Filmmaker Chris Robert Riegel Manages His “Expectations” In His Companion Piece Of The Charles Dickens Classic (Part 2)

This entry is part 2 of 2 in the series Chris Robert Riegel:

Part 1

Writing Process

Expectations went through dozens of story iterations even with such a strict remit. It has even been described as Succession meets Knives Out. “It’s flattering on one hand, but on another hand, it can be a bit frustrating when we’re sitting here saying we’re trying to create an original narrative that is its own thing,” laments Chris Robert Riegel.

“One of the things that’s been interesting about adapting Great Expectations, is finding the nuances that do work, that connect to the original, but also finding out where this narrative and these characters stand on their own. You don’t really need to know who Miss Havisham, Pip, or Estella really are in the original to enjoy Expectations,” he continues.

In the original first act of Riegel’s screenplay, “there was going to be an entire sequence that ties the classic literature to where we are in modern day. You’re going to see some of that in the opening of the finished film.”

“In the first and second drafts, there was an entire section that dealt with the exact events where Great Expectations leaves off in Victorian England and where Expectations begins in the present day. It was a fun exercise and it didn’t feel like a waste even though it ended up being approximately eight to ten pages long and was cut out.” There were sequences that were shot but never made it to the finished film and there were pages that were never shot in the first place.

We only added a few Easter Eggs and some elements of the novel. This strategy satisfies the audience who weren’t overly familiar with the source material to make the finished film more meaningful. The occasional references to Great Expectations are meant to serve the Dickens fans.

Chris Robert Riegel relishes the collaborative process as he develops a screenplay with his producers. It allows him to defend his vision while obtaining feedback to create his best work. “I’m writing to hopefully reach the maximum audience. The goal for me every time out is to have that connection and have it be meaningful. And as I approach every scene when I write, I have a reason for it. Not all are going to win out.”

Expectations also contained an entire sequence where Pip is commiserating his failures of becoming a gentleman with a horse. “There are probably a good four or five pages of Pip interacting with the animal. We realized that it became preachy. But it allowed Pip to figure out his demons in a way that he couldn’t in the novel.”

Ultimately, it was these pages of visually-bland, expository dialogue that didn’t make it to the final screenplay because they didn’t have an organic place in the narrative.

The Aftermath

The stakes are always high after transforming a classic novel into another art form. But the writing process certainly made an impact on Chris. “I think my writing been significantly nuanced partly because of my personal connectivity to it. I understand myself quite a bit better after writing Expectations,” says Riegel.

Although Pip is the main character, Estella has a significant impact on him. “Miss Heversham, her guardian, wants to wreak havoc on mankind through this girl because she was jilted at the altar. And so, what that presents, is a character who has to perform to have a roof over her head, get her meals, and she has to interact with Pip.” Riegel describes Estella as the “Manic Pixie Dream Girl” who was sent by Miss Haversham to destroy Pip’s life. The filmmaker wanted to explore how Estella might feel as an adult.

The Dickens characters ultimately filter down to Riegel’s characters in Expectations. “I’m not the characters and the characters are not me. And like all writers, there are going to be shades of things in what we create that are us, or our experiences,” he continues.

“The characters in the screenplay all come to the end, but I won’t give the end away. We have to come up with some level of catharsis of the fact that many of them have failed at what they sought out to do. What does that mean when we have to confront our failures? What does that mean when we’ve been selling an image of ourselves, much like people do on social media?”

The theme of not allowing oneself to make mistakes during the relentless pursuit of perfection resonates deeply with Chris. “Not everybody’s going to like what you do or what you say, and it’s okay because our job is to come together and create art.”

Final Thoughts About The Film & TV Business

Chris Robert Riegel is well aware that we are experiencing turbulent times in the industry. Many people are unnerved by the chaos and uncertainty, but Riegel sees opportunity in it. “Every business has cycles. There are some comparisons to the 90s leaning into the 2000s, which led to a rise in independent film. Then we’re led to films like the Hurt Locker which won an Academy Award.”

Prior to the rise of independent film was the rise of the blockbuster and the rise of musicals before that. “All of these things brought change to the business. And because of that, that led into the beginning building of IP based films. Sometimes IP is just the creation of a minor league system.” Indie film might be seen as an entry point for writers and directors before they are offered a studio film or TV job.

“Because we are living in cycles, I see a lot of symmetry to where things were in the ’90s, where independent film plays an important role in being a disruptor.” This gives rise to innovative companies like A24, Neon, and Magnolia. They are disputing studio films, but also the reliance of IP to make films.

“Change is going to breed all sorts of new opportunity for studios and executives that are going to want to take some risks because that’s exciting. People are going to want to create films that are not based on a formula.”

“The reason why I’m very bullish about the business is that we’re going to see a lot of growth and a lot of new voices coming in because of all the changes. These things are all going to push the envelope,” he mentions.

What happens if films are routinely greenlit through blockchain? 
“But when the growth is over, we can take advantage of all of the opportunities that it has created. It’s always darkest before the dawn. We just need to get there and be comfortable getting there.”

Nobody is sure what the industry will look like in a few years. Will the old become the new again, or will our business be unrecognizable? Chris Robert Riegel claims that the movements will mirror the shifts in revenue streams. “Old habits in the industry die hard. A lot of these rituals will start to go away and these new foundations will be built. And I do not believe it’s going to slow down.“