Auditions for NEW FILM: "A NAKED LUNCH" inspired by the writings of WILLIAM S. BURROUGHS

About the project and the company

It’s no great secret that William S. Burroughs wrote a book in the fifties called Naked Lunch which decimated and destroyed censorship in America. It’s also no great secret that in 1991 David Cronenberg made a film supposedly based on Naked Lunch.

So, what is this?

I’ve been reading the books of William S. Burroughs since I was fourteen, struggling as I was, in Junior High School in 1991.

For the most part, Burroughs’ ‘novel’, Naked Lunch, is almost literally impossible to adapt as a literal version of the book itself in an adaptation. What can be adapted, though, is the mood and voice of not just Naked Lunch, but all of Burroughs’ works.

You may ask, why adapt Naked Lunch now when the movie came out decades ago to critical acclaim? Why another film?

My answer is simple. Yes, we need a new film of Naked Lunch, because of many factors, chiefly that the film totally wimps out when it comes to gay characters or situations. Even Bill Lee is not really a homosexual, instead, in the film, being gay is just a cover for the literary espionage which occurs. But I say to you that Bill Lee like most all of Burroughs’ characters is unapologetically queer through and through and by skipping over the facts and changing Bill into a heterosexual, guts the piece, robbing the reader/viewer of the impossible to reconcile behaviors and words of the very gay Bill Lee.

We also need a new film whose tone and voice resemble Burroughs’ books, but not, as I previously said, in a direct adaption (Which is pretty much impossible) but instead, blatantly inspired by the books of William S. Burroughs, mostly showing up in scenes with manic tempos and screaming characters, outrageous statements made by characters which dance and shout out forbidden notions casually spoken, lots of gallows humor and sex and anything else you can think of that could possibly offend an audience.

If I were asked to state an author closest to William S. Burroughs, I’d unequivocally say Jonathan Swift, in particular in his mock essay: “A modest Proposal”. Remember as you read the script that this film is a comedy, a satire, especially when it gets ultra-dark and perverse. The same can be said of everything William S. Burroughs wrote. The whole thing, both Burroughs’ original book “Naked Lunch” and this film we are about to make are highly influenced by Vaudeville and Minstrel Shows of the 19^th Century. Burroughs always made it clear to others that Naked Lunch was not a novel, but rather a collection of skits with shared tones and ideas which could be read in any order.

I go in the other direction with this film, finding the material perfect for an underground narrative film with a cohesive story even if the narrative is invented by Mark Keller and myself and not Burroughs’.

I guess the purpose of this film, apart from the joy of making it, the reward that it will give us, is to point people back to the books of William S. Burroughs, by showing everybody the tone and style of Burroughs cinematographically to lure them to his Literary Corpus.

If you’ve never read or even heard about William S. Burroughs, I should probably give you a warning that this screenplay is very extreme, offensive, and/or outrageous. If you’re not offended or disturbed by this script, there’s probably something wrong with you. But remember if you can, no matter how dark it gets, it’s always funny and entertaining.

Audition requirements

Auditions for "A Naked Lunch" will be done at home on video and sent to tvsfrank3000@gmail.com. For the audition, record yourself doing any of the sides you want and send it to the email above. Each video should begin with you answering the following questions: Your name, your availability, and if there is a part you're interested in already. Also, let us know if you can do nudity in the film. When you email your audition to us, send an attachment as well, with a photo of you and your resume. For the Sides for auditions, request them via email at tvsfrank3000@gmail.com and they will be sent to you very quickly.