When I signed a film deal for Outsourced it ended up causing me problems that I had several characters in Outsourced who also appeared in Bad Thoughts and Bad Karma. Fortunately the book hadn't been published yet so I could change the character names, otherwise it would've been a mess. And my film agent read me the riot act about using the same characters between books.
I always enjoyed it when I was reading a Jim Thompson novel and characters from other books would show, but you just can't do it if you expect to sell film rights.
--Dave
--- In rara-avis-l@yahoogroups.com, "Allan Guthrie" <allan@...> wrote:
>
> Yes, what you're suggesting is exactly what Westlake did. To reinforce his
> position, he wouldn't allow the name Parker to be used on screen.
>
> According to the link below (I can't verify the accuracy of the
> information), the studios repeatedly bought the Philo Vance character rights
> from one another to the point where they were 'inextricably tangled'. And
> the first three William Powell Vance movies have been in a kind of legal
> limbo for decades.
> http://www.radioarchives.com/Philo_Vance_Volume_2_p/ra164.htm
>
> Al
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "docsavage80" <docsavage80@...>
>
>
> >I suppose it depends upon the specific details of the deal. Surely the
> >writer could allow himself or herself the out of restricting it to an
> >adaptation of a specific book. Did not S.S. Van Dine have The Bishop Murder
> >Case with Basil Rathbonde made by a completely different studio than then
> >one that made the William Powell Philo Vance films?
>
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