Youngstown native dreamed up idea for 'Snakes On A Plane'

Dave Dalessandro walked the red carpet behind Samuel L. Jackson.
By GUY D'ASTOLFO
VINDICATOR ENTERTAINMENT WRITER
PITTSBURGH -- Back in the early '90s, would-be Hollywood screenwriter Dave Dalessandro got an idea for a dark suspense thriller.
It involved snakes. On a plane.
It took a while, but the Youngstown native's idea finally made it to the screen, even though the final product was not the way he would have done it.
"Snakes On A Plane" opened Friday, taking in $15.3 million in its first weekend. It was enough to lead the nation in sales but was still a disappointment. New Line Cinema, which made the movie for $30 million, was hoping its opening gross would be in the low $20s.
Dalessandro got a credit for the story idea but not as a writer, since the film was rewritten as a campy B-movie that pokes fun at itself, instead of the straight-faced fright flick he intended it to be.
Still, Dalessandro isn't complaining very much.
The 1967 East High graduate was flown to Hollywood last week for the film's premiere by its studio, New Line.
"They limo'd me everywhere, put me in a suite," said Dalessandro. "I entered the theater on the red carpet behind [leading man] Samuel L. Jackson. I felt like a star."
'Venom' history
The saga of how "Venom" -- the title of Dalessandro's original script -- wriggled its way into the bizarre Internet-buzz phenomenon known as "SOaP" has left Dalessandro bemused.
In 1995, "Venom" was auctioned to studios but got no buyers. Four years later, a producer took the idea to Paramount, but it went nowhere.
When New Line finally decided to make the film, it was originally called "Venom" with "snakes on a plane" underneath it as a shorthand note from the producer. Gradually, the say-it-all summary line usurped "Venom" as the title, and the Internet fans latched on.
Though Dalessandro is glad to finally get some Hollywood success, he's just a tad disappointed over what might have been.
"I wrote a horror-thriller, something like 'Aliens on Earth,'" he said. "They turned it into an inside industry joke for Internet fans."
The movie's producers famously sought -- and took -- the advice of an online community that had become infatuated with the title. What started out as a horror flick became an intentional B-movie, pumped up with obscenities, sex and cheesy special effects.
At one point, the studio chiefs decided to rename it "Pacific Air Flight 121," but Jackson, the film's star, urged them to keep the campy moniker.
"It's hard to mix horror and humor," said Dalessandro. "They did a good job for what they tried to do. Critics have given it some good reviews. But it's not what it could have been."
He expects "Snakes" to take in about $40 million -- far short of even a second-rate thriller like "Anaconda," which also involved snakes.
How idea grew
Dalessandro got the idea from a magazine article about snakes' getting aboard the cargo holds of planes during World War II and getting loose in Hawaii.
"I thought, 'What if the snake got loose on the plane?'" he said. Dalessandro decided to go with the taipan, a highly venomous snake native to Australia that is both aggressive and territorial.
"They would make the plane their territory," he said.
Dalessandro has gotten his 15 minutes of fame and then some, thanks to the movie. "I'm enjoying it while it lasts," he said.
A vice chancellor at the University of Pittsburgh, he's become a recognizable face around campus.
He worked out a deal for his services with New Line that includes a bonus if the movie reaps $100 million. "But that's not going to happen," he said.
Dalessandro has written about 10 screenplays. "SOaP" is the first to make it to the screen, but it might not be last. Thanks to his new-found cachet, he's gained some footing, and he's talking with LionsGate studios about another script.
"I've got deniability. I didn't write the final script, so they can't put that on me, but I did get credit for a story that was made into a successful film," he said with a laugh.
Dalessandro, who is also a lawyer, grew up on the East Side of Youngstown and attended Miami University of Ohio and Duquesne University School of Law.
He left the city in the early '80s and began working for the University of Pittsburgh.
The son of Jenny Dalessandro, a longtime member of the Youngstown Board of Education, he is married to the former Judy Manser, also of Youngstown.