Ep398 - Michael Maren, Writer-Director Michael Shannon Film ‘A Little White Lie’

Michael Maren started his career as a journalist in Africa. Inspired by movies like The African Queen, Jason and the Argonauts, and Beau Geste, Maren followed an unclear dream, eventually learning to write, getting a book optioned by HBO, and then coming back to the US with a passion for filmmaking. Based on the book, Shriver, A Little White Lie stars Michael Shannon, Kate Hudson and Don Johnson. The description reads, “When a handyman living in New York City is mistaken for a famous and famously reclusive writer, he's brought to a university where he is to deliver a keynote address to save the school's literary festival.” In the interview, Maren talks about the connection between journalism and screenwriting, advice from Milos Forman (One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest), how to find a narrative through line, working with Michael Shannon, and how he bought the rights to Shriver for only $100 dollars. If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts? It only takes about 60-seconds and it really helps convince some of the hard-to-get guests to sit down and have a chat (simply scroll to the bottom on your iTunes Podcast app and click “Write Review"). Enjoy the show!