I actually had two emails, one from producer Tripp Vinson, the other from my film agent, Joe Veltre, both delivering the same stellar news: CBS bought the pilot!
By "the pilot," I'm referring to Intelligence, the show based on my YA thriller, Dissident (Simon & Schuster, January 2014).
Last week, David Semel, who has directed and / or produced a ton of great TV, including the pilot for Person of Interest and episodes of Homeland, Heroes, CSI, House, and American Horror Story, joined the team. He will direct the pilot and produce alongside Michael Seitzman (North Country) and Tripp Vinson (Red Dawn).
As I understand it -- and admittedly, my understanding is blurry at best -- now they make the pilot. If CBS likes the pilot, they order the series, which would air this fall.
None of this seems quite real. But it is real, and people are talking about it: Entertainment Weekly, The Chicago Tribune, Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, and Deadline Hollywood, and dozens of other sources on line. Weird. Cool, but weird, you know?
The Deadline Hollywood article is here.
What an unbelievable blessing to have so many great people working on my story. I can't wait to see what happens. Wish me luck!
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22 comments:
That's fantastic, John! Congratulations!!!
Congratulations John and best of luck. This is all very cool news!
MIKE: Thanks, buddy! And thanks for stopping by the blog!
PETE: Thanks, man. I appreciate it. We have to catch up soon. I want to hear how that new story is coming. I might be heading into NY soon. If so, I'll let you know.
JOHN: I'm looking forward to catching up. Lots of work and home responsibilities grabbing my time but the writing has not suffered.
PETE: Glad to hear you're fitting it in. When's the big move? Next month?
Next month, if all goes well. Right now, the wife and I are packing fools!
Looking at the shelves of books down in my dungeon lair waiting to be packed in boxes, I thought, all this could go away with one Kindle... Nah!
Ha ha -- I'm with you, Pete. Though I love the idea of selling eCopies, I don't think I'll ever read them.
Wonderful! I'm glad to hear it, John! I'll keep my fingers crossed.
-Swea
SWEA: Thanks for stopping by, and thanks for all your help when I was writing the book!
I might see you at ThrillerFest. Going to pitch Dream Wyrm/Beat.
-Swea
Excellent, Swea! I'll definitely be there -- in fact, I've already registered, reserved a room, and secured none other than Don Bentley as my roommate. Hope you do make it!
Congratulations! That's the most exciting thing ever. Good luck, and I'll be hoping they order the series!
LORING!: Thanks! I'm hoping so, too, but I'm trying not to get hung up on the prospect. When everything started last spring, Tripp told me to celebrate the milestones. That's what I've been doing. So far, so good. I'm so excited to be working with someone like David Semel, and it's going to be really cool, seeing which actors come on board.
HUGE congrats John
Thanks, Mike! I'm glad to know your cat hasn't killed you yet.
Congratulations, John! You deserve much success!
Sharon Williams
SLMS
Hi, SHARON! Thanks for the kind words and for stopping by. Hope you're having a good year!
If you’re looking for uninspired programming, look no further than CBS. Seriously, this pilot sounds like unintelligent crap. Which means its definitely going to series.
Thanks, TODAY ENTERTAINMENT NEWS! I love that last line. Well, I _almost_ love it. You do misspell "it's," of course, and it's best, when attacking strangers, to spell things correctly. Beyond that, however, cool! "Going to series" sounds great to me...
John,
My daughter Candace Krautzel told me about you and your decision to leave a secure academic job and pursue your writing dream. That was a bold, probably foolhardy, leap into a perilous future. The odds against early success were almost incalculable. But you've not only landed on your feet in a spectacular way, you've defied the laws of literary gravity and taken flight! How can any neophyte in so short a time find a literary agent, a major publisher, a film agent, and land a TV pilot contract? Since it all sounds stranger than fiction, I'd love to take you to lunch sometime and hear your story, from the first stirrings of your writing ambition to the present glistening moment (appropriately compressed, of course, since it might fill a volume). Let me know if you're ever open to that. I could meet you in West Chester. Shane Hayes
SHANE: Thanks for your interest. Candace is a great teacher, and I enjoyed the year we spent co-teaching. Stories are best, as Elmore Leonard points out, when we cut out all the boring parts... for example the twenty years I spent getting up at 4 AM to write before work. I'd like to get together sometime, but I usually work through lunch. Maybe we could grab coffee or a beer some afternoon? Either way, thanks for getting in touch and give my best to Candace.
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