Jun 18, 2008 12:12 am US/Eastern
NYC Man Rides 'Accidental' Screenplay To Hollywood
Michael Martin's 'Brooklyn's Finest' To Hit Big Screen In 2009, Starring Hawke, Cheadle, Gere & Snipes
BROOKLYN (CBS) ―
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Michael Martin got the break of a lifetime when he entered a Hollywood screenwriting contest. He didn't win, but the connections he made led to the fulfillment of a seemingly impossible dream.
CBS
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Actor Ethan Hawke will star in an upcoming movie written by a former MTA worker from Brooklyn.
AP
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Richard Gere (file)
Fox Searchlight
How does a former Metropolitan Transportation Authority worker go from directing trains to directing movie stars?
Here's the amazing story of a Brooklyn man whose quest to replace his crashed car not only got him that new car but also a new career.
Just a few months ago 27-year-old Michael Martin of East New York was making a living as a flagger for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Today he's a screenwriter on the fast track to Hollywood, working alongside accomplished actors like Ethan Hawke.
"If you have a dream that something you live for or something you love, just keep pushing at it 'cause it will pay off," Martin said.
Michael's overnight success happened literally by accident. A car accident had him looking for creative ways to make some cash for a new ride. He entered a screenplay writing contest. The grand prize: $10,000.
"I ended up getting second place," Martin said. "I got a couple of magazines, but I didn't get a car. But I met this producer, Jeanie O'Brien, and she was extremely helpful. She got me an agent."
From there Michael's screenplay "Brooklyn's Finest" was picked up by Thunder Road Pictures, and is being filmed right now on the streets of New York City, starring Hawke, Don Cheadle, Richard Gere and Wesley Snipes.
"Brooklyn's Finest" is being directed by Antoine Fuqua, who directed Denzel Washington to a best actor Oscar in 2001's "Training Day." More recently, Fuqua directed Mark Wahlberg in the 2007 hit "Shooter."
"So it really does blow you away to see all these little scribbles and words you put together and what it brings out," Martin said. "It's not just those actors. It's this whole crew of people."
And from Michael's story blossoms a whole new wave of aspiring movie makers who share his roots, growing up in the Brooklyn projects.
"It shows me that no matter where you come from you can make it some way," said Lea-Sym Feyjoo of Brownsville.
"I'm not gonna give up. It can happen to anybody. See, it happened to him!" added Bryan Martin of Brownsville.
Now Michael may not be a cop, but in this city he's definitely considered one of Brooklyn's Finest. His film will hit the big screen sometime next year.
Michael is also writing the screenplay for "New Jack City II."
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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