Dead Man’s Wire screenwriter Austin Kolodney celebrated his 33rd birthday Thursday night by screening the film for a very receptive Coronado Film Festival audience that even sang him “Happy Birthday” before the movie played.
Then he talked about giving away his baby — that baby being Dead Man’s Wire.
Kolodney wrote the film after seeing archival footage of the real events it portrays. Bill Skarsgård plays Tony Kiritsis, who in 1977 entered a mortgage business and attached a shotgun to the throat of the son of business’s owner, accusing the father of ripping him off in a land deal. Al Pacino plays that father, and Dacre Montgomery plays his son.
After the film opened the festival at Coronado Island’s beautifully restored, art deco-style Village Theater, Kolodney sat down for a Q&A with the festival host and honorary lead juror, film historian Leonard Maltin. Among Maltin’s questions was this one:
“When you’re a screenwriter, you nurture your baby, you try to make it as good as you can, and then you have to let go, and you have to give it to someone else to actually realize the film. This is your first time doing this. What does that feel like?”
Kolodney replied: “Hard.”
The screenwriter, who directed for SyFy and Funny or Die, among other work, before scripting Dead Man’s Wire, noted that it’s never easy for creatives to relinquish control.
“I did not let go easily,” he laughed. “Our producers could tell you I was a thorn in their side throughout much of this journey. I actually never gave the final draft file to anyone.
“To really tell you how the sausage is made, I optioned this script. I didn’t sell it… I didn’t get paid till the last day of filming on this, and I used that as leverage. I was like, ‘Well, you haven’t bought the script yet.'”
He believes that leverage gave him added control as the various parties involved in making the film went through the creative give-and-take typical of most productions.
“I think it worked, because I know enough about production to make concessions,” Kolodney said.
“I didn’t give up control very easily, and I think I learned from that. I think I should be better about it. I think I was a little stubborn,” he told Maltin.
Al Pacino’s Smart Addition to Dead Man’s Wire
One concession happened right away. The film takes place in Indianapolis, but shot in Louisville, and Kolodney said that as soon as he landed in the Kentucky city, he was informed that one scene would need to be cut and replaced.
Still, Kolodney very much appreciated many parts of the collaboration process: For example, it was a dream of his to work with the film’s director, Gus Van Sant.
Kolodney said he was very loyal to Van Sant’s vision for the film, and always made changes the director wanted. He said he also sometimes served as Van Sant’s “bad cop” when they needed to push back on requests. Kolodney said he was willing to be the one to break the news.
“I made the changes that I needed to, but then fought for the ones that I’m proud that I fought for,” Kolodney told Maltin.
Pacino also made crucial contributions. Both Kolodney and Van Sant embraced the actor’s idea to add a pivotal, tense phone call to the film. Kolodney wasn’t sure the scene was factual, but had to concede it helped the movie.
“Even Gus Van Sant, who was steering the ship, was like, “Yeah, we should do what Al Pacino says,” Kolodney laughed. “And it was a good note.”
Dead Man’s Wire arrives in theaters on January 9 from Row K Entertainment.
You can click here to read more of our coverage of the Coronado Island Film Festival, one of our 50 Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee.
Main image: Dacre Montgomery and Bill Skarsgård in Dead Man’s Wire. Row K Entertainment.