‘Windfall’: How an Idea From Jason Segel, the Writer of ‘Seven’ and a Pandemic Spawned the Netflix Thriller
thewrap.com“Seven” screenwriter Andrew Kevin Walker is not used to working with a co-writer. And yet, when the prospect of working with his friends on a contained, film noir-inspired thriller, it was an opportunity he couldn’t pass up.“Windfall” – which is now streaming on Netflix – stars Jesse Plemons and Lily Collins as a wealthy couple who arrive at their vacation home, only to happen upon a stranger in the middle of robbing the place.
That stranger then unexpectedly holds them hostage, and what plays out is an incisive and acerbic thriller all set in one location.The stranger is played by Jason Segel, who originated the idea that would become “Windfall.” Segel, Walker, co-writer Justin Lader and director Charlie McDowell are all friends who were called to a Zoom meeting by Segel during the pandemic to figure out if this idea might be worth turning into a film.For Walker – a frequent collaborator of David Fincher’s and a writer on films like “Fight Club,” “The Game” and “Sleepy Hollow” – the collective screenwriting process was a first. “You go into anyone pitching an idea, you’re going, ‘It’s their idea.
How am I going to get my head around it?’” Walker told TheWrap during a recent interview. “It’s not a matter of judgment, it’s just a matter of how can that kismet happen.
And much to my chagrin, as we built the story I got more and more excited about the fact that this would actually be something I would be interested in participating in and trying to contribute to.”For a writer of his caliber, Walker is extremely humble and self-deprecating. “I just want to emphasize that the thing for me that usually keeps me from participating in something is a certainty that I bring nothing to the table,” to which co-writer Justin Lader.
Read more on thewrap.com