The Man Who Fell to Earth (Columbia, 1976), Early Copy of Screenplay with Additional Fred Roos Casting Notes and Recom...

Description

The Man Who Fell to Earth (Columbia, 1976), Early Copy of Screenplay with Additional Fred Roos Casting Notes and Recommendations. Original group of early production materials related to The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976), the cult sci-fi classic starring David Bowie, including (1) early xerox copy of the screenplay, written by Paul M. Wheelwright, totaling 125-pages (as paginated), housed in its original transmission envelope bearing a July 1, 1971 postmark on the reverse, (2) pages of handwritten comments by producer Fred Roos on The Godfather stationery, with specific feedback on the story and subtitle-remarking that the alternate title "Stepping Stone" was "awful"-as well as notes recommending new screenwriters (including Robert Towne) and directors like Peter Bogdanovich, George Lucas, and Francis Ford Coppola. Although Roos provided significant development input, the film would ultimately be directed by Nicolas Roeg. Also includes (1) typed letter from Roos to screenwriter Rudy Wurlitzer expressing his view that the script was "totally unusable," along with a reader's report by Lazlo Beudach, (1) carbon copy of a letter from Chris Dewey at Cannon Films provides further commentary on the reader's assessment, (1) letter from Wurlitzer discussing the source novel and its adaptation potential, accompanied by (1) memo from Roos advocating for Robert Towne or Alex Jacobs as possible rewriters. A 1-page casting memo, dated June 7, 1971, titled The Man Who Fell to Earth, lists Roos' suggested actors for the lead role of "Man," including Tony Perkins, Max von Sydow, Peter O'Toole, Robert Shaw, Bruce Dern, and others. Also includes (1) 8" x 10" black and white publicity photo of David Bowie with co-star Candy Clark. Together, these documents provide a fascinating glimpse into the behind-the-scenes development process and the role Fred Roos played in shaping potential projects for his circle of collaborators. Items range in size from 5" x 7" to 8.5" x 11" and exhibit signs of wear, age, fading, and bumped corners. Comes with a COA from Heritage Auctions. From the Estate of Fred Roos.

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