On this week’s episode of The Filmmakers Podcast hosts Giles Alderson and Dom Lenoir chatted with screenwriter Rob Yescombe, focusing on the journey of a screenwriter who moved from video game design to Hollywood filmmaking.
The Serendipitous Beginning
Rob’s journey started in a pretty straightforward way. He described how, over dinner with his UK agent Nish Panchal, he casually mentioned an idea for a movie. He passed the script on to Nish, who handed it to a US agent, Martin Spencer.
Martin signed Rob and the script landed on Jeff Kirschenbaum’s desk at RK Films a day later. “The following morning, 7:30 a.m. on a Saturday Jeff calls Martin and says, ‘We want to do the movie,’” Rob recalls, underscoring how swiftly things moved once the right people were involved.
Bringing The Right Team on Board
Jeff Kirshenbaum played an important role in shaping the film, spending two and a half years assembling the right people for the project.
John Cena was attached almost from the beginning, and stayed committed through the development process. Awkwafina joined later, but both stars were onboard before the script reached director, Paul Feig. As Rob puts it, it was all a stroke of good fortune: “Jeff had just finished making a film with Paul, knew him well, liked him very much, and passed it to him.”
Convincing Paul to Direct the Film
Paul’s initial reaction to the script was less than enthusiastic. “Paul tells the story that he hated the title of the script so much that he was like ‘I don’t want to read it,’” Rob says. However Paul’s producing partner, Laura Fischer, insisted that he give it a chance.
He expected the film’s dystopian concept—where winning the lottery means surviving 24 hours while everyone who lost tries to kill you—to be a “cynical, dark and miserable movie.” But fortunately Laura saw something fun. Her perception was crucial to getting Paul on board.
And despite initial reservations about someone else taking over his script, Rob was impressed by Paul’s ability to retain the essence of his work while adding his own personality. “The thing that was pleasant was how empathetic his writing was to what I was trying to do,” Rob says, appreciating how Paul’s edits complemented rather than overpowered his vision.
Writing For An American Audience
Writing for an American audience, as a British person, was a challenge for Rob at times and required navigating the specific subcultures of the U.S. film industry.
However he also shared his experiences of struggling as an artist in both the UK and LA, emphasising that “being taken advantage of is not exclusive to LA.” Despite his background in the video game world, Rob was aware of the challenges and opinions others would have about his work.
Creating the Structure
When discussing the film’s structure, Rob explained that it remained largely intact from his original draft. “The structure didn’t really change,” he says. “It was more about tone and budget control.”
The film had to maintain a fast pace from the start. A subplot, involving a second lottery winner, was cut due to budget constraints, not creative differences. “There was a B story about the second winner, who realises, if I kill Awkwafina, I double my jackpot. That became an extra billion, that we ended up cutting.”
Rob’s Approach to Writing
Rob’s writing is deeply influenced by his background in video game design.
Using Nightmare on Elm Street, as an example, he explained how the rule of “if you go to sleep, Freddy’s going to get you” creates a self-sustaining engine for storytelling. He uses this concept development in his film work—ensuring that a premise is simple, compelling, and easy to pitch.
One of the most insightful parts of our conversation with Rob was his reflection on his evolution of storytelling. Early in his career, he faced a failure in the video game industry, which forced him to reevaluate his approach. “The white-hot magnesium burn of your artistic passion is an essential component of your success,” he acknowledges, but it’s not enough. Rob learned, the hard way, that passion must be paired with craft and the ability to communicate effectively with collaborators.
Creative Freedom and Collaboration
Rob shared his thoughts on the balance between creative freedom and collaboration, stressing the importance of communication in filmmaking, particularly when it comes to receiving and implementing notes from producers and other collaborators. “The best process for me is, don’t send me a document of notes. Let’s get on the phone and talk about your feelings,” he advises, preferring to understand the underlying issues that notes aim to address.
For more from Rob Yescombe’s journey, listen to the full episode here.