Thomas Wright: I had been an executive at studios, and during that time, got a glimpse of how decisions were made, what movies were made, and how they fed their distribution channels. Wright, who is currently working on two documentaries, spoke to Ambrosia For Heads this month about how New Jack City went from an idea to a finished film, the evolution of the story and its characters, the influence of The Godfather and Othello, the backstory of central figures like “Nino Brown,” how the story originally ended and much more.Īmbrosia For Heads: What was your inspiration for the film? And, the film’s impact has endured like few others, affecting celebrities like Jamie Foxx who had an entire New Jack City-themed birthday party, athletes like Marshawn Lynch and Richard Sherman who made it a part of their in-game discussion, and millions of everyday fans who have watched the film countless times.Īs the film celebrates its 25th anniversary this year (March 8), discussion about its legacy has reached a fever pitch. “Nino Brown” remains one of the most iconic antiheroes in film history and is a staple in Hip-Hop culture. Now, more than 30 years after Wright completed the first draft of that seminal screenplay, New Jack Cityhas become a cultural touchstone for an entire generation. That screenplay, would eventually evolve into the fictionalized story called New Jack City. He immersed himself in the mean streets of New York for six weeks and, in the end, emerged with a screenplay about Barnes’ life. A student of gangster films, Wright saw a noticeable lack in stories about powerful people of color, in the genre.

His research in writing that series led him to the story of Nicky Barnes, a drug dealer and one of the most powerful men in New York City, in his heyday.

One of his first endeavors was to write a treatment for The Godfather: Part III, because he knew Paramount had a high interest in making a third installment of its epic mafia tale, and Wright had a love for the film series. In the mid-1980s, Thomas Lee Wright, a creative executive at Paramount Studios left the company to pursue a career as a screenwriter.

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