Few days ago, writer/director Rian Johnson shared a priceless document on the Tumblr dedicated to Looper: the four page story he wrote in 2002 that became the feature film that was released last September. (you can download and read the script here.)

Back in 2002, Johnson was getting frustrated as he was unsuccessfully trying to make his first feature, Brick, happen. He wrote a short sketch (as he names it) to shoot as a short low-budget with friends. Then Brick got made and kickstarted his career.

Several years after, the premise of a low-budget short got dusted out from a drawer and became Looper.

Here is what Johnson says about his early ‘draft’:

This is the original four page sketch for Looper, written in 2002. At the time I intended to

ﬁlm it, just with a video camera and a few friends, but we never did and it sat in a drawer

for seven years. It’s presented here for the curious, exactly as I wrote it ten years ago.

Thanks for reading.

Rian

December 2012

Johnson is one of those directors who are truly connecting with their audience thanks to tumblr and twitter, even after their movie is released. I love that he gets to share this with us, without having changed any words, and if anything, this is a proof that every idea is worth writing down and keeping.

An idea scribbled down in couple of hours that doesn’t see light or isn’t properly developed today might become a feature in a decade. When you think about all the notes you probably already have accumulated, this is an exciting prospect!

To download and read Johnson’s early Looper draft, click here.

If you want to know more about Johnson, how he started and his work process, click here.