"Savages": Don Winslow talks text to screenplay

With the plethora of options for moviegoers this summer, a flick has to do a lot of attract audience and even more to stand out with the critics. Savages, a movie based on the novel of 2010 of the same name by Don Winslow, has critics reviewing its fate. One look at the trailer and one can easily gauge the plot: marijuana growers, kidnapping of some sort and people getting in trouble.

Two friends from the Laguna Beach on the West Coast are such genius pot growers that they come up with their own variety of a plant that is so potent and so rare that ears South of the border are alerted. Something of this scale could possibly not be expected to stay with the confines of California and that’s where it gets interesting.

Inevitably the two friend’s girlfriend, names “O” for “Ophelia” gets kidnapped by a Mexican Drug Cartel which is best to be feared. In an interview with the book's author, Don Winslow, a lot about the workings of the conversion of the book into Oliver Stone's movie is revealed.

When CNN inquired about the process of adapting the book to the flick, Winslow replied with: “It was challenging, more kind of intellectually than any other way. ... One thing we all immediately agreed upon was we wanted to keep the characters consistent to the book. You knew a few of the story elements would have to change -- the core elements of the story are all there -- so I had to adjust a little bit.”

When asked how he developed the character of Ophelia, somebody so sure of her sexuality and who takes charge immediately, especially from a male author is kind of another story, he says: “I wanted to have a character that was, one, unabashedly in charge of her own sexuality. You know? It's just out there. She is who she is, she's going to do what she wants to do, and she's not apologizing for it. And that's been controversial. I also needed that sort of commentator that could comment on the story and comment on society and ... do it in an honest way that's hopefully funny.

I just got really fond of her. I didn't start taking notes and say that O should be [like this]. It just sort of took over, really ... that's tough to explain from a guy.”

Don has also written a book called “The Kings of Cool”; CNN inquires if that is going to be formed into a movie anytime soon. Winslow says: “It's not on my mind right now, we've been so, so busy. I did another screenplay with Shane Salerno called "Satori" with Leonardo DiCaprio; Chuck Hogan from "The Town" and I are doing an original screen story; and I have three books I want to write right now. So we'll see.”

Just like the audience will see if Savages is really all that and not just talk.