Page 48 - RICHERT VS. SORKIN THEFT OF THE AMERICAN PRESIDENT AND THE WEST WING

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November 6, L995
flAS T LE ROCK \*J ENTERTAiNMENT A\"
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Much of your letter is devoted to exhibiting your lack of understanding of the busj-ness side of Hollywood:
o yes, Castle Rock paid Universal a great deal of money to acquire the rights to THE PRESIDENT ELOPES to enable Robert Redford to pro6tr." and (it was thought at the time) star in THE AIvIERICAN PRESIDENT, and to reimburse Universal for its development costs, includ.ing its overhead and Vfildwoodrs and including the many screenwriting payments they'd already.made, starting with youis. No additional money went to any prior screenwiiters, "prominent CAA re-writers" or otherwise. The decision to buy the rights was a legal one that had absolutely nothing to ao witfr the "price" of your much-rewritten script' which we never had any intention to use. It simply enabled us to freely pursue the concept.
o As to Barbara Maltby: when we acqui-red the rights- from Universal, we also assumed., in the customiry way, all of their contractual obligations. Perhaps we should have chosen not to pay Ms. Maltby, making the legal argument that she has no Loitractual entitlement with iespeci to THE AMERTCAN PRESIDENT'
335 i'ir>rtit i;Iaple Dri..'e. Suiie i35. Sei.':riy iiiiis. Caiifornia 90210. Tel: j10.2t5'2300 Fax: 310'285'23'15
Mr. Bill Richert
19836 Pacific Coast HighwaY
Malibu,California 90265
RC: THE AI\4ERICAN PRESIDENT - WGA
Dear BiIl:
I am writi-ng in response to your letter to me of October 3L.
It's clear from your letter and its disturbing tone that you passionately believe that you have been wronged. We acknowledge Lfrat feeling and accept your sincerity -- but we know that you are simply wrong, mistaken on all the key factors. ltd while we can und.erstand your disappointment at the wGA's credit determination, *" have to point out how irresponsible it is for you to make these public and hurtful and defamatory? allegations without making any serious effort to check them
(r note that in the Daily Variety of November 2 you " lquestion] why Reiner hired screenwriters Lowell Ganz and
firs!.
gabaloo Mandel to rewrj-te a script he never read;" if yourd bothered to investigate, you would know that Universal hired Ganz and Mand.el to rewriie THE PRESIDENT ELOPES long before Rob's involvement in our project.
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