Variety reports that Alvin Sargent, 74, has made a "seven figure deal" to write the screenplays for SPIDERMAN 3 and SPIDERMAN 4.
The deal caps a spectacular second wind for Sargent, a two-time Oscar winner
who will turn 74 in April and has shown that well-honed character development
skills can make a veteran writer more valuable than the twentysomething
comicbook geeks who usually get these jobs.Sargent, who began his writing career on television shows like "Route 66,"
won his Oscars for "Ordinary People" and "Julia" and was Oscar-nommed for "Paper
Moon." He is widely credited with whipping a problematic "Spider-Man 2" script
into shape, but he has evolved into the voice of the franchise, in much the same
way his peer Robert Towne has on the "Mission: Impossible" series.Sargent got sole screen credit on the sequel but also did uncredited rewrite
work on the first film, which was penned by David Koepp.
This confirms my belief that it’s the aging hacks who complain about age discrimination. If you’re going to hire someone with poor skills, you may as well hire someone young, who might get better. If you’re over forty and you still can’t write, you’re not going to learn. On the other hand I’m just hitting my stride at 42, and I’m busy. Of course, busy people don’t complain a lot, ’cause they’re too busy.