Burnt Hills has gone Hollywood, kind of.
Brent Simons, a ’93 graduate of Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake High School, is co-author of Megamind, the 3D animated superhero comedy film starring the voices of Will Ferrell, Tina Fey, Jonah Hill, Brad Pitt and David Cross. He said seeing one of his screenplays make it onto the big screen is literally a dream come true.
`It’s been absolutely amazing. Since I was a kid, something I’ve always dreamed about was writing a story and seeing it up on screen,` said Simons.
Simons and his writing partner Alan J. Schoolcraft racked up `astronomical` phone bills creating `Megamind,` writing it coasts apart with Simons based in California and Schoolcraft in New York, while both working minimum wage jobs.
`Megamind` wasn’t an instant hit, not immediately selling when Simons and Schoolcraft put it out to the film scene in 2003. What it did do, though, was put them on the map. The yet-to be picked up script was what Simons calls, their calling card.
`It opened the doors for us. It got us an agent, got us screenwriting assignments where the producers come to you with an idea,` said Simons.
It was on his fifth wedding anniversary that his life changed again.
`I got a call out of the blue that Ben Stiller and Dreamworks Animation wanted to make [our screenplay] into a movie,` said Simons. `From there, it was another four year process because animation take so long.`
The film was originally written to be a live action movie, but Simons said not much about the script was adapted to fit animation. Throughout the entire process, Simons was kept in the loop.
`Pretty much what we wrote initially is up on screen. It was great because they kept us involved the entire time and we did work very closely with the artists going back and forth to see what works,` said Simons.
Will Ferrell lends his voice to the character Megamind, which Simons said is ironically special.
`We had originally written the character Megamind with Will Ferrell in mind because we were big fans of his we pictured him the entire time,` said Simons. `So in we’d be in voiceover sessions giving each other that sort of ‘holy crap’ look that he was actually the one.`
The rest of the cast being an all star line up thrilled them even more.
`We’re huge comedy geeks, so it was like having the dream team of funny people in your movie,` said Simons.
The movie is about a villain who accidently defeats his hero and then doesn’t know what to do with his life, so he creates a new hero that becomes an even worse villain than he ever was.
`It hit us that we had a story about redemption that idea that it’s never too late to do the right thing,` said Simons. `It’s an old story that’s been done many times but we’d never seen it with comic book villain before, so we thought we happened upon something fresh.`
Aside from living out what was once a childish wish, Simons said the `Megamind` whirlwind has taught him a valuable lesson.
`In this business, you realize it’s really about timing and it is very much right place at the right time. I feel like you have to be optimistic about it and believe that things happen for a reason, when they happen,` said Simons. `So while it didn’t sell initially, it obviously wasn’t the right time and I think it’s also a rare case. You hear horror stories of writing something and something else shows up on screen, but we couldn’t be happier with the final product.`
Simons credits two people from his past with encouraging him to pursue a passion that in high school, was untapped.
`My youth group leader Dan Matthews got me into comedy. I was a very shy kid and he realized I was really funny and encouraged me to get out in front of people I fell in love with sketch comedy,` said Simons. `Christine Gangemi taught a film class in my high school and that was at a time where I first started seeing films as more than entertainment, as an art form. [She] encouraged me to pursue it on my own and look at it a different way.`
`Megamind` might be his first script to make it into theaters, but he’s hopeful it won’t be his last. And if some of his past and present projects are any indication, he seems to have a good chance.
`We got some screenwriting assignments for films that weren’t ultimately made, like a redo of the film ‘Small Soldiers’ for Dreamworks and we have a television project in the works right now,` said Simons. `We wrote a movie for Ellen Degeneres and Warner Brothers another animated one. It’s called ‘The Dog Show’ and it hasn’t been green lit for production but it’s been announced in the trades. It’s another case of meeting somebody you’re a huge fan of and it’s just really a kick.`
`Megamind` was distributed by Paramount Pictures and released in Digital 3D, IMAX 3D and 2D theaters on Nov. 5, grossing more than $46 million in its opening weeke
“