The story of how Matt Damon and Ben Affleck wrote their own Oscar-winning script by penning Good Will Hunting is already a Hollywood legend.
Now the duo want to extend a helping hand to other up-and-coming actors/writers by executive producing one lucky dog's screenplay, reports Mr.Showbiz.com.
Just submit your script to Matt and Ben's Greenlight contest, which kicked off yesterday, Tuesday September 26, at www.projectgreenlight.com.
"We know how tough it is to get your foot in the door," said the duo in a press release. "We want to be able to help an unknown writer out there make their movie, and at the same time, create an online community for everyone who loves films and filmmaking."
The winner not only gets his or her screenplay produced by Matt and Ben, but also gets to direct the flick. The boys are mounting the Web-based contest in conjunction with Miramax Films & TV and HBO. The studio will pay up to $1 million and the cable network will run a 13-episode, documentary-style TV series about the making of the movie.
The online community will consist of the other contestants and anyone else who registers with the site, so even if you can't write your way out of a paper bag, you can still give a virtual thumbs up or thumbs down to the would-be filmmakers, said Mr.Showbiz.
Contestants have until Oct. 22 to submit their screenplays. The winner will be announced March 1, 2001. The HBO "making of" series is set to air in January 2002; it will start off with the winner being chosen, and then follow the filmmaking process up to the opening night of the film, tracing "the incredible ups and downs of a first-time director" throughout production – Albawaba.com.
© 2000 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
