from October 10, 2005

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Pete Jones

Pete Jones, the inaugural Project Greenlight director, has made the big leagues.

He sold his spec script “Hall Pass” to Fox for a Farrelly Brothers production in a high-six-figure deal. The sale comes just months after Jones moved back to his native Deerfield from Los Angeles with his wife and kids.

Jones talked with ReelChicago the week of the “Hall Pass” sale, about his reinvigorated career, moving home, and tailoring his work for the studios.

ReelChicago: How did you come up with the idea for “Hall Pass?”
Pete Jones: I just wanted to write a comedy about marriage. So I came up with this scenario, where the wife works hard and takes care of the kids, and if the husband’s lucky he might be able to get some action on Saturday night, but most weeks he falls short.

The relationship has become a co-parenting deal, and sex is getting in the way of the co-parenting job. The wife says to him, “go out and find another woman to have sex with –fulfill that part of your life somewhere else.”

First he thinks it’s a trap, as any man would. Once he realizes it’s not, he has to change everything about himself. He’s been out of the game so long. He finds this Bo Derek-like woman who wants to be with him.

Just as he’s about to go through with it, he realizes that’s not what he really wants. He goes back to his wife. She knew he’d come back to her whole time. She figures there’s two types of men: men who can never be monogamous, and those who just don’t know that they are. She knew he was the second type, but he had to find out for himself.

The indie way to write it would be, “he actually does have sex with the other woman, what are complications from that?” But in the studio-friendly comedy, he doesn’t go through with it.

ReelChicago: Did you feel pressure to tell the more studio-friendly story?
Jones: That was my philosophy going into it. My first movie, “Stolen Summer,” was tackling religion, which isn’t the most commercial of ideas. My second one, “Outing Riley,” was tackling sexuality, which is not the most commercial idea either.

Even though I’m going after the institution of marriage in “Hall Pass,” I’m choosing the fun, easy way, not making people uncomfortable.

My thought process the whole time was to get the studio sale. Every time that I wanted to make a dark, twisted turn while I was writing, I had to go sit in the corner and shake, and convince myself that it was not a smart thing to do.

ReelChicago: How did the “Hall Pass” sale go down?
Pete Jones: After I finished the script in July, I sent it to a friend who’s a lawyer, Jeff Abrams. He read it and sent it to his friend Adam Kanter, who’s an agent at Creative Artists. Adam suggested a few changes, and said to hold off until after Labor Day, no one was buying.

Then Adam took the script to Bradley Thomas, who’s a producer for the Farrelly Brothers. Bradley completely related to the topic. I’m thinking most men will. Adam and Bradley orchestrated the sale to Fox. It’s been an amazing ride, and amazingly quick.

ReelChicago: Do Abrams and Kanter represent you?
Jones: They do now.

ReelChicago: What happens next?
Jones: I’ve got to go to L.A. to meet with Fox and the Farrelly Brothers and listen to their notes and rewrite according to their notes.

ReelChicago: You haven’t met them yet?
Jones:I haven’t even met my agent! I have not spoken to the Farrellys. I hear that they’re sequestered in a single room rewriting the script for “The Heartbreak Kid.” They’ll finish Oct. 1, then I’ll go out and see them right after that.

Bobby (left) and Peter Farrelly

ReelChicago: Are you guaranteed a role in the rewrite process?
Jones: I’m guaranteed two rewrites. The Farrellys have never directed a movie that they haven’t gotten writing credit on. I’d love for them to jump on board and help rewrite it. The best thing for my career is if they direct the movie themselves.

The plan is that they’ll direct it, but I can’t say for sure. That’s why I hope they look to be involved in the rewrite. Then there’s a better chance of them making it. I’m just focused on doing whatever they tell me to do with the script

ReelChicago: What does the sale mean for your career?
Jones: After I won Project Greenlight, I was so excited, daydreaming about writing and directing as a career. Now that I’ve sold this script it’s time to go write another script. No more daydreaming about a career. It’s time to go out and find the next job.

ReelChicago: What brought you back to Chicago?
Jones: My wife and I moved back to Deerfield a few months ago with our kids. My wife is a teacher here. This may be shocking to say, but it’s actually less expensive to live here than in L.A. We both grew up here. It’s been my dream to make a living as a writer from Chicago.

The other day I was at Starbucks in Highland Park and I saw Harold Ramis. Now there’s a working writer/director in Chicago. It’s his career I aspire to – even if I fall far short of his career, it would be a dream come true.

ReelChicago: Do you have another project in the works?
Jones: I’m halfway done with a script about a father-daughter road trip to visit colleges. It’s in the vein of “Father of the Bride.”

ReelChicago: How had you been making a living, before you sold “Hall Pass?”
Jones: A couple of the guys who financed “Outing Riley,” options traders in Chicago, wanted to start a production company in Chicago. We set up a company together. It was just an agreement on a piece of paper.

They paid me to write. That’s how I existed for the last 18 months. Now I can pay them back. We’ll continue the same arrangement. Now we have sit down and make our agreement legal.

Nathan Fillion

ReelChicago: Any word on distribution for “Outing Riley?”
Jones: We’ve gotten decent offers, but we wanted to wait. One of the stars, Nathan Fillion, is starring in Joss Whedon’s new movie “Serenity,” which Universal has released. Our sales agent, David Garver of Lantern Lane, said we should wait until after “Serenity’s” release to sign a deal for “Outing Riley.” The success of “Serenity” might improve the prospects for “Outing Riley.”

Ed M. Koziarski is co-director of the feature film “The First Breath of Tengan Rei”. Email:

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