 STEVE'S FEATURE SCREENWRITING PAGE (And the ladies to the right are movie stars, of course, which I thought was appropriate somehow) |
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This is intended as an internet resource for use by producers and other film professionals who are looking for information on me and my films (although I do include some information on my game designing credits and background, you'll get more information on that stuff by clicking here). You can reach me by clicking on the animated email right here (and no, the tiger doesn't mean anything, I just thought it was kind of interesting).  |
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The main point of this site is to give an overview of SOME of the films I've written, sold and/or had produced, and even a glimpse at a few that are coming up, all of which should give you some idea of what I can do (or at least what I've done). Do keep in mind that this is a very, VERY partial listing that represents only about a half of what I've had produced, and that it only gives a very, VERY incomplete idea of what I'm currently filming or about to film (I'm deliberately not mentioning a lot of things).
As for what I've got available, I currently have about twenty completed screenplays in a variety of genres ranging from action, thrillers, horror, vampires, comedy, drama, and even an "art house" feature (plus I've got another half dozen treatments which can go to script incredibly quickly since they're written scene-by-scene, requiring that I only add dialogue in order to quickly bring them to complete scripts).
In terms of budget, these range from next to nothing (i.e., a one location horror-thriller in the tradition of SCREAM) all the way up to $80 million or more (a summer action blockbuster).
If you're a producer, and interested in finding out more about any of these, or if you have some specific requests, or if you're looking for a screenwriter to build a script from the ground up, then reach me through the email above).
As for how this page works, if you want to see more about some of the features below, just click on the "thumbnail" of the poster in front of the descriptions (no "thumbnail" means no other information available). This will take you to a separate page with a full-size one sheet on that film which will include all the copy from the back of the one sheet, as well as various different versions of the posters and one sheets for each film (plus, on a few of them, I've even included a copy of the some of the more bewildered and amusing ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY write-ups on some of my features). I hope you find it all useful (or, failing that, at least somewhat entertaining).
Feature Screenplay Credits:
A Partial Listing of just a
Few of my Produced Films
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BACKFLASH (Miramax Studios/Paragon Film Group). An edgy action thriller released domestically by Miramax Studios/Dimension Films. Although I did three early drafts of the script (uncredited), I moved on to co-produce the film (there were ultimately about a dozen screenwriters involved, but even in spite of that, some of my work is still part of what you see on screen). Starring Robert Patrick (from THE X-FILES and James Cameron's TERMINATOR TWO), Melissa Joan Hart (SABRINA THE TEENAGE WITCH) and Jennifer Esposito (from Wes Craven's DRACULA 2000, Spike Lee's SUMMER OF SAM and a lot of other recent features). Director: Phil Jones (CAUSE OF DEATH, GETTIN' UP, and WISH ME LUCK) |
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RING OF FIRE II: BLOOD AND STEEL (P.M. Entertainment). The sequel to the original RING OF FIRE. This time, it's a spectacular martial arts battle in an underground realm . . . and with the highest budget of the entire series. Has played quite a bit on HBO, Cinemax and even CBS. Director: Richard Munchkin (RING OF FIRE I, OUT FOR BLOOD, many others. |
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DEATH MATCH (U.S. Films). A retired champion kickboxer goes to rescue his best friend from illegal kickboxing deathmatches, here in Los Angeles. Another movie of mine that used to pop up regularly in the 8:00 p.m. time slot on HBO, Showtime and Cinemax. Director: Joe Coppoletta (FALCON CREST, KNOT'S LANDING, WALKER: TEXAS RANGER, Emmy Award-Winner. |
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BLOODSPORT II (F.M. Entertainment/MGM Studios). The sequel to the Jean Claude Van Damme feature, and one of those pictures where I've "ghosted" a script: although a total of six writers were involved, I "ghosted" the final three rewrites and the final polish, which saved the film since it was going to be cancelled based on the previous drafts. As a result, this is one of the best examples of my martial arts writing style since little remains of the previous writers's drafts (what you see on screen is about 80% my material, but contractual restrictions required that I be credited as "Production Consultant"). It starred Pat Morita, James Hong, and Daniel Bernhard (who played one of the "agents" in THE MATRIX 2 and 3). STORY: When an art thief is caught and imprisoned, he begins a personal journey of redemption that leads him out of prison and to victory in the "Kumite": the ultimate martial arts contest between the greatest fighters in the world. A limited theatrical release through MGM Studios. Director: Alan Mehrez (BLOODSPORT III, many others). |
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MIRROR, MIRROR III: THE VOYEUR (Orphan Pictures/Artist View Entertainment). The third film in Showtime's ongoing horror film series. After the disappearance of his former girlfriend (who also happened to be a witch), an artist (MICHAEL) moves into her abandoned mansion . . . and starts having intense, erotic and very realistic dreams of her, dreams that leave scratches and bites, dreams that slowly become nightmares when he learns that she was killed but may still be haunting her mansion. Starring Billy Drago (THE UNTOUCHABLES) and David Naughton (AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON). Director: Virginia Perfili. |
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HINDSIGHT (Redball/APIX). When an aspiring actor (JASON) becomes involved in an affair with the wife of a studio vice-president (JOANNE) and with a gorgeous model (CASSANDRA), he must make a choice between the two women . . . but the wrong choice will destroy him. Also starring Academy Award nominee (for Quentin Tarantino's JACKIE BROWN) Robert Forster, Clement von Franckenstein (THE AMERICAN PRESIDENT) and John Phillip Law (who got his start as the Angel in Jane Fonda's BARBARELLA). Director: John Bowen (DARK SECRETS). Has appeared on HBO, Cinemax and Showtime. |
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A PASSION FOR MURDER (Century Film Partners). Someone is out to assassinate EVAN HOLLOWAY, the incredibly wealthy publisher of PASSION magazine, and all that stands between him and certain death are two L.A.P.D. Detectives who don't even know where to begin. An erotic thriller that takes us behind the scenes into the erotic fantasy world of a magazine modelled on PLAYBOY. Another regular feature on Showtime. Director: Richard Munchkin (RING OF FIRE I, RING OF FIRE II, OUT FOR BLOOD, many others). |
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DARK SECRETS (Redball/APIX). An intense and controversial erotic thriller set against the wild sexual underground of Los Angeles (which, in spite of its controversy, has gathered a bit of cult following and is currently out with two different versions on DVD as well). When a female reporter decides to "get the dirt" on the richest man in the world, she gets more than she ever bargained for: an intense and passionate affair. Director: John Bowen (HINDSIGHT). |
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BILLY LONE BEAR (Heritage Entertainment, Inc.). An honest police detective (BILLY LONE BEAR) flees onto an Indian reservation to escape the vengeance of the Irish Republican Army and their assassin, a crooked cop. But on the reservation, BILLY turns the tables on his pursuers and it becomes a vicious fight to the death. Director: Sonny Landham. |
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SWEET EVIL (Vista Street). When an L.A.P.D Detective investigates the murders of a rich club owner and his mistress, he finds the murderer may be much closer than he ever realized. A dark erotic thriller. Director: Michael Paul Girard (GETTING LUCKY, UNDERGROUND, BODY PARTS, and OVERSEXED RUGSUCKERS FROM MARS). |
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WITCHCRAFT V (Academy Entertainment/Vista Street). The most expensive installment of the WITCHCRAFT series where William becomes a collector of souls for the Devil. Director: Talun Hsu. |
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LEGAL BRIEFS (BRI Productions). A comical battle between the dancers of a stripper bar and the sleazy unethical lawyer who will do anything to put them out of business. Used to play constantly on the USA Network. Director: Joe Coppoletta (FALCON CREST, KNOT'S LANDING, WALKER: TEXAS RANGER, Emmy Award-Winner). |
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CAMPUS HUSTLE (BRI Productions). Two mismatched roommates (one male, one female) are forced to share a single room in a co-ed dorm and end up becoming competitors against each other in the oldest business in the world . . . and neither one knows it. A light comedy with a romantic twist (you know, if you ever actually see this thing, pay real close attention to the locations . . . and if you do, you'll eventually figure out that the entire movie was shot in one room and a hallway and that's it --- all the outside shots are stock shots, and anything else that is supposed to be in another room is obviously still in the same room with just a little set redressing. I only did it to see if I could actually write what was more-or-less a one-set screenplay [I could, and it took all of two days] and then actually sell it and get it produced [ditto on both, and that was on the third day], and after that, I never really did anything quite like it again --- I even abandoned the nearly-completed screenplay I had already whipped up for the sequel, which was up to 75 pages or so when I quit). Like LEGAL BRIEFS and FRATERNITY DEMON (below), this one used to play at least once or twice a month on the USA Network, reminding me not to do any more of these kinds of experiments. |
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FRATERNITY DEMON (Vista Street Entertainment). A rock 'n roll comedy feature that haunts me to this day (but it was my first, and it really is kind of cute). A beautiful female demon is accidentally conjured on the night of a fraternity rock 'n roll party . . . and then takes over the rock 'n roll band and causes incredible but silly chaos. Another permanent fixture on the USA Network (it still occasionally pops up to this day). |
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NIGHT REALM (Mark I Productions). An action-packed sword-and-sorcery fantasy in an underground future world ruled by women. Director: Michael Meyer (producer, DEATH MATCH, MELTING POINT, many others). |
CLUB WILDSIDE (Playboy/Mystique). Originally titled HOLLYWOOD SUMMER and envisioned as my own kind of "Emmanuelle" but set in the wild underground club scene of Hollywood instead of the exotic locales of Thailand, WILDSIDE follows a young and innocent college student who comes to L.A. for the summer, and not only discovers the afore-mentioned wild, exotic world of L.A.'s underground clubs . . . but discovers herself in the process and ultimately becomes the greatest star of that underground world. It started a film franchise series for Playboy, spawning two sequels (apparently, it had a bit of following inside Playboy).
NINJA NYMPHS IN THE 21ST CENTURY (Hyena Productions). A science-fiction action-adventure about three girls who single-handedly overthrow invaders from another world. Director: Michael Paul Girard (GETTING LUCKY, UNDERGROUND, BODY PARTS, and OVERSEXED RUGSUCKERS FROM MARS). The funny (or perhaps sad) thing about this film is it never got released due to the literal and financial collapse of Valencia Studios back in 1994 or so (where they had filmed STAR TREK V and TERMINATOR II . . . and NINJA, although I don't think we had their kind of budgets) . . . and the film (in a rough cut state at that time) got lost in the storm that followed. But, strangely, over the years I kept running into various pieces of it, and now I know where all the pieces are located so all I'd have to do is just pick up the pieces for a song, put them back together again and kick it out there. And then, every time I think about this, I go and watch my copy of the rough cut, shake my head sadly and move on . . . *sigh*
BLOODSPORT III (F.M. Entertainment/MGM Studios). When the master martial artist who trained him is murdered, our champion sets out to find his killer . . . and becomes the prey in a deadly game to the death. Unlike BLOODSPORT II, I wrote both the original treatment and the original first draft, but a major change in location required significant rewrites by the other writer (the film originally was set in Hong Kong, but then we ended up filming in Sri Lanka instead) so only a handful of my scenes actually survived, but one of them is the nightmare fight scene that begins the film. Starring Pat Morita, James Hong, and Daniel Bernhard. Director: Alan Mehrez (BLOODSPORT II, many others).
And a Listing of SOME of
my Purchased Screenplays,
Pending Production:
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VAHKA: ARENA OF DEATH (Byzantium International). Should be filming at some point in Yugoslavia and Cairo. This one is a medieval epic based on a true story which takes place during the time of the Crusades. A ton of action, more than most action pictures, and some of it pretty graphic, which I'm sure will get us some controversy, but what the heck, it's not like I haven't had controversial projects before (see DARK SECRETS above). Director: Alan Mehrez (BLOODSPORT II, BLOODSPORT III, many others). |
ELECTRIC WARRIOR (Nu Image). A family-oriented, fantasy, action adventure feature intended for theatrical release (this would be one of Nu Image's most expensive features to date). Although purchased by Nu Image some time back, production of this huge project has been delayed by financing concerns (it was originally written for a $40 million budget and was initially optioned by producer Yorum Ben Ami at Triumph Pictures for development into a theatrical release via Sony Studios prior to acquisition by Nu Image after the last of Yorum's options lapsed). The current plan is film this project either in Hawaii or South Africa. STORY: Aided by his computer wiz kid son, a scientist enters a videogame world and fights endless waves of warriors in order to save his wife, unaware that the game was rigged against him from the beginning.
UNDER THE SOUTHERN CROSS (Somerset). When a radio telescope technician starts receiving signals from outer space, he becomes both a messiah and a pawn in a deadly fight to the death between the manipulative president of a Greenpeace-like organization and the powerful poacher who is his greatest enemy. Director: William Shatner.
SWEET EVIL (Vista Street). No, this isn't a duplicate entry, it's a remake instead. A newer, expanded version of the original SWEET EVIL screenplay was purchased by Vista Street with the idea of filming a new, expanded version of the original film (makes sense, no?). Aside from some additional plot elements and a significantly higher budget, the really big difference is I would be working as the co-Executive Producer on this one (a job I seem to be doing more and more these days). Of course, this assumes we do actually get around to filming this update/remake. We'll see.
NAKED TARGET (Heritage Entertainment, Inc.). A police action thriller. When a high class call girl witnesses the gang execution of a Chinese drug dealer, she becomes the target for a crooked cop who works for the Chinese mob . . . and her only hope is the good cop who risks death to protect her. Director: Sonny Landham (BILLY LONE BEAR).
FINAL DECEPTION (Century Film Partners). When an architect moves onto his best friend's estate, he becomes a pawn in a twisted and erotic game involving his best friend's wife and his best friend's half-sister. A dark erotic thriller with a twisted twist ending. Director: Aron Schifman.
STORMY NIGHTS II (Mark II Entertainment). In the sequel to the original STORMY NIGHTS, the part-owner of an internet company finds himself entangled in two separate affairs AND the target of a police murder investigation . . . but the real murderer is closer than he thinks, perhaps even sharing his own bed. A dark erotic thriller deliberately modelled after the original STORMY NIGHTS.
Screenplays Purchased
(Special Circumstances)
These are two action screenplays that have actually been purchased but, in the case of MELTING POINT, rights were reverted back to me when U.S. Films began working on producing features at $20 million budget and above (MELTING POINT was written for about a $1.2 - 3 million budget maximum). (U.S. Films's only stipulation is that CEO/Producer/Attorney Rob Nau must be allowed to negotiate the sale, in part because he became a collaborator on the final two drafts of the screenplay). In the case of BLOODSPORT: THE DARK KUMITE, the screenplay was purchased originally for BLOODSPORT IV but, due to a radical change of location (shifting from Asia to Eastern Europe) and a radical change of story (with the change in location came a total shift in story as well as a new director), a totally new screenplay had to be created. Consequently, this draft may be used as a two-part episode of the upcoming BLOODSPORT television series.
MELTING POINT (U.S. Films). Written to the exact same requirements as my DEATH MATCH (about the same budget range, targetting the same broad demographic of international and domestic markets, and using the same story technique that allows it to go from an R-rating to a PG-13 rating with only one cut, a technique that allows for an easy sale to the 8:00 p.m. time slot for both cable and syndication). STORY: When the Japanese mob moves in to take over a welding shop on the docks of L.A. Harbor, they get more than they bargained for: an all out war from an army veteran/martial arts expert and his friends.
BLOODSPORT: THE DARK KUMITE (F.M. Entertainment). When ALEX'S wife is kidnapped, he immediately sets out to rescue her, unaware that it is all part of a plan to bring him to a "dark Kumite," a twisted perversion of the true Kumite, where every fight is to the death and only one man can survive. And waiting for him there is his greatest challenge: a deadly and powerful enemy, and a hateful ex-friend, both desperate for revenge, both thirsting for his blood. This one is to the death.
CD-Interactive and Video-
Game Design Experience:
Once more (just in case), you can get more detail on my videogame design work by clicking here. What follows is just a quick overview:
BLUE FURY (Hollyware/Accent Media). Designer/Writer of a gigantic CD-Interactive action adventure game, BLUE FURY (the design required the use of 9 CD's, and the script came out to 630 pages) that takes the player along as a partner with a special agent/super cop (intended to be portrayed by one of the top "A" action actors) on an all-out street war against the Columbian drug cartel as they move to assume total control of the streets, here in L.A.
Also, author of the manuals for Electronic Art's animated chess game, BATTLE CHESS, and Interplay's CHECKMATE (uncredited, but you can clearly see that they've used the BATTLE CHESS manual as an appendix, which is kind of a clue).
Television Credits:
Episodes of Playboy's DIVORCE LAW (Playboy/Vista Street Entertainment) and two pilots for two upcoming series (one is sort of an Arabian nights series oriented toward a younger audience, while the other is a Melrose Place kind of drama) (I'll be more specific if the pilots lead to actual series production commitments --- stay tuned to this page for details).
And other stuff:
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RELATED WRITING EXPERIENCE:.
EXTENSIVE professional writing experience including novels, stories, and computer-related articles. Author of DEMON KILLER and STAR BORES, the former being an eight-part fantasy novel originally serialized in issues 13-20 of the fantasy gaming/story magazine, WHITE WOLF, during 1989-90. To see the actual WHITE WOLF cover for the final double installment of DEMON KILLER in issue #20, click on the green cover to the left (the top one of the three), or click here to read chapter one. It also had a brief life as a paperback novel, but it's currently out of print (I'll have to fix that one of these days). As for STAR BORES, it's a STAR WARS parody written a really loooong time ago (with my collaborator, Bruce Balfour, who you may know better as the author of the Mars trilogy which begins with THE FORGE OF MARS). Like DEMON KILLER, it's also out of print at the moment, but hopefully we'll get around to fixing that as well at some point. To see more information on either book (the home page for each book), click on either cover over here on the left. I'm also author of numerous fantasy short stories published in ACKERMANTHOLOGY, SPACEMEN, SOUTH FROM MIDNIGHT, SWORD AND SORCERESS #5, ISAAC ASIMOV'S SCIENCE FICTION MAGAZINE, ADVENTURES IN SWORD AND SORCERY, AMAZING STORIES, FANTASY BOOK, THE SPACE GAMER, THE FANTASY GAMER, AFTER HOURS, etc., etc. |
