Editing WarGames (section)

== Production ==
=== Development ===
Development on ''WarGames'' began in 1979, when writers Walter F. Parkes and [[Lawrence Lasker]] developed an idea for a script called ''The Genius'', about "a dying scientist and the only person in the world who understands him—a rebellious kid who's too smart for his own good". Lasker was inspired by a television special presented by [[Peter Ustinov]] on several geniuses, including [[Stephen Hawking]]. Lasker said, "I found the predicament Hawking was in fascinating&nbsp;— that he might one day figure out the [[unified field theory]] and not be able to tell anyone, because of his progressive [[Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis|ALS]]. So there was this idea that he'd need a successor. And who would that be? Maybe this kid, a juvenile delinquent whose problem was that nobody realized he was too smart for his environment." The concept of computers and hacking as part of the film was not yet present.<ref name="wired">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.wired.com/entertainment/hollywood/magazine/16-08/ff_wargames?currentPage=all |title=WarGames: A Look Back at the Film That Turned Geeks and Phreaks Into Stars |access-date=May 1, 2009 |author=Brown, Scott |date=July 21, 2008 |magazine=[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110712221432/http://www.wired.com/entertainment/hollywood/magazine/16-08/ff_wargames?currentPage=all |archive-date=July 12, 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

''The Genius'' began its transformation into ''WarGames'' when Parkes and Lasker met [[Peter Schwartz (futurist)|Peter Schwartz]] from the [[SRI International|Stanford Research Institute]]. "There was a new subculture of extremely bright kids developing into what would become known as hackers," said Schwartz. Schwartz made the connection between youth, computers, gaming, and the military.{{r|wired}} Parkes and Lasker also met with computer-security expert [[Willis Ware]] of [[RAND Corporation]], who assured them that even a secure military computer might have remote access enabling [[remote work]] on weekends, encouraging the screenwriters to continue with the project.<ref name="kaplan20160221">{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/21/movies/wargames-and-cybersecuritys-debt-to-a-hollywood-hack.html | title=Cybersecurity's Debt to a Hollywood Hack | work=The New York Times | date=February 21, 2016 | access-date=February 28, 2016 | author=Kaplan, Fred | pages=AR24}}</ref>

Parkes and Lasker came up with several military-themed plotlines before the final story. One version of the script had an early version of the WOPR named "Uncle Ollie", or Omnipresent Laser Interceptor (OLI), a space-based defensive laser run by an intelligent program, but this idea was discarded because it was too speculative.<ref name="wired" /> Director [[John Badham]] coined the name "WOPR", feeling that the name of NORAD's [[Single Integrated Operational Plan]]  was "boring, and told you nothing".<ref name="wargames">[[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer]] "WarGames 25th Anniversary Edition DVD"</ref> The name "WOPR" played off the [[Whopper]] hamburger, and a general sense of something going "whop".<ref name="wargames" />

David Lightman was modeled on David Scott Lewis, a hacking enthusiast Parkes and Lasker met.<ref name="wired" /><ref>{{cite news|url=https://venturebeat.com/2008/08/12/a-qa-that-is-25-years-late-david-scott-lewis-the-inspiration-behind-the-film-war-games/ |title=A Q&A that is 25 years late: David Scott Lewis, the mystery hacker who inspired the film "War Games" |access-date=May 1, 2009 |author=Takahashi, Dean |date=August 12, 2008 |work=VentureBeat |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110602035734/http://venturebeat.com/2008/08/12/a-qa-that-is-25-years-late-david-scott-lewis-the-inspiration-behind-the-film-war-games/ |archive-date=June 2, 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Falken was inspired by and named after [[Stephen Hawking]]; [[John Lennon]] was interested in playing the role, but [[murder of John Lennon|was murdered in New York]] while the script was in development. General Beringer was based on General [[James V. Hartinger]] ([[United States Air Force|USAF]]), the then-[[commander-in-chief]] of NORAD, whom Parkes and Lasker met while visiting the base, and who, like Beringer, favored keeping humans in the [[Decision cycle|decision loop]].<ref name="wired" />

=== Filming ===
[[Martin Brest]] was originally hired as the director, but was dismissed after 12 days of shooting because of a disagreement with the producers,<ref name="Erickson, Hal">{{cite web |url = https://www.allmovie.com/artist/martin-brest-82954/bio |title = Martin Brest: Biography |access-date = March 15, 2009 |author = Erickson, Hal |publisher = Allmovie}}</ref><ref name="Erickson, Hal2">{{cite web |author=Erickson, Hal |title=Martin Brest: Biography |url=https://www.allmovie.com/artist/martin-brest-82954/bio |access-date=March 15, 2009 |publisher=Allmovie}}</ref> and replaced with [[John Badham]]. Several of the scenes shot by Brest remain in the final film. Badham said that Brest had "taken a somewhat dark approach to the story and the way it was shot. It was like [Broderick and Sheedy] were doing some [[Nazism|Nazi]] undercover thing, so it was my job to make it seem like they were having fun, and that it was exciting." According to Badham, Broderick and Sheedy were "stiff as boards" when they came onto the sound stage, having both Brest's dark vision and the idea that they would soon be fired. Badham did 12 to 14 takes of the first shot to loosen the actors up. At one point, Badham decided to race with the two actors around the sound stage, with the one who came last having to sing a song to the crew. Badham lost and sang "[[The Happy Wanderer]]", the silliest song he could think of.<ref name="thi">{{cite web|url=http://thehollywoodinterview.blogspot.com/2008/08/john-badham-hollywood-interview.html |title=John Badham: The Hollywood Interview |access-date=May 1, 2009 |author=Simon, Alex |date=August 2, 2008 |publisher=The Hollywood Interview |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110708070846/http://thehollywoodinterview.blogspot.com/2008/08/john-badham-hollywood-interview.html |archive-date=July 8, 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref> He invited what ''Wired'' described as "a small army of computer whizzes on set" to advise on accuracy.{{r|wired}}

[[Tom Mankiewicz]] says he wrote some additional scenes during shooting that were used.<ref>{{cite book|first=Tom|last=Mankiewicz|title=My Life as a Mankiewicz: An Insider's Journey Through Hollywood|others=with Robert Crane|publisher=University Press of Kentucky|date=2012|pages=253–254}}</ref> [[Walon Green]] was also an uncredited [[script doctor]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kehr |first=Dave |date=October 26, 1985 |title=WarGames |url=http://chicagoreader.com/film/wargames-2/ |access-date=September 14, 2023 |website=Chicago Reader |language=en-US}}</ref>

=== Design ===
The WOPR computer, as seen in the film, was a [[Theatrical property|prop]] created in [[Culver City, California]], by members of the [[International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees]] Local 44.<ref name="prop">{{cite web |author=Mike Fink |date=March 5, 2006 |title=What happened to the WOPR? |url=https://www.imsai.net/movies/wargames.htm#WOPR |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200103025355/https://www.imsai.net/movies/wargames.htm#WOPR |archive-date=January 3, 2020 |access-date=March 27, 2009 |work=The Wargames IMSAI}}</ref> It was designed by [[production designer]] (credited as a visual consultant) [[Geoffrey Kirkland]] on the basis of some pictures he had of early [[tabulating machine]]s, and metal furniture, consoles, and cabinets used particularly in the U.S. military in the 1940s and 1950s. Art director [[Angelo P. Graham]] adapted them in drawings and concepts. The WOPR was operated by a crewmember sitting inside the computer, entering commands into an [[Apple II]] at the director's instruction.<ref name="prop" /> The prop was broken up for scrap after production was completed. A replica was built for a 2006 AT&T commercial.<ref>{{cite web |title=wargames2 |url=https://www.imsai.net/wargames2/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200920195124/https://www.imsai.net/wargames2/ |archive-date=September 20, 2020 |access-date=September 20, 2020 |work=imsai.net}}</ref>