Cinematical

If you've paid any attention to the advertising for The Omen, which opens on 6/6/06, you might have noticed that sole screenwriting credit is given to David Seltzer, writer of the 1976 version. And now Mr. Seltzer can add the new-fangled Omen to his filmography -- which only seems right, since the remake is a VERY (some say slavishly) faithful adaptation of the original.

But what of screenwriter Dan McDermott, who was given the job of adapting the original screenplay for a modern setting and a younger cast? Well, it seems that the Writers Guild decided that, since the re-do was so damn similar to the original film, Mr. McDermott should not receive a writing credit, thereby giving full credit to David Seltzer ... despite the fact that he didn't pen syllable one for the remake.

Now, I don't know a whole lot about how the WGA figures out who gets what credit -- although I do find it an absolutely fascinating topic of conversation (mainly because it's all kept so mysterious!) -- but wouldn't it seem right for McDermott and Seltzer to share co-writing credit, while the original author gets the extra (and well-deserved) "based on an original screenplay by..." credit?

(Postscript: Just got back from seeing the remake, and ... forget everything I said. Not only does Mr. McDermott NOT deserve a screenwriting credit -- he should be thrilled his name's not attached to this thing.)