White Jazz

infobox Book |
name = White Jazz
title_orig =
translator =


image_caption = First edition cover
author = James Ellroy
illustrator =
cover_artist = Jacket design by Chip Kidd
Front–of–jacket photograph by Robert Morrow
country = United States
language = English
series = L.A. Quartet
genre = Novel, crime fiction
publisher = Alfred A. Knopf
release_date = September 1, 1992
english_release_date =
media_type = Print (hardcover & paperback), audio cassette, and audio download
pages = 349 pp (first edition, hardcover)
isbn = ISBN 0-679-41449-3 (first edition, hardcover)
preceded_by = L.A. Confidential
followed_by =

"White Jazz" is a 1992 crime fiction novel by James Ellroy. It is the fourth in his L.A. Quartet, preceded by "The Black Dahlia", "The Big Nowhere", and "L.A. Confidential".

Lieutenant David Klein is a veteran policeman who moonlights as a hitman for organized crime. When he is assigned to investigate a robbery at the home of the LAPD's sanctioned heroin dealer, he uncovers a plot to bring city's crime syndicates into collusion with the channels of justice.

The stories of many characters that appeared in earlier L.A. Quartet novels, including Edmund Exley and Dudley Smith, have their ends tied up in "White Jazz", which also introduces Pete Bondurant, one of the central characters in Ellroy's "American Underworld" novels.

Film adaptation

The film adaptation is to be directed by Joe Carnahan for a 2009 release. Matthew Michael Carnahan wrote the screenplay.

History

James Ellroy completed a draft of a 131-page screenplay on October 31, 1997. In 1998, cinematographer Robert Richardson signed on for what would have been his directorial debut with Fine Line Features distributing. They put the project into turnaround in early 1999 due to budgetary concerns. [cite news
last =
first = Stax
coauthors =
title = The Stax Report: Script Review of "White Jazz"
work =
pages =
language =
publisher = IGN
date = July 8, 2003
url = http://movies.ign.com/articles/427/427488p1.html
accessdate = 2007-03-22 ] In early December 2001, it was reported that "German-based VIF Intl. Films had come aboard to finance "White Jazz", co-producing with Nick Nolte's Kingsgate Films and L.A.-based production company Interlight. Nolte and John Cusack were set to star in the film, with Winona Ryder reportedly in discussions to join them. Nolte was to play Klein, Cusack to play Junior Stemmons and Ryder to play Hollywood starlet Glenda. Uma Thurman was also attached to the project at one point and was to play Glenda. [cite news
last =
first = Stax
coauthors =
title = Carnahan Talks "White Jazz"
work =
pages =
language =
publisher = IGN
date = October 30, 2006
url = http://movies.ign.com/articles/742/742491p1.html
accessdate = 2007-03-22 ] The screenplay was written by Ellroy and Christopher Cleveland. After the demise of the project, Richardson said "That's why directors go absolutely crazy – the development of a project is highly unpredictable and doesn't make tremendous sense. It may happen, but not in my time frame." [cite news
last =
first = Stax
coauthors =
title = The Stax Report: Script Review of "White Jazz"
work =
pages =
language =
publisher = IGN
date = July 8, 2003
url = http://movies.ign.com/articles/427/427488p1.html
accessdate = 2007-03-22 ]

Current production

On November 30, 2006, it was reported that George Clooney was set to star in a newly green-lighted film adaptation of the novel for Warner Independent Pictures. [cite news
last = Goldsmith
first = Jill
coauthors =
title = Clooney finds partners in crime
work =
pages =
language =
publisher = Variety
date = November 29, 2006
url = http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117954762.html?categoryid=13&cs=1
accessdate = 2007-03-22 ] Clooney is also on board as producer along with his Smoke House partner Grant Heslov. The film is to be written by Matthew Michael Carnahan and directed by his brother Joe Carnahan. Both Jason Bateman and Peter Berg have signed on to appear in the film. [cite news
last =
first =
coauthors =
title = Bateman Joins Clooney in "White Jazz"
work =
pages =
language =
publisher = Worst Previews
date = January 17, 2007
url = http://www.worstpreviews.com/headline.php?id=2185
accessdate = 2007-03-22 ] The script changes the Armenian Kafesjian family in the novel to the Mexican Magdalena family. [cite news
last =
first = Stax
coauthors =
title = Carnahan Talks "White Jazz"
work =
pages =
language =
publisher = IGN
date = October 30, 2006
url = http://movies.ign.com/articles/742/742491p1.html
accessdate = 2007-03-22 ] Joe Carnahan said this of his brother's script, "It’s, to me, what that book always was – the point of departure from the Eisenhower 50s to the psychedelic freakshow, Manson 60s. It’s a total combination of the two with a heavy, heavy voice-over narration, this kind of classic noir." [cite news
last = Faraci
first = Devin
coauthors =
title = James Ellroy is Getting "Narc"-ed
work =
pages =
language =
publisher = Chud.com
date = October 29, 2006
url = http://www.chud.com/index.php?type=news&id=7912
accessdate = 2007-03-22 ] Carnahan has also confirmed that the characters of Ed Exley and Dudley Smith will not be in the film version despite their presence in the book, [cite news
last = Carnahan
first = Joe
coauthors =
title = Q & As
work =
pages =
language =
publisher = Joe Carnahan's Official Website
date = December 21, 2006
url = http://www.smokinjoecarnahan.com/qas.html
accessdate = 2007-03-22 ] as Regency Productions has its own plans for a sequel to "L.A. Confidential" [cite news
last =
first =
coauthors =
title = "LA Confidential" Sparks Two Sequels
work =
pages =
language =
publisher = Internet Movie Database
date = March 2, 2007
url = http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0892384/news
accessdate = 2007-03-22 ] and asked the director to remove Exley from his screenplay as they own the rights to the character. [cite news
last = Carnahan
first = Joe
coauthors =
title = "White Jazz" vs. "L.A. Confidential 2"
work =
pages =
language =
publisher = Joe Carnahan's Official Website
date = March 1, 2007
url = http://smokinjoecarnahan.com/2007/03/white_jazz_vs_la_confidential.php#comments
accessdate = 2007-03-22 ] Instead, the Carnahans have constructed a "doppelganger" for Exley, "giving him all of [his] traits and speech patterns."

Carnahan described his vision of "White Jazz" as reflecting the "kind of mid-century explosion of art and music, and really letting that be the kind of guiding force behind it, as opposed to making it like this ... all 'period suits'. I really want to try to make it as accurate a reflection of L.A. at that moment in time as I can."cite news
last = Stewart
first = Ryan
coauthors =
title = Interview: Smokin' Joe Carnahan Talks to Cinematical About Ramping Up "White Jazz", Pablo Escobar and Why 'Bunny' Went Missing
work =
pages =
language =
publisher = Cinematical
date = April 6, 2007
url = http://www.cinematical.com/2007/04/06/interview-smokin-joe-carnahan-talks-to-cinematical-about-rampi/
accessdate = 2007-04-09 ] He also commented on George Clooney's willingness to play an unlikable character for the first time. "He's made that very clear to me: 'I have no other desire than to play what's in that script.' And what's in that script is a pretty despicable guy at times, and pretty nefarious and nasty and selfish." Carnahan also touched upon how he trimmed down the novel's numerous subplots because "I always thought that as much as I love "White Jazz", it became almost unfilmable at some point, because there are so many strands, so much, and it became so psychotic ... that's what made it such a great book, but those things would not carry over into the filmic realm, I thought, with ease."

Clooney has since dropped out of starring in the film due to scheduling conflicts with other projects.cite news
last = Abramowitz
first = Rachel
coauthors =
title = Gosling and Clooney drop projects
work =
pages =
language =
publisher = Los Angeles Times
date = October 23, 2007
url = http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-goslingclooney23oct23,1,157918.story?track=crosspromo&coll=la-headlines-entnews&ctrack=1&cset=true
accessdate = 2007-10-23 ] Chris Pine, who was also up for a role in the film, decided to take on the role of James T. Kirk in J. J. Abrams' upcoming "Star Trek" film. Carnahan has stated that he will still make the film and has "a couple of options in terms of other actors that I am completely over the moon for."

Carnahan has completed the last draft of the screenplay.cite news
last = Carnahan
first = Joe
coauthors =
title = "White Jazz" Update
work =
pages =
language =
publisher = Smokin' Joe Carnahan
date = June 29, 2007
url = http://smokinjoecarnahan.com/2007/06/white_jazz_update.php
accessdate = 2007-07-02 ]

References

External links

* [http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/preview/1808443368 Yahoo! Movies page]
* [http://movies.ign.com/articles/427/427488p1.html Script review of Cleveland & Ellroy draft]
* [http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/news.php?id=7298&p=1 Matthew Michael Carnahan interview]