After selling my first project, I had a lot of people ask me to write their story or idea into a film. Ultimately, I helped everyone I physically could, on how to get started, the writing process and most importantly gave them hope. Then I came across the most incredible story I've ever heard and I knew I had to be the one to write it. The story was about Kathryn Keats and she was looking for a screenwriter. When I first met Kathryn over the phone she said, "I'm not a writer, I'm a musician. I've been hiding my true identity for over twenty years and I want to sing again." Yes, Kathryn was in hiding for over 20 years! Her name used to be Ellen Munger. She left her friends, family, and singing career behind her as if she was dead, to save her life.
I call the screenplay "Grendel's Lair" (it's the name of off-broadway theatre Ellen performed in at the age of 18). The film is based in New York City. It's a raw, passionate, dark, artistic film wrapped around music and an off-broadway theatre. View an original article when story took place.
Title: Grendel's Lair (Based on a true story)
Genre: Drama / Music / Romance / Thriller
Loglines: Love and madness both live within. Possessed by love.
Summary: Ellen Munger, an eighteen-year-old musical prodigy from Indiana, has fled her intellectual parents to build a life in New York City. Stricken by grief and guilt at the loss of her brother, she has come to hide in the vital, eclectic world of musicals. She meets the much older, Ken Ford, gypsy-handsome musical director, who is a rebellious and provocative musical genius. Their love intensifies through the journey of productions at the off-Broadway theatre, Grendel's Lair. Ken's musicals represent his own secretive world of spirituality and psychic phenomena. Ken seduces Ellen deeper into his reality until he reaches the point of schizophrenia. He hears inner voices urging him to kill her. Driven by love Ellen is determined to save the man she loves, even if it means risking everything.
Kathryn was just on the Montel show , May 11, 2007. The show focuses on her as a survivor. She was also featured in Reader's Digest March 2007 issue. www.rd.com/kathryn
Sunday, May 20th, Kathryn's story was on the front page of the San Francisco Chronicle.
This feature film is ready to go! I'm trying something a little different this time...I plan to have Brad Rosenfeld, an Agent at Preferred Artists. Brad will strategize with me on making the best choices with opportunities that come my way, sell future projects, and grow my writing career. I interviewed A LOT of agents in the last couple months and Brad Rosenfeld was by far the most impressive!
