Editing Ronin (film) (section)

=== Screenplay ===
Writer John David Zeik, a newcomer to film,<ref name="latimes">{{cite web |last=Harrison |first=Eric |title=Mamet Versus Writers Guild, the Action Thriller Sequel |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=August 5, 1998 |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-aug-05-ca-10109-story.html |access-date=May 15, 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130911230246/http://articles.latimes.com/1998/aug/05/entertainment/ca-10109 |archive-date=September 11, 2013 }}</ref> conceived the idea for ''Ronin'' after reading [[James Clavell]]'s novel ''[[Shōgun (novel)|Shōgun]]'' at the age of 15.<ref name="prod">{{cite web|title=''Ronin'': About the Production|url=http://www.cinemareview.com/production.asp?prodid=301|website=Cinema Review|access-date=October 28, 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020924090320/http://www.cinemareview.com/production.asp?prodid=301|archive-date=September 24, 2002}}</ref> It gave him background information on ''[[rōnin]]'' (masterless samurai), which he incorporated into a screenplay years later. On choosing France as the story's key location, Zeik said: "Many years later in Nice, the location of one of the key set pieces of the story, I stared into the sun and saw the silhouettes of five heavily armed [[Gendarmerie|Gendarmes]] crossing the [[Promenade des Anglais]]. That image made me realize that I wanted to set the film in France."<ref name="prod"/>

Accounts differ as to the screenplay's authorship. According to Zeik's attorney, Playwright [[David Mamet]] was brought in shortly before production to expand De Niro's role and add a female love interest. Although Mamet rewrote several scenes, his contributions were minor according to Zeik's account. Frankenheimer said Mamet's contributions were more significant: "The credits should read: 'Story by J.D. Zeik, screenplay by David Mamet'. We didn't shoot a line of Zeik's script."<ref name="latimes"/> Frankenheimer later retracted this in a September 1998 [[open letter]] published in ''Variety'', writing that "J.D. Zeik is unequivocally entitled to the first position screenwriting credit as well as the sole story credit he was awarded by the [[Writers Guild of America|WGA]]&nbsp;... [He] deserves recognition for his significant contribution to this film, and I am proud to have worked with him".<ref>{{cite web |last=Frankenheimer |first=John |title=Open letter on J.D. Zeik |url=https://imgur.com/a/11TeuIS |work=Variety |page=21 |date=September 23, 1998 |access-date=December 20, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181220151226/https://imgur.com/a/11TeuIS |archive-date=December 20, 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref> When he learned he would have to share credit with Zeik, Mamet insisted on being credited with the pseudonym Richard Weisz because he had earlier decided to attach his name only to projects for which he was the sole writer.<ref name="latimes"/>