【票員寫劇本 擠進好萊塢】

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售票員寫劇本 擠進好萊塢

紐約市地鐵售票員馬丁(Michael Martin)去年因為車禍撞壞了舊車，極需添購一輛新
車，於是決定參加電影劇本比賽，想賺獎金買車，沒想到他的劇本最後雀屏中選，將被拍
成電影。他當時寫的犯罪恐怖片劇本「布碌崙警察」(Brooklyn Finest)，讓他有機會和
好萊塢頂尖演員李察吉爾(Richard Gere)、唐奇鐸(Don Cheadle)、伊森霍克(Ethan
Hawke)和導演安東尼福奎阿(Antoine Fuqua)為伍。

住在布碌崙的馬丁在車禍後的治療期間參加電影劇本競賽。大學時選修過電影的他說：
「我以前從沒寫過電影劇本，但我想：『那能有多難？如果我贏了，就能買輛新車。』」
他的劇本雖然只贏得第二名，但贏得華納兄弟公司(Warner Bros.)製作人瑪麗‧維歐拉
(Mary Viola)的注意。維歐拉當時正在找一名可以寫出真實和剛強劇情的作家，為1991
年的黑社會故事「萬惡城市」(New Jack City)寫續集。

維歐拉讓「布碌崙警察」獲得好萊塢巨星青睞，李察吉爾、唐奇鐸和伊森霍克都將參與演
出，安東尼福奎阿也將執導該片。梅爾吉勃遜(Mel Gibson)也差點重回演員角色。該片
將於5月在布碌崙開拍。

「布碌崙警察」像是「衝擊效應」(Crash)加上「震撼教育」(Training Day)，由三條
關於布碌崙警察的故事主線交織而成。馬丁說：「我以前在一家巴士公司工作，那家公司
因為和黑幫掛勾被聯邦控告。如果我沒有這個經驗，就寫不出『布碌崙警察』。」剛當爸
爸的馬丁最近獲升職，他通常在地鐵隧道裡趁休息時間寫「萬惡城市2」。他還開新車
了。

http://udn.com/NEWS/WORLD/WOR6/4277673.shtml

New York subway worker in Hollywood's fast lane

By Borys Kit

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - A New York City tollbooth worker in
desperate need of a car wrote a crime thriller script titled "Brooklyn's
Finest" last year. Now he finds himself rubbing shoulders with some of
Hollywood's finest, including Richard Gere, Don Cheadle, Ethan Hawke and
director Antoine Fuqua.

Living in Brooklyn, Michael Martin had just totaled his car in an accident.
While in physical therapy, he entered a screenwriting competition, hoping
to win the prize money for his new set of wheels.

"I had never written a screenplay before," said Martin, who had studied
film in college. "I thought, 'How hard can it be?' I was more like, 'If I win
this, I can get a new car."'

His screenplay came in second but eventually ended up in a far better
place: the doorstep of Warner Bros.-based producer who had been looking
for a writer with an authentic and gritty voice to write a sequel to the
1991 gangbanger saga "New Jack City," which was in development at
Warner Premiere, the studio's direct-to-DVD division. Impressed by
"Finest," Mary Viola set out find the writer, who then had no agent.

Martin had moved out to L.A., staying at a downtown hotel, and hooked up
with management representatives. He enjoyed a brief stint writing for
Showtime's "Sleeper Cell," but homesickness overwhelmed him. He
returned to New York and wound up back at the Transit Authority.

Meanwhile, in the hands of Viola, "Finest" became red hot, quickly
attracting top talent. Gere and Cheadle are now polishing their badges to
star in the ensemble police thriller, which Fuqua will direct for indie
financier Millennium Films. Hawke is also coming on board to star, a move
that will reteam him with Fuqua, who directed him to an Oscar nomination
in "Training Day." Ellen Barkin is also booking a part.

The script almost brought Mel Gibson out of acting seclusion. He took a
string of meetings, but things ultimately didn't work out.

The story, a sort of "Crash" meets "Training Day," is a dramatic ensemble
with three intertwining story lines involving Brooklyn cops. "I worked for a
bus company that got indicted by the Feds because of Mob connections,"
Martin said. "I could not have written 'Brooklyn's Finest' without that
experience."

The movie is prepping for a May shoot in Brooklyn, in the very locations
that inspired Martin to write the script. "Things are moving very fast right
now. It's something I've been waiting a long time for," Martin said.

Fuqua's last movie was 2007's "Shooter," while Gere was last seen in Todd
Haynes' "I'm Not There." Cheadle was in theaters last year with "Ocean's
Thirteen" and "Talk To Me."

Martin, a new dad, was recently promoted to construction flagger within
the Transit Authority, working inside the subway system. He is writing
"New Jack City 2," often during his breaks in the subway tunnels.

He drives a new car.

http://www.reuters.com/article/filmNews/idUSN2746057020080328?pageNumber=2&virtualBrandChannel=10152