Editing Starman (film) (section)

==Production==
''Starman'' spent five years in development at Columbia. The original script by [[Bruce A. Evans]] and Raynold Gideon was purchased by the studio at the urging of executive producer [[Michael Douglas]], shortly before it optioned [[Steven Spielberg]]'s ''[[Night Skies]]''. Evans and Gideon's first, and only, rewrite was rejected by both the studio and Douglas. Screenwriter [[Dean Riesner]] came onto the project in late 1981 after director [[Mark Rydell]] left the project due to artistic differences with Douglas. Riesner had no idea that he would spend over two years struggling with the incessant demand for rewrites—he eventually authored five rewrites of ''Starman'' with six different directors, but did not receive screen credit because, according to him, "the Writers Guild, in their infinite wisdom, decided I didn't contribute 50 percent of the screenplay." Carpenter personally campaigned for Riesner's credit; advocating Evans and Gideon's initial draft was an entirely different movie (than the shooting script [[Dean Riesner|Riesner]] later authored)—Carpenter said that the alien actually flew around like [[Superman]] in the initial script. Carpenter was reportedly outraged when the WGA arbitration ruled in favor of original writers, Gideon and Evans. The director resolved to thank his screenwriter by including an on-screen dedication to Reisner in the film's end credits sequence. The Writers' Guild deemed Carpenter's on-screen accolade as a deliberately provocative violation of their ruling. For a short time the Guild were threatening to force Columbia to destroy all prints of the film (in [[Film Exhibition|exhibition]]) containing Carpenter's offending dedication to Reisner.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Lawson |first=Alan |title=Michael Douglas: A Biography |publisher=Warner Books |year=1993 |isbn=9780751508512 |location=New York City, New York |publication-date=January 1, 1993 |pages=99–100 |language=en}}</ref> Other uncredited writers who worked on the script were [[Edward Zwick]] and [[Diane Thomas]]. 
According to Riesner, producers at Columbia were concerned at the initial box office returns for ''E.T.'', because ''Starman'' (while Riesner was working its second rewrite) was too similar. [[Adrian Lyne]] worked with Douglas on the project, for about a year, before departing<ref>{{Cite book |last=Eliot |first=Marc |title=Michael Douglas: A Biography |date=September 18, 2012 |publisher=Crown Archetype |isbn=978-0307952363 |location=New York City, New York |publication-date=September 18, 2012 |pages=153 |language=English}}</ref> to direct ''[[Flashdance]]'' for Paramount. He was replaced by [[John Badham]], who worked with Douglas for 'some months' (developing the project); Columbia actually gave them an October 1982 start-date to begin principal photography. In 1985 Badham acknowledged his initial enthusiasm for the script, "I wanted [[Tom Conti]] for the lead role [Badham had seen him in London doing “''[[Whose Life Is It Anyway? (play)|Whose Life Is It Anyway?]]''"] and he was anxious to do it." But in the summer of 1982, ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' published the first review of ''E.T.,'' as soon as he read it he realized the two projects were too similar. Douglas immediately ordered script revisions,<ref>{{Cite news |last=MANN |first=RODERICK |date=June 16, 1985 |title=BADHAM AND TESICH BECOME CYCLEMATES |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1985-06-16-ca-2652-story.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20230711044644/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1985-06-16-ca-2652-story.html |archive-date=July 11, 2023 |access-date=Sep 2, 2024 |work=The Los Angeles Times}}</ref> but Badham eventually moved on to take over directing duties on ''[[WarGames]]''. Riesner was charged with keeping ''Starman'' essentially the same while making it distinct from ''E.T'', and would work with three subsequent directors: [[Tony Scott]], [[Peter Hyams]], and John Carpenter. Whereas Scott was more interested in style than narrative drive and wanted to cast [[Philip Anglim]], and Hyams pushed for a more conventional science fiction approach, Carpenter, who was eager to shed his image as a maker of exploitative thrillers, wished to emphasize the cross-country rapport that develops between the two leads, as in ''[[The Defiant Ones]]'', ''[[The 39 Steps (1935 film)|The 39 Steps]]'', and ''[[It Happened One Night]]'' over special effects. Riesner dropped the "heavy political implications" from the script to comply with this.<ref name="ChicagoTribune">{{cite news |last=Lovell |first=Glenn |date=January 18, 1985 |title='Starman' stirs up a storm from sci-fi fans and experts |url=http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1985-01-18/entertainment/8501040368_1_starman-rewrite-dean-riesner |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110807121251/https://articles.chicagotribune.com/1985-01-18/entertainment/8501040368_1_starman-rewrite-dean-riesner |archive-date=2011-08-07 |access-date=2010-11-18 |work=[[Chicago Tribune]]}}</ref>

Parts of the film were shot in Tennessee,<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/91318/starman | title=Starman }}</ref> Iowa, Arizona, Nevada, and  [[Monument Valley, Utah]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=D'Arc|first1=James V.|title=When Hollywood came to town: a history of moviemaking in Utah|date=2010|publisher=Gibbs Smith|location=Layton, Utah|isbn=9781423605874|edition=1st}}</ref>

=== Soundtrack ===
{{Infobox album
| name         = Starman: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
| type         = soundtrack
| artist       = Jack Nitzsche
| cover        = 
| caption      = 
| alt          = 
| released     = December 14, 1984
| recorded     = 
| venue        = 
| studio       = 
| genre        = Soundtrack
| length       = 33:05
| label        = [[Varèse Sarabande]]
| producer     = 
| prev_title   = 
| prev_year    = 
| next_title   = 
| next_year    = 
}}
{{Music ratings
| title = Soundtrack
| rev1 = [[AllMusic]]
| rev1Score = {{rating|4|5}}<ref>{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r84611|pure_url=yes}}</ref>
}}

The soundtrack to ''Starman'' was released on December 14, 1984.<ref>{{cite web |title=''Starman'' Album Information |url=http://www.soundtrack.net/albums/database/?id=415 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120404071028/http://www.soundtrack.net/albums/database/?id=415 |archive-date=April 4, 2012 |access-date=August 5, 2010 |publisher=[[SoundtrackNet]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=''Starman'' Album Information |url=http://www.fast-rewind.com/cgi-bin/PFR.cgi?TUID=starman&PFRCategory=music |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606072008/http://www.fast-rewind.com/cgi-bin/PFR.cgi?TUID=starman&PFRCategory=music |archive-date=June 6, 2011 |access-date=August 5, 2010 |publisher=Fast-Rewind.com}}</ref> The album also contains a rendition of "[[All I Have to Do Is Dream]]" performed by stars [[Jeff Bridges]] and [[Karen Allen]].

{{Track listing
| all_music     = [[Jack Nitzsche]] (except "All I Have to Do Is Dream," written by [[Felice and Boudleaux Bryant]])
| title1        = Jenny Shot
| length1       = 1:30
| title2        = Here Come the Helicopters
| length2       = 5:04
| title3        = Honeymoon
| length3       = 0:56
| title4        = Road Block
| length4       = 1:38
| title5        = Do You Have Somebody?
| length5       = 1:18
| title6        = Pickup Truck
| length6       = 3:01
| title7        = What's It Like up There?
| length7       = 1:46
| title8        = [[All I Have to Do Is Dream]]
| length8       = 3:29
| title9        = Lifting Ship
| length9       = 1:22
| title10       = I Gave You a Baby
| length10      = 2:11
| title11       = Morning Military
| length11      = 1:04
| title12       = Define Love
| length12      = 1:33
| title13       = Balls
| length13      = 1:10
| title14       = Starman Leaves
| length14      = 7:04
}}