Editing Unforgiven (section)

=== Development ===
The film was written by [[David Peoples|David Webb Peoples]], who had written the Oscar-nominated film ''[[The Day After Trinity]]'' and co-written ''[[Blade Runner]]'' with [[Hampton Fancher]].{{sfn|McGilligan|1999|p=467}} The concept for the film dated to 1976, when it was developed under the titles ''The Cut-Whore Killings'' and ''The William Munny Killings''.{{sfn|McGilligan|1999|p=467}} The script was originally optioned by [[Francis Ford Coppola]], who failed to raise the money to develop the project any further.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://cinephiliabeyond.org/unforgiven-clint-eastwoods-eulogy-man-no-name-anti-western-masterpiece/ | title='Unforgiven': Clint Eastwood's Eulogy for the Man with No Name in His Anti-Western Masterpiece • Cinephilia & Beyond | date=September 12, 2017 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-10-05-ca-512-story.html | title=Q&A; WITH DAVID WEBB PEOPLES : A Reluctant Hollywood Hero | website=[[Los Angeles Times]] | date=October 5, 1992 }}</ref>

By Eastwood's own recollection, he was given the script in the "early 80s", although he did not immediately pursue it, because according to him, "I thought I should do some other things first".<ref>{{Cite news |last=Whittey |first=Stephen |date=June 13, 2014 |title=Clint Eastwood on 'Jersey Boys,' taking risks and a life well lived |work=[[NJ.com]] |url=http://www.nj.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2014/06/jersey_boys_clint_eastwood_director_four_seasons.html |access-date=October 10, 2015 |archive-date=December 8, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208194123/http://www.nj.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2014/06/jersey_boys_clint_eastwood_director_four_seasons.html |url-status=live}}</ref> In 1984, Sonia Chernus, Eastwood's long time story editor at Malpaso Productions, sent him a scathing memo after reading the script stating that "it doesn't deserve my time or yours" and is "an insult to this company" and that Eastwood should "get rid of it FAST".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Archive |first=Clint's |date=2021-09-25 |title=The Clint Eastwood Archive: Internal memo from January 1984 concerning Unforgiven |url=https://theclinteastwoodarchive.blogspot.com/2021/09/internal-memo-from-january-1984.html |access-date=2025-02-19 |website=The Clint Eastwood Archive}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-12-12 |title=The career-defining movie Clint Eastwood was told not to make |url=https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/career-defining-movie-clint-eastwood-told-not-make/ |access-date=2025-02-19 |website=faroutmagazine.co.uk |language=en-US}}</ref>