Editing Sleepless in Seattle (section)

=== Writing ===
[[File:Nora Ephron.jpg|thumb|260x260px|Originally hired to improve ''Sleepless in Seattle''<nowiki/>'s script, [[Nora Ephron]] was eventually promoted to director, replacing [[Nick Castle]].  ]]
Several writers and directors were involved with ''Sleepless in Seattle'' at various stages of development,<ref name=":3" /> with Arch's script being re-written approximately five times.<ref name=":45" /> Arch's original concept was more akin to a [[Romantic Drama|romantic drama]] than a romantic comedy.<ref name=":34">{{Cite news |last=Siede |first=Caroline |date=June 22, 2018 |title=25 years ago, Sleepless In Seattle found the romantic hiding in the cynic |work=[[The A.V. Club]] |url=https://www.avclub.com/25-years-ago-sleepless-in-seattle-found-the-romantic-h-1826855118 |access-date=January 5, 2025}}</ref> Despite already featuring several of the film's major elements, such as a central father-son relationship and references to the romance film ''[[An Affair to Remember]]'' (1957),<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":7" /> Arch admitted his script was not funny enough.<ref name=":3" /> Dramatist [[Larry Atlas]] attempted some revisions, most of which were discarded.<ref name=":7" /> Foster interviewed at least 10 potential writers before hiring [[David S. Ward]] to re-write Arch's script.<ref name=":4" /> Among the most significant changes, Ward decided to have Jonah call the radio station on Sam's behalf.<ref name=":4" /> Insisting that no self-respecting man would deliberately call a radio show to share his emotional grievances,<ref name=":4" /> Ward suggested that Sam be coerced by Jonah into revealing how he feels about his late wife to several single women throughout the country, including Annie.<ref name=":3" /> Arch credits Ward with convincing the studio to not give up on the film, believing the latter's Academy Award for writing ''[[The Sting]]'' (1973) helped them take him seriously as a filmmaker.<ref name=":44" /> However, the studio constantly pushed for an edgier and quirkier film.<ref name=":45" /> Despite acknowledging Ward's work as "a big step forward for the script", Foster was not entirely satisfied with the revisions and forwarded them to writer [[Nora Ephron]], having been a fan of her work on ''[[When Harry Met Sally...]]'' (1989).<ref name=":3" /> Ephron had been Foster's first choice, hoping she could offer the script "a cynical layer to justify the organic sweetness", but she was unavailable when first approached to re-write.<ref name=":4" />

At least four writers attempted to rework ''Sleepless in Seattle'' before Ephron was recruited to "polish" the fifth and final draft.<ref name=":45" /><ref name=":9">{{Cite web |date=June 21, 2007 |title=Nora Ephron Interview |url=http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/eph0int-2 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150701023133/http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/eph0int-2 |archive-date=July 1, 2015 |access-date=March 15, 2022 |website=[[Academy of Achievement]]}}</ref><ref name=":58">{{Cite book |last=Ephron |first=Nora |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SZ8mCgAAQBAJ&dq=Delia+ephron+sleepless+in+seattle+interview&pg=PT35 |title=Nora Ephron: The Last Interview: and Other Conversations |publisher=[[Melville House Publishing]] |year=2015 |isbn=9781612195254 |location=United States |author-link=Nora Ephron |via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref> Ephron had been searching for [[script doctor]]ing jobs shortly after her directorial debut ''[[This Is My Life (1992 film)|This Is My Life]]'' (1992) proved unprofitable at the box office.<ref name=":9" /><ref name=":1">{{Cite magazine |last=Frascella |first=Lawrence |date=July 8, 1993 |title=On the Front Lines With Nora Ephron |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/movie-news/on-the-front-lines-with-nora-ephron-61704/ |access-date=March 14, 2022}}</ref><ref name=":63">{{Cite web |last=Looney |first=Deborah |title=Sleepless in Seattle |url=https://www.tcm.com/watchtcm/titles/18873 |access-date=March 22, 2022 |website=[[Turner Classic Movies|Watch TCM]] |id=Click the "more" sub-menu under the "ARTICLES" heading, for the entire article.}}</ref> Admitting that she never would have conceived the film herself,<ref name=":56" /> Ephron initially accepted ''Sleepless in Seattle'' as a fun, easy writing project from which she could quickly earn money.<ref name=":7" /><ref name=":59" /> Although she found Arch's version simple and unfunny, Ephron particularly liked his romantic ending involving the Empire State Building,<ref name=":9" /> and was interested in several ideas discussed in Ward's second draft,<ref name=":1" /> particularly how movies affect people's perception about romance.<ref name=":63" /> Ephron assured Foster that she could re-write the script within three weeks,<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |date=May 18, 2020 |title=AFI Movie Club: Sleepless in Seattle |url=https://www.afi.com/afi-movie-club-sleepless-in-seattle/ |access-date=March 14, 2022 |website=[[American Film Institute]]}}</ref> adapting it into a funnier version of itself without entirely making it a comedy.<ref name=":9" /> She specifically improved Annie and Jonah's roles.<ref name=":58" /> In an early draft, the character of Annie was in the midst of ending an unhappy relationship; Ephron wrote this out of the film because she found Annie's original backstory inconsequential in comparison to Sam's loss of his wife.<ref name=":22" /> Annie was also relocated from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, to Baltimore, Maryland, as the character had originally been conceived as a Lancaster-based reporter.<ref name=":59" /> Foster credits Ephron with contributing most of the film's dialogue, while de-emphasizing much of Arch's sentimentality.<ref name=":8">{{Cite news |last=Hartl |first=John |date=June 20, 1993 |title=Sleeping In Seattle |work=[[The Seattle Times]] |url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/?date=19930620&slug=1707282 |access-date=March 15, 2022 |quote=Early reviews have been encouraging.}}</ref> While crediting Ephron with providing her trademark wit and snark the studio felt the original script lacked, Arch does not think all of Ephron's ideas particularly elevated the film.<ref name=":44" /> Describing themselves as quite different as writers, Arch likened their working relationship to "a parent and a step-parent of the same kid".<ref name=":44" /> However, they shared a strong love for [[Classical Hollywood cinema|classic films]],<ref name=":44" /> with Ephron admitting she herself once considered ''An Affair to Remember'' to be "the greatest movie I'd ever seen".<ref name=":1" /> Ephron said the final film turned out funnier than she had imagined.<ref name=":56" />

Castle left the project over disagreements with Ephron's edgier, less sentimental script,<ref name=":8" /> accusing her of stripping the film of emotion.<ref name=":45" /> Ephron claims virtually everyone liked the final script she submitted, apart from Castle.<ref name=":58" /><ref name=":59">{{Cite news |last=Hunter |first=Stephen |author-link=Stephen Hunter |date=June 25, 1993 |title=Ephron balked at Pennsylvania, so . . . Baltimore! Long-distance love has 'em 'Sleepless' |work=[[The Baltimore Sun]] |url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-1993-06-25-1993176137-story.html |access-date=March 30, 2022 |quote=Coming from print, I had overestimated the idea how important it was to say my lines. I saw how great it was when people brought their own presents to the party. The great thing for a director is to have an atmosphere where anyone can bring something. You end up with something better than your own script.}}</ref> Impressed by Ephron's swiftness and dedication, Foster invited her to direct.<ref name=":3" /> Although Ephron protested the film was not quite ready to be directed, feeling it warranted at least one more rewrite, she eventually accepted and recruited her sister [[Delia Ephron|Delia]] to help improve several scenes.<ref name=":9" /><ref name=":22" /> One such moment was the final scene in which Annie meets Sam and Jonah atop the Empire State building; Delia suggested that the father and son should be returning to the observation deck just as Annie is readying to leave, instead of having already exited the building.<ref name=":22" /> Despite serving as an associate producer alongside Arch,<ref name=":3" /> [[Delia Ephron|Delia]] remains uncredited for her script contributions,<ref name=":56">{{Cite news |last=Simon |first=Jeff |date=June 27, 1993 |title=Breakthrough: Ephron Laughs her Way into 'Sleepless' Romance |work=[[The Buffalo News]] |url=https://buffalonews.com/news/breakthrough-ephron-laughs-her-way-into-sleepless-romance/article_ddcfb867-8e7e-5504-9637-0aa329d43d6d.html |access-date=March 28, 2022}}</ref><ref name=":6">{{Cite web |last=Cormier |first=Roger |date=June 27, 2015 |title=15 Heartfelt Facts About Sleepless in Seattle |url=https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/65469/15-heartfelt-facts-about-sleepless-seattle |access-date=March 14, 2022 |website=[[Mental Floss]]}}</ref> although a script dated March 10, 1992, is credited to Arch with re-writes by Nora and Delia Ephron.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Arch |first1=Jeff |last2=Ephron |first2=Nora |author-link2=Nora Ephron |last3=Ephron |first3=Delia |author-link3=Delia Ephron |date=March 10, 1992 |title=Sleepless in Seattle by Jeff Arch |url=https://www.scriptslug.com/assets/scripts/sleepless-in-seatlle-1993.pdf |access-date=March 31, 2022 |website=Script Slug}}</ref> Ephron considers ''Sleepless in Seattle'' a "secret present" to their late parents, who were also screenwriters, as well as classic Hollywood movies.<ref name=":56" /> As "a movie about love that was also about movies about love", Ephron aimed to direct a "timeless" film audiences could watch for several years, without it feeling like it was made in 1993.<ref name=":59" />

Ephron was also determined to give each character a "moment", such as when the minor mailman character has an inconsequential conversation about hiccups with Sam's son Jonah.<ref name=":2" /> At one point, the script mentioned that Sam and Annie had once both lived in Chicago at the same time, but this was edited out of the final film.<ref name=":6" /> ''Sleepless in Seattle'' became Ephron's second directorial effort.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Durling |first=Roger |title=Sleepless in Seattle |url=https://sbiff.org/sleepless-in-seattle/ |access-date=March 14, 2022 |website=[[Santa Barbara International Film Festival]]}}</ref> ''[[Premiere (magazine)|Premiere]]'' reported that, once Ephron became involved, the film "changed ... from a script that almost everyone had turned down into one that almost everyone wanted to be involved with".<ref name=":45" /> Although Arch did not necessarily agree that Ephron saved the film, he understood that "sometimes, you're not the star but that if you keep doing your job right, you will be the star", and maintains that several scenes ultimately remained almost exactly how he had envisioned them in his first draft, despite several re-writes.<ref name=":45" />