WILLIAM SZARKA

Where do you live (City, State, or Country)?
New York City.

Your script stood out among hundreds of others. What was the inspiration for your story?
It began as a feature film about James Dean’s life. But the deeper I dug into the research, the more I realized his story couldn’t be contained in just two hours. Unlike Elvis or Marilyn Monroe, most people today don’t really know who James Dean was—or have even seen his three
films. I wanted to change that.

How long did it take you to write your script, and why James Dean and Rebel Without a Cause?
It took about three years. First off—James Dean is just cool. Without him, we might never have seen actors like River Phoenix, Keanu Reeves, Austin Butler, or Leonardo DiCaprio. But I didn’t want to make a museum piece. Even though the story is set in the 1950s, I wanted it to speak directly to a Gen Z audience. That’s why the series is told from the point of view of the actors themselves—two of whom were actual teenagers at the time.

What happens in the pilot episode?
It takes place in Hollywood, 1955. Director Nicholas Ray is racing to cast and mount Rebel Without a Cause while juggling a combustible James Dean on the verge of stardom, a fiercely ambitious Natalie Wood trying to land her first “adult” role, and a “closeted” fragile outsider Sal Mineo. The pilot leans into identity, sexuality, and the alchemy that happens when the right people collide at the right moment. It’s about the lightning in a bottle that made Rebel a classic—and the personal cost behind the myth.

What is your ultimate ambition as a writer?
To see one of my scripts produced—and to move people. That’s the dream: to tell stories that resonate, that stay with you long after the credits roll.

What was your experience like with The Wiki Screenplay Contest?
Fantastic. I love that they run it every month, and their feedback and encouragement have been incredible. I only wish I’d discovered them sooner. I first submitted Rebels to The Black List last year. The initial feedback was great, and my scores were high. But after making the changes they suggested and resubmitting, my scores kept dropping. I also submitted it to Big Break and made it to the semifinals. But Wiki really got it—and that meant everything. From now on, Wiki will be my first stop with anything I write.

What’s your all-time favorite movie or television show—and why?
I love foreign films. My two all-time favorites are Cinema Paradiso and The Godfather. What can I say? I was born and raised in the Bronx.

What advice do you have for writers hoping to win a contest or place as a finalist?
Commit fully. Don’t hold back. Get your ideas on the page—no matter how messy. Writing is rewriting. And then rewriting again.

What else are you working on that the world needs to know about?
I just finished a screenplay called Takin’ It to the Streets. It’s a coming-of-age story set in the Bronx in the 1970s—a love letter to the films that shaped me and made me want to become a filmmaker. Wiki recently named it a finalist as well.