The Queen’s Gambit was one of the most-watched series in the world this year and broke many records for Netflix. And as it turns out, Netflix’s overnight success took about 30 years to make; as screenwriter Allan Scott revealed that he struggled to get studios on-board with the epic chess drama.
The Queen’s Gambit is based on a young female chess prodigy who made a name for herself in Cold War-era America. The critically acclaimed show drew in a record 62 million viewers since airing in October; with a number one rating on the streaming platform in 63 countries worldwide.
But the limited series, based on the 1983 novel by Walter Tevis, nearly didn’t get made at all…
In an interview with BBC News this week, screenwriter Allan Scott drummed home the extraordinary fact that it took 30 years to finally get The Queen’s Gambit on our screens.
Scott bought the TV and film rights to The Queen’s Gambit in the late 1980s. But despite having a legion of cult movie hits to his name, including Shallow Grave and Priscilla, Queen Of The Desert; he could not find anyone to produce the project.
Many felt the subject matter was too dull to take off; the story clearly as underestimated as its main character. Scott rewrote the script nine times in order to get it right. He even then a slated film version of the story. Unfortunately, it was cut short by the tragic death of Heath Ledger, who was set to come on-board as a director for the project.
When Scott finally saw his work come to life as the series aired on Netflix a few months ago, another unfortunate event kept him from fully appreciating the moment.
“I’ve spent so long on The Queen’s Gambit,” Allan Scott said. “And in the past few months, I’ve spent every waking moment thinking about it,” the producer told The Sunday Post last month. “I was ill with COVID in the hospital when it [debuted] on Netflix for the first time. When I watched from my hospital bed I got a bit confused. I thought that it was another episode I’d been sent to help with the edit.”
The compelling story was released as a seven-part drama on Netflix in October. It has since picked up a legion of fans ever since. Such fans include authors George R.R Martin and Stephen King, who called the show “deeply resonating”, “utterly thrilling” and “deserving of awards”.
“What we show in the movie was true; there were no women chess players [of that era] in any chess club or reckoned at any level,” Scott told the BBC this week. “And I can’t think why because women are as capable of playing chess as men. It’s a very mysterious thing, that.”
As pointed out in the tweet below, Scott’s eventual success is a lesson to us all about the value of perseverance.
The Queen’s Gambit is available to watch on Netflix now.
