Page 54 - RICHERT VS. SORKIN THEFT OF THE AMERICAN PRESIDENT AND THE WEST WING

November 14, L995
Ms. Sally Burmester Writers Guild of America 8955 Beverly Blvd-
West Hollywood, CA 90048
Re: "The American President"
Dear Ms. Burmester:
TEL .
(3ro) 395 . 0965
FAX .
(310) 39s - 8071
I am yntiqe aq a fo-llgw-up !o my letter to you dated November 7,1995. As you know, "The American President" is opening this Friday, November 17th, and I am concerned on behalf of Bill Richen that fair and proper writing credit be accorded in connection with the release of the film. An enormous amount of advertising, publicity and promotion for the picture has already occured, and if the credits arc to be changed this should-be done immediati:ly to mitigate any further harm to my client.
As po_inted olt ill my previous le.tter,.-Rob Reiner and Aarcn Sorkin now acknowledge meeting with Robcrt Redford and discusslng "The hesidcnt Elolrs" prig1 to Sorkin commei'cing wor[ 9n lis screenplay. They apparently are now claiming that thoie discussions werc confineilto the basic premisc and story of "The Prcsident Elopcs" and did not go into geat detail. While it is hard to imagne that these mectings wetp as brief as they claim, Reiner and Sorkin have at least now admitted that they got-lhe story throughRedford prior to Sorkin writing his drafr (In regard to how substantive these discussions were, I would only make the obscrvation that Reiner-and Sckin have consisrcntly.said that thgir main problerir with the prior screenplays for '"The
President E-lopes" was their tone, which, for Reiner and Sorkin's taite, was too-"fairy-taleish," "whimsical" or "ssr€w-ballish." How could they have made this determination with6ut having r-e4 oqe of Fq prior versions of the screenplay [or dctailed coverage] or at least having heard ai in-depth verbal pitch from Redford?)
In addition, Messrs. Rciner and Sorkin havc now both admitrcd receiving a copy of the lcrcelplsy for'"Ihc_PrrEsi4ot $gpcs"Ifiq to Sorkin bcgnning his draft Riincr's iimission has.akeady appcared in print (althbugtrhe cliaims not to f,ave r5ad the script), and I have *in told by twolourn.alists Qgr$Jaricg& I-eonard Kl.dy and fteelance writeilemcy Wells) that, in separarc jnrcrviews with Sorkin, he now admits having seen one of the earlier virsions bf tni script (the Ganz-Mandcf reytnE)?Tgr to writing his drafl although he claims only to have read seve'ral Page! of ir Undcr the WGA's oyn rulei, howevcr, becauie rcceipt of the rLtip, has bee; established, it should be presumed that Castle Rock and Sorkin rcad and^ werc familiar *ith dt;
conten$ of 'nThc Prpsident Elopes" screenplay pnor to Sorkin witing his draft
LAW OFFICES OF DAVID EVAI{S
BY FA)VCOPY BY CERTIFIED MAIL
'5'! OCEAN AI/EruE
sritc 38
SA NTA M ONI CA, CALIFORNIA 30401