Mr. Monk and the Pierce Brosnan Impersonator

I spent the day out in Summit, NJ working with the MONK writing staff on our next script for the show.  It is so much fun cracking a story with them — you spend the whole day laughing (a stark contrast to, say, plotting a story on MISSING).  These guys have way, way too much fun. It’s a shame all shows can’t be like this.

The script began as an adaptation of my novel MR. MONK GOES TO THE FIREHOUSE but, for a number of reasons, is evolving into something very different and, I think, very funny. By the end of the week, my writing partner Bill Rabkin and I should be heading back to L.A. with an approved outline and the go-ahead to script.

What’s really weird for me is working on the MONK script by day, then returning to my hotel room to work on the MONK book by night.  I’m telling stories about the same character, but in two very different mediums.

I’m squeezing in a little socializing while I’m here — dinner with my literary agent on Wednesday, breakfast with my publishers on Thursday, and dinner on Thursday with my old friend Terry Winter, an exec producer on THE SOPRANOS. He’s come a long, long way since we worked together on THE COSBY MYSTERIES and THE NEW ADVENTURES OF FLIPPER.

9 thoughts on “Mr. Monk and the Pierce Brosnan Impersonator”

  1. So the title for the script based on the Firehouse book is “Mr. Monk and the Pierce Brosnan Impersonator”? Or simply the title of this post?
    But more importantly – did you get a new hotel?

    Reply
  2. You’re adapting the book for the script? Cool. I read it wondering what it would all look like on the screen. You totally read my mind. I hope you include one part that I particularly enjoyed. (The whole wallet thing. It had me giggling.) I really like this idea, but even if it doesn’t turn out the same on the screen I’m sure I’ll still enjoy it. I honestly do enjoy your work.
    Oh, I have a bit of a query for you concerning something that was stated in Mr. Monk Goes to the Firehouse. You have a character saying they don’t want to miss an episode of Diagnosis Murder and I wanted to know if this meant in the Diagnosis Murder realm that Monk or anything related to it doesn’t exist. I realize this is a bit random and possibly quite odd as well as something you may have already answered, but I was a little bored driving to work the other day and I had flipped through the book that morning landing on that page so I had a moment to wonder about this and now I want to know what you were thinking when you wrote it. It’s not something that’s particularly important for me to know, but rather peaked curiousity.
    Keep up the wonderful work though and I look forward to the upcoming books.

    Reply
  3. The episode is going to be VERY different from the book…and the mugging scene is one of the many scenes that won’t be in it. I don’t want to give away all the surprises, but the book is more of an “inspiration” for the episode. We aren’t doing a literal adaptation.
    The DIAGNOSIS MURDER comment was just an in-joke for my own amusement.

    Reply
  4. I am still in the hotel, but since I spend so little time here, it’s no big deal. At least it’s quiet at night in my new room, that’s what matters most. I can get a good nights sleep.

    Reply
  5. Awww…well, I’ll always have the book to enjoy to I can flip it open to that page whenever I want to. Of course, I enjoyed the entire book so I’ll just be able to read it over and over again until I can quote it much like Harry Potter. Except with Harry I can use my British accent and when I talk about Monk I start mimicking some of his mannerisms. Seriously…it’s a little weird.
    Okay, cool…in-joke. Totally get it. Enjoyed it. Laughed a little.

    Reply

Leave a Comment