Matt Ember and Tom J. Astle interview

For the Writers Guild of America West, Dylan Callaghan talks to Matt Ember and Tom J. Astle about their new feature length adaptation of the 1960s TV series Get Smart (created by Mel Brooks and Buck Henry).

You both have strong and varied experience in television. Did that prove helpful with this material, as it was adapted from the small screen?
Matt Ember: I don't know if it helped us with this particular project. I think the experience of having worked in television for a lot of years and getting used the idea that there is no time for writer's block and you have to get the work done. If you don't have an idea at the moment, you just have to come up with one. That has been really helpful for us as feature writers.

Tom J. Astle: [Television] basically beats the idea of writer's block out of you because you can't have it if there are actors waiting on a stage.