Luke Davies is a poet, novelist and screenwriter, known for ‘Lion,’ ‘Candy,' 'Life,' 'Beautiful Boy,' and now 'Catch-22.' His books have won many awards, including the inaugural Prime Minister's Literary Award for Poetry for his volume Interferon Psalms, and the Age Book of the Year prize for his volume Totem.
A fan of 'Catch-22' from an early age, it was Davies’ original idea to turn the story into a series. Finding a way through the craziness of the novel was the first challenge. Joseph Heller’s story takes place during World War II, specifically from 1942 to 1944.
It follows the life of Captain John Yossarian, a U.S. Army Air Forces B-25 bombardier. Most of the events in the book occur while the fictional 256th Squadron is based on the island of Pianosa, in the Mediterranean Sea, west of Italy. The novel looks into the experiences of Yossarian and the other airmen in the camp, who attempt to maintain their sanity while fulfilling their service requirements so that they may return home.
In this exclusive interview, Davies discusses removing the clutter to adapt the story for Hulu, writing emotional beats for actors, the psychology of character, taking the audience on an emotional journey, why your treatments should be engaging, and the equal importance of discipline and rest as a writer.
If you haven’t seen 'Catch-22,' there are some potential spoilers in this interview. There’s also a print version of this interview on Creative Screenwriting’s website.
If you enjoyed this interview, join thousands of viewers for the new YouTube series, Creative Principles, which dissects new films, series, and more: bit.ly/2FARJz5
