Screenwriting : Souped-up Pickup Truck by Maurice Vaughan

I'm a car guy who grew up obsessed with iconic movie vehicles, so I've always wanted to throw my own idea into the mix. I love big modified trucks and I'm a huge fan of the murdered out look, so I was watching this YouTube video one day from this guy who's bought this black modified truck with a load of sketchy mods made to it, like a blackout switch on the rear lights, police scanners, and radar jammers. The guy concluded that it was probably used for running guns or drugs. Previously, when I was researching the second script I ever wrote, I learned that Harley Davidson had made a blacked out version of a bike called "Night Train" and that stuck with me as a name I wanted to use sometime. When I saw that truck in that YouTube video, I was like, "Holy shit! That's it! That's the freaking Night Train!", and that was when the idea got going.

This was the film that I sometimes mention that I got a funding offer on after only writing a two-page treatment that very morning.

Anyway, so we decided to shoot this movie on the tail end of Covid, right when truck prices were ridiculous and dealers were buying them back for more than they'd sold them. There couldn't have been a worse time to try and buy one. Coincidentally, our head of transpo and long time collaborator Neil Chisholm had sadly had his own truck stolen and recovered. It was dark green with a torn up rear diff and most of the interior ripped out. Neil rebuilt that truck for us in record time and kept it going long enough to shoot the movie. The man was a legend and sadly he passed away a year later while canoeing. I'm so glad that something he created will go to live on in this way.

The original shooting script can be downloaded here

Great backstory, CJ Walley! I remember you talking about how you got a funding offer just from a two-page treatment. I have a bunch of ideas that I don't have time to write into scripts right now. I might start making two-page treatments. Who knows? They might interest someone and if they don't, at least I'll have the stories fleshed out into treatments for when I write them into scripts.

Sorry to hear Neil's truck got stolen and he passed away. My condolences. He did an incredible job rebuilding the truck!

I just downloaded the original shooting script. It's gonna be fun reading it after seeing the movie. Thanks for posting the link!

Maurice Vaughan, I hope you enjoy reading the script, particularly the original action sequence for the last act.

Two page treatments/synopses are such a powerful tool to have, both for scripts you've written and ideas you've fleshed out. It's great being able to offer people something in between a logline and a full script, and it's shrewd to be able to effectively pitch something through a document you can attach to an email. I've actually recently gone through this. A former head of Morgan Creek said they were keen to see more Night Train type movies from Shane and I, so we sent them a couple of treatments for scripts we had and they selected one to read.

Congratulations, CJ Walley and Shane! I hope Morgan Creek scoops up the other projects one day! I'm gonna start making two-page treatments for my finished scripts too. I make full treatments, but they're like 8-12 pages long. I want to write a treatment that's quick to read.

I'll have to check it out.

Wow CJ Walley I didn’t know this and I am so happy and thrilled for you, congratulations for it! Thanks for sharing Maurice Vaughan! Where we can watch? I need to see if they are streaming in Portugal :) It’s the genre I like and now I want to see the Pickup Truck :)) I have a two page treatment for my screenplay and who knows if I ask producers if they want to read the Treatment first!

You're welcome, Sandra Isabel Correia. I watched NIGHT TRAIN on Amazon Prime Video. It's also on Hulu.

Thank you Maurice Vaughan I went to check, but isn't available for Portugal and Spain. I'll wait to see it! :))

Hi Maurice, looks new

Hey, Billy Kwack. It came out in 2023. It's a great movie. Fun to watch.

You're welcome, Sandra Isabel Correia. I think you're gonna really like the movie.

Sandra Isabel Correia, thanks so much. Night Train was my third feature released as a writer and my second as a producer. It went to the top 15 on iTunes and was the longest running #1 on Hulu on the year of its release. It's very low budget but it punches above its weight. Sadly, the choice of poster in the US markets was very poor and very misleading as to the film's content, which hurt it with ratings. I'm glad to see Maurice using the version I much prefer.

NIGHT TRAIN and DOUBLE THREAT have incredible production value, CJ Walley! I prefer this poster too. The vehicles on this poster sum up the story better. I made a #NowWatching post on Twitter/X for NIGHT TRAIN and DOUBLE THREAT yesterday, and I used this poster for NIGHT TRAIN.

Thanks so much, Maurice Vaughan. Double Threat was made for next to nothing on a dusty hillside in Santa Monica during Covid. It went to #4 on Amazon Prime US six months after it was released and then it went to #1 in 16 Latin-American countries last August, putting it at #8 on Netflix globally.

It was a ton of fun to write over a period of about ten days. The thing I love most about it is the fight scene, which followed a lot of directions in the script but took it to the next level all with the lead actress, Danielle C Ryan, doing her own stunts.

Hi Maurice, once I get back my tablet, I'll look for it

You're welcome, CJ Walley. Congratulations to you, Shane, the casts, and crews on the success with NIGHT TRAIN and DOUBLE THREAT! The movies look like they had medium-sized budgets. It's really impressive what you all were able to do on really low budgets.

Danielle C. Ryan is a fantastic actress! Diora Baird is too! And I didn't know Danielle did her own stunts. I'm looking forward to seeing them in more movies!

Yeah, Danielle did all her own fighting and horse riding in Double Threat and driving in Night Train. She's incredible.

CJ Walley I love this poster and it was what first attracted me to see it! The visuals are the first thing for me when I need to choose :)) Sadly they didn’t choose this one. Congratulations on everything you have done and your accomplishments, you are an inspiration and now I want to see it! I will find it! Excited to k ow what you are working now :))

I have one script where a cat is a hitman's only friend, it's the one intimacy he allows himself.

I like that, T.L. Davis. A hitman with a cat as his only friend. That'd make me remember your script by.

Sandra Isabel Correia, yeah, the US distributor made an incredible trailer for the film and then decided to use a ridiculous poster of the lead girl carrying a rifle and being chased by helicopters and stuff. She's scared of guns in the movie!!! It was totally misleading and people were rightfully angry that what looked like a blockbuster-budget action movie was actually a low-budget thriller. It's something distributors do with low budget films to get eyes on them and it's really frustrating as you have no control over it.

BRAVO, CJ!! I have HULU and plan to see it…. as soon as I race through my 21 chosen titles during my one-month $6.99 NETFLIX membership that expires on January 22nd! I’m halfway through my titles. I WILL succeed, then plan to shove an unsuspecting NETFLIX down a flight of stairs, and vowing NEVER to be enticed by their streaming Black Magic ever again!!

I can imagine CJ Walley your frustation, and for marketeers as me, that doesn't make sense, but on the other side, it was a huge success because it's good. Learning from you and your experience!

Bill Brock, I checked out with Netflix years back. I wasn't a fan of their company culture at the time or a lot of their programming - which was about as edgy as a warm piece of brie. I'm hoping things have changed.

I appreciate you sticking it on your to watch list.

Sandra Isabel Correia, our previous film with the same lead actress, Double Threat, had done surprisingly well and featured her on the poster holding a rifle and looking mean. I'm guessing the intention was to trade off that success a little, which is understandable when you're trying to get people to notice one unknown movie within a library of thousands.

CJ Walley Publicly talking trash about a studio when you're in the industry is about as smart as using a running car's tailpipe as a vape pen.

"Publicly talking trash about a studio" LOL. Stop trying to stir the pot.

Yeah, Netflix seemed to go through the most extremes during a period of flux within the industry and greater pop-culture. In their defence, they have grown radically and that will always ensue a lot of chaos.

When I joined Netflix, after they bought out LoveFilm here in the UK, it was a very edgy and cultish library to browse. It was an artistic platform. In the early days, the empowered a lot of directors too, letting them do what they wanted and staying hands off and impartial. Then it just seemed to steer into being a sentient Twitter account that was making preachy movies and TV. Now I don't know where it is, but I hope that it's more balanced and home to a wide gamut of content.

CJ Walley Well, that’s what happens when you hire Obama as a “Content Consultant” for 100 MILLION dollars AND most recently, sign on to Melania Trump’s documentary for an additional 40 MILLION. Sounds like NETFLIX has money to burn.

Bill Brock, well nothing can quite kill a business like success. The thing about Netflix is that activity like that caused them to be seen as affluent and pastures new, meaning everybody in the industry seemed to want to get into bed with them. They were snatching up talent from everywhere at one point. In fact, my first ever feature script option came to an end when they pulled the attached director into a project of theirs. Growing a company of that nature, that fast, is no small feat, and they deserve a lot of credit for simply still being around.

I'm looking forward to them publishing their second-half 2024 numbers and seeing where Double Threat falls within them (if at all).

Where can you watch it. Actually I think I read his script on ScriptRevolution

NIGHT TRAIN is on Amazon Prime Video and Hulu, John C. Bounds. Maybe other streaming services too.

Maurice, I will. Your recommendation and the poster have sold me.

Great, Jed Power. Hope you like the movie. I did!

Currently watching NIGHT TRAIN on HULU.

That truck is totally Badass.

CJ Walley Oh, I was remiss in including this NETFLIX deal: Adam Sandler’s exclusive multi-picture contract for 250 MILLION. That is NOT a typo.

Adam Sandler has his audience and the dude prints money while people hate on his films. I actually think that's a wise business decision from Netflix. I also think Netflix removing the rating system was a wise move too, even though a lot of people (mainly Reddit) hated it.