Pet Sematary: Bloodlines (read our review) marks the directorial debut of Lindsey Anderson Beer, a much-in-demand screenwriter who’s served in the writer’s rooms of some of the biggest franchises out there. Notably, she’s worked closely with J. J. Abrams on breaking a story for the fourth Star Trek movie and was one of the writers involved with Quentin Tarantino when he flirted with joining the franchise. In a wide-ranging interview with THR, Beer gives a little insight into what it was like working with Tarantino, which she said made for one of the most fun experiences she ever had working in a writer’s room.
While Tarantino is known for being a solo writer, Beer says the auteur was very open to hearing everyone’s ideas for what his Trek movie could be.
“We got in there, and he started with, “So what are your guys’ ideas for a movie?” and I think I went first. So he listened to us patiently and just kind of nodded his head, and then he took out his notebook and started talking for 20 minutes with lines of dialogue and passionate ideas that he’d already written. It wasn’t really a story yet; they were just random thoughts he had on a movie, but it was so passionate and so wonderful. And I laughed to myself and thought, “Well, why didn’t we start with that?” There was a funny moment where he just stopped in the middle of that room and turned to me and said, “Lindsey, you’re really good at this.” And getting that compliment from somebody whose career I admire so much meant a lot, obviously.”
While Tarantino’s Trek movie never did get made, Beer also worked in the Transformers writer’s room and has become a go-to writer for big IP projects like Fast and Furious, Pacific Rim and more. When asked why so many big movies, such as Star Trek 4, don’t eventually end up getting made, Beer had a refreshingly honest answer. “What makes them difficult to crack is that they’re often made by committee, as opposed to an auteur. With something like Barbie or Nolan’s Batmans, if you entrust that IP to somebody with a strong point of view, you’re in much better shape, as opposed to when you try to design these stories by committee and you make the IP the only stars of that.”
Hopefully, if Star Trek 4 does eventually happen, it’ll be with someone like Beer at the helm, as she seems to have a good handle on what could make a franchise movie work.
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