Jimmy in USA Today
May 3rd, 2006
USA Today has an article on Jimmy Buffett and Hoot author Carl Hiassen.
For Buffett, who is always looking to do something new, movie producing was a matter of “seeing if I could pull it off.” He and Hiaasen go back 25 years. Three years ago, Buffett remembers getting Hoot for his daughter, Delaney, who loved it. So he bought the rights.
Buffett has dabbled in films through the years, playing bit parts and hoping to get one of his novels made into a movie, but nothing has worked. He says “several people” turned down Hoot before the Walden Media production company got involved. But he didn’t give up.
“I remember being turned down by 20 record companies,” he says. “They turn down 99% of the stuff. Who knows?”
What he learned, he says, was that it’s not easy to shepherd a movie. “It’s ruled by committee out there, and I had a big problem with that. I taught myself some lessons in patience.”
Does Hoot mean he’s getting into kids’ stuff?
“I’ve always been into kids,” Buffett says with a laugh. “Children of all ages. Hoot is just Tom Sawyer, Huck Finn and Becky Thatcher. That’s all. I think Mr. Twain would like this movie. “
Read the entire article here.
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