As most of you know, screenwriter Dan O’Bannon passed away last week. You can go here to read my post re Dan, updated with several articles on his work in Hollywood.
As fate would have it, I had been in contact with his wife Diane the day before Dan died. I just received this note from Diane today:
I thought I’d let you know that, with great help, I’ve managed to get his website up early.Diane O
It’s a great start for the website. You can learn a lot about Dan and his courageous struggle against Crohn’s Disease which finally claimed his life. And there are some real gems for fans of O’Bannon, the sci-fi genre, and screenwriting in general — several original screenplays written by Dan that were never produced. Moreover Diane is hoping to post Dan’s versions of scripts that did get produced. Per Diane’s comment on the website:
“People are always wondering about why he [Dan] got groused the fine movies that came from his scripts. Perhaps giving you the chance to read his original writing might give you some idea why he seemed so cranky about it. ‘Paul — what’s all the explosions at the end of Total Recall?’”
That would be “Paul” as in director Paul Verhoeven.
The site is wonderful tribute to Dan O’Bannon and definitely worth a visit. Then hit this link to go to a Facebook page where you can post your thoughts and best wishes to the O’Bannon family, and especially Dan’s loving wife Diane.
Very sad. I had no idea Crohn's could be fatal.
I am still working on getting my writing blog up and running, but I've been maintaining a blog on the SCD diet for years. It is used by people with Crohn's and related conditions.
My heart goes out to his family. It is a devastating illness.