck to finish your movie and find out nobody will distribute because now the people involved want millions.

RJSchwarz
San Diego, CA