Well, I had to write an action movie. I had to write a teen movie. I had to write a pure sci-fi movie. I got them all out of the way with "Nihilists." In the post-Littleton world, interest in this one cooled a bit. I guess the idea of teenagers running around a building with guns isn't so hot now. However, I have to admit I love this screenplay-it's tough and intricate, smart yet commercial. It could be many things to many people. It's very Hollywood, too. Like "The Usual Suspects," it's basically a double-cross movie, with everyone pretending to be someone they aren't. The ending is especially warped, with 5 complete plot reversals in the space of 15 pages. Have you ever seen the play "Deathtrap?" I love how the tables turn again and again during the final cross-bow showdown. From doing "Nihilists," I know that must have been fun to write.

The "hero" of "Nihilists," Malcolm Lowry, may be one of the most complex characters I've ever come up with. It was hard to make him come alive on the page, since he's so reserved and lacks any sort of stereotypical flashy hero "moments," but his way of speaking is very precise, and he peels away his layers like an onion. Tough hanging a movie on a cipher, you say? Malcolm was the anchor. The screenplay needed that.

Side note: This script was originally called "Teenage Blackout," but I stole the title for my techno band's name. Nihilism, the belief in nothing, is the thematic root of the screenplay, so I changed it.

Update from 2000: This script actually was to be produced, but things got real cold after the Columbine shootings. Teenage orphans running around a building with guns suddenly weren't so cool. I completely agree with the decision.