
Now I don't know if, when, or how the romantic comedy movie genre will get back on its feet again, and become a mainstay in the greater movie landscape. BUT I thought I'd use this post to remind you that there is a lot of romance in the movies.
Even in some of the most popular movie franchises of all-time: "Star Wars" (1977 through 2015, seven movies with many, many core to come); Hans Solo and Leia, then Annakin and Padme, Indiana Jones movies (1981 through 2012, five movies with maybe some more to come) Indiana Jones and Miram. Every James Bond movie has James Bond in some kind of adventure with a hottie. Even the Superhero movies poke around and tease with romance from time-to-time. Why, in just the last Captain America movie, there was a hint of romance between Captain America and some agent from S.H.I.E.L.D., the CIA or some agency.
Anywho, my point is, yes, there is still romance being implored in the movies today--even if it's not come from the main, more obveous spout of the romantic comedy genre. The sad thing is, I can't even remember a single, rom-com movie release so far for this year in 2016. Going on about 11 months since Amy Schumer's "Trainwreck" (directed by Judd Apatow, written by Amy Schumer) raunch-com came out. That's a LONG LONG time to wait. I guess the point is we need to get Amy Schumer off the shtick so we can get this genre going again.

Just kidding. Big of Amy's, but in all honesty the rom-com genre needs more partispants than just her.
Okay, so now up to this point I've made two key points. The first, is that if you look at the grander lexicon of movies you will find lesser versions of romance in bigger released flims. My 2nd point was romantic comedies are not being made these days anymore. Sorry, 11 months in between a major movie release means that your genre is dead. Wish that wasn't the case, but sadly it is.
So where do we go from here. Well-p, I'm not going to let Hollywood tell me what stories I should be satisfied with, so I'm writing my own that are infinately better than the releases that they are putting out right now. And someday, if I ever get discovered, and movies made off my scripts ever get made, romance is coming back, baby! O, yeah it's coming back fresh, and better than it ever was before. Check out my list of scripts I've written. Already the change for the better written and ready to roll.
Never give up on your dreams, irreguardless of market conditions. Why? Because conditions change. And people's tastes change. The romantic comedy has so much to offer people in the form of inspiration, laughs, and an improvent in life. Hollywood may have lost sight of that, but I never have.
Getting back to the crux of this post: an expanded romantic universe. Wow, what a title, huh? Can I live up to such a tittle? Yes, I believe I can. And it's in what I'm writing right now! I've already hyped up the truth that in this epic fantasy novel I'm writing it has three BIG romances that all happen from cute meet to joyous defeat. No, they are not atypical rom-com fair BUT they are romances that play a key part in the greater story that's being told. And guess what folks, in all honesty I don't JUST have three romances in this story, I actually have many more. Some even in the vain of a tragic romance like Anakin and Padme! In doing recent rewrites of the prolog, I really fleshed out a tragic romance that frames part of the backstory for one my greater story villians.
Hey, wait a minute, can villians really have a romance?

Dude, if your outlook on romance and characters is that narrow, you really need to grow up! YES, villains can have romances. Rember that movie, "Wall Street" (1987: directed by Oliver Stone, writers Stanley Weiser, and Oliver Stone) which stared Chalie Sheen (before he went completely nuts), Daryl Hannah, and Michael Douglas? Well in that movie there is a complication where at one point the villain of the movie, Gordon Gecko (Michael Douglas' character) was an item with Daryl Hannah's character, which is a complication for the budding romance that happening between Charlie Sheen and Daryl Hannah's character. Besides that their alway the Bellamy character/the wrong guy who complicates things in some romantic comedies. And from his or her perspective they are in a romance of their own, it just doesn't have a happy ending.
"Ewww gross, I just got a kiss from ol' E.C."
I'm a HUGE propoent of romance in stories. A long time ago when I was in junior college I can still remember a female, litteray professor say that if a story didn't have a romance in it, she wasn't interested. I thiink that was the original kernal that stuck in my craw keying me in long before I became a writer that romance was important. Now today as much more savy and self-realized person I find romance comes a lot of time out the backstory that people have. Many of the romances and romantic trajectories of the characters that I've penned comes out of their character bios and backstories. The wonderfull thing about writing a novel as opposed to a screenplay is that in a novel you have the luxury of going into as many characters as you want and flesh them out. During which time you have a prime opportunity to tell a story with a romance in it. Which is what I do time and time again in this epic fantasy story that I've written.
Heres' some of the expanded romantic storylines that I explore in the epic fantasy novel that I have written:
- Sexually frustared and romantically inexperienced protagonist persues and entually wins the heart of a princess despite the major complications that their romance has a seveal key characters in this tory: Main love story.
- A dark hearted rival in relation to the main protagonist falls in love with a beautiful, but risky and troubled maid who locked into a life-long service contract with the main antagonist of the story: 2nd main romance of the story.
- Dashing young prince whose world has just crumbled rescues a damsel in distress. She falls in love with him, but has strong ties to the main antogonist's henchmen which risks the safety of anyone that she's close to. 3rd main romance in the story.
- The father of the princes struggles with the legacy of his kingship in relation to his desceased wife because when he was younger he lost out on his bid to win the fairest woman who's husband should have been king in his place. 2nd tier love story stuff which affects several differernt characters in the story.
- The master antagonist had had an illicit, and religousy taboo affiar with a maid under his service which resulted in an unwanted pregancy which has swept under the carpet by him, but is a great sence of loss for that maid. Tragic romance complication.
- A young woman who has been sold into slavery secretly years for love she one had with the story's main, master henchmen, but a spiritual awkening in her casts the light for a greater life than the one she had previously thought was attainable. But her isolated slavery makes her fear that none of that may ever be acheivable.
- Story framing, greater expanded story villain, was at one point a teenager madly in love, who gave that up to pursue an ambition that turned unholy and grew to Hitler Nazi Germany proportions. Tragic romance of the Padme/Annakin varriety.
- A budding young officer in the army sets his sights on girl--only to have another young upstart come in under him and steal his girl away. Buddy rivalry romance.
- The master henchmen, who had given up on love as he was in the mindst of trying to rebuild his legacy, suddenly becomes awoken to the prospects of rehabilation his image when a girl from his past suddenly comes back into his world.
- A key subordinate underneath the master henchmen defiles and rapes an associate of his and the master henchmen, which puts a wedge in between their friendship, and risks the relationship between the master henchmen and the master antagonist of the story.
- Various cute meets and romatic sparring between teenagers in lavish, mediveal ballrooms all which in contact with villians who are inacting plans of thier own.
- A partying and womanizing prince from another kindgom tries to use his appeal and allure to win over women that seveal other 3rd tier characters have set their sights on.
- The humble, hardworking--yet disgraced by the king, father of the prince who is next in line to succeed in throne must deal with the one-time romantic rival for hand of the woman who went on to become his wife, and help his son who still struggles with the loss of his mother, who he was barely able to remember becasue she died when he was a little boy.
- A prince in the framing, greater master story has a Cinderella-esque romance with a maid under his father's service, but faces the prospect that he is most elgible and desirable bachellor in the world when he wins in an age-defining battle.
- A pagan tempress has an elict affair with a religiously taboo figure which has disasterous affects for all in their company and the history of the word.
Think I can't do romance? Think again skippy. Think I can't weave iconic romance into the greater character arcs of the people that populate this story? Think again! This story has romance in spades. Lots of romances. Count 'em up. I liste 15 and that's just off the top of my head!! Some romances that come and go. All that influence characters and central parts in their own individual character arcs. SOME of these romances DO have a happy ending. others are quite tragic and have lasting effects on geneartions to come. In some of these romances there are rapes and abortions. I'm pretty fearless about the things I write about--but even with subject matters like that, I deal with them tastefully.
Anyway, when I think about the greater, expanded romantic universe in the story I'm writing, I get excited for the future--and you should too! Someday, I will get discovered, and when that happens, happy days are here again. Why? Because, I get, honor and respect romance. And if given the chance to entertain I will bring back romance to the masses in a fresh new way that they have never experienced before.
Believe it.