MovieBytes Interview:
Screenwriter Kaenan Oliver

An interview with screenwriter Kaenan Oliver regarding the ASA/Gotham Writing Competition.

A: HOLLOW CROWN is the story of a moral man in amoral times. Our Richard III bears no relation to Shakespeare’s malignant humpbacked tyrant, fighting instead as England's last warrior-king, attempting to bring decades of civil war to an end. We follow his struggle, trapped between the scheming intrigues of a power-hungry kingmaker and the forbidden love of his ambitious niece who holds the key to a disputed crown.

A: My partners and I felt the American Screenwriter's Association sponsored a prestigious competition that might welcome a period drama. The script was also a semifinalist in the Chesterfield Film Project.

A: We received our prizes promptly and were very happy with both the ASA and Writer's Digest staffs (co-involved in this competition). They have been available and answered all our questions about publicity and awards.

A: We received a single set of judge's notes soon after the results were announced and examined the script with those thoughts in mind. We've become known to some as fearless rewriters, so we're eager to receive helpful feedback and would love to get further information from competition judges wherever available.

A: The publicity has been invaluable. We've had many queries about HOLLOW CROWN and some definite nibbles. We also are meeting with managers and agents.

A: As a screenwriting trio, we're a rarity in Hollywood. The fact that we've just finished our eighth script together in a very few years makes us even more unique. Jay Flynn began as an engineer before gravitating to television and film production while working in Europe. I came from the development side, while my husband, Dominic Oliver, also works an actor in TV, stage and films. Before teaming, we each had solo projects produced, but the power of the triple threat seems apparent by the responses from Hollywood film execs and the number of contest wins and placements.

Our combined backgrounds and interests allow us to work well in a variety of genres. We've written three action pieces: CONDUCT UNBECOMING, about a gay officer's quest for redemption in the jungles of Vietnam; HIGH SEAS, about modern pirates and freedom fighters; and OLD GLORY, in which a Navy desk officer and a ship of veteran seamen become unexpected heroes. NEW BREED is a teen horror script that's garnered considerable attention, and THE PODFATHER is a comedy about wannabe mobsters trying to muscle in on the space race. We recently finished a family film, TRAITOR'S ROCK, about a lonely American boy in Ireland whose quest to help an ancient ghost changes his life and the fate of a dying village.

A: We all live in the Los Angeles area. We feel it's helped us to establish relationships with producers and executives in a town that values one-on-one contact.

A: We're currently finishing a black comedy set in Central America, based on true events, and are adapting one of our screenplays into a novel. We've begun work on a true story from Dominic's childhood, and already have three ideas for the script after that.

Posted Saturday, October 16, 2004