Writers Who Who Worked On
The "Hammett" Screenplay

By all accounts, the writing of the screenplay of the Wim Wenders' film, Hammett (1983, Orion Pictures/Warner Brothers) as a mess. Based on Joe Gores' fictionalized story of Dashiell Hammett, it went through a series of well-publicized rewrites. Still, it's a pretty good film, if you ask me. Ross Thomas, who was called in to rewrite the script (after it had been filmed), said, "...to have fifteen writers on a script and then shoot it and decide you've made a mistake -- it shows a certain lack of foresight." Among the alleged culprits:

• Joe Gores
• Brian Garfield
• Ross Thomas
• Wim Wenders (director)
• Dennis O'Flaherty
• Thomas Pope (did the adaptation)
• Francis Ford Coppola (rumoured, but he was the executive producer)

Ross Thomas talks a bit about his role in Hammett in the Spring 1986 issue of The Armchair Detective.