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Both the novel that you have just read and the ed my life forever--twice

Now, I realize that is a rather extreme statement--and film producers are known to succumb to hyperbole every now and then--but, in this case, it is, if anything, an understate Richard Matheson, twenty-two years ago

In January 1976,1 enty-nine years old and looking for a job in the movie business A friend recommended I read a book named Bid Time Return, by Richard Matheson As soon as I finished the book, I knew I had to get in the ht away so I could produce the filet myself hired by a film producer named Ray Stark as his assistant My very first phone call on e to meet Richard

The next week, we met for lunch at an old restaurant in Burbank named Sorrentino’s We became instant friends and, in a handshake, he promised we could work out a deal to develop Bid Time Return as a film It took three years, but the collaboration bore fruit In 1979, I produced my first film--Somewhere in Time, based on Bid Ti those three years, Richard beca ing my perspectives on what it truly may mean to be hued my life

(I have recently been amused to hear from Somewhere in Ti to have produced Somewhere in Time when the listed producer is Stephen Deutsch To clarify this, only recently have I legally returned to my birth name of "Simon" from my adopted name of "Deutsch" So Deutsch did produce Somewhere in Time, but now he is Simon, or perhaps I should say Simon produced Soet the idea)

Just before we commenced pre-production of Somewhere in Tialleys of a new book he had written Of course, I was thrilled Early that evening, I read What Drea and cried--no, sobbed--all the way through When I finished, I felt like I had gone through an initiation intofor forever I didn’t sleep that night In the wee hours, I read the book again, and sobbed through it again In that moment, I became a consciousthe most unique love story ever written to the screen; hence, the second ti, I rushed to Richard’s house to hug hi him to "let me run" with What Dreams May Come, that is, pursue it as a film Richard had been very pleased with Sonition of and his bemusement with my obsessive passion to do it, convinced Richard to make another handshake deal with me And, I assured him, it "wouldn’t take three years this tiht--it’s taken nineteen years! My partner, Bar-net Bain, and I have now produced the screen version of What Dreah our production company, Metafilmics, in association with Ted Field’s Inter-scope Communications The film was financed and will be distributed ide by PolyGra, Jr, Annabella Sciorra, and Max von Sydow and was directed by Vincent Ward, who most recently directed another wonderful love story entitled Map of the Hu screenwriter, Ron Bass (Rainman), adapted the book for the screen

The tale of those nineteen years is, obviously, another story Suffice it now to say that both Ted Field (Interscope Communications) and Michael Kuhn (PolyGraa

So to the book itself, why my passion? Why has it becoed people’s lives? First, and I believe foreinal love story It is said that the keys to a great love story are the obstacles-which the lovers e of a story which transpires in the afterlife is the question of jeopardy What sure jeopardy can there be if one cannot die? Richard’s genius addressed both of the issues in one bold and innovative plot development

Second, the bold way in which Richard creates a whole cos the reader the opportunity to truly experience a whole world--not just glih the "tunnel," but a whole world

Third, over the years, I’ve participated in and witnessed another phenomenon about the book Many people have read this book for the first time literally as they entered the last days or even hours of their lives For exa of cancer The woman was terrified of death because she had never been exposed to a belief systee between incarnations and other realave this book to my friend who read it and passed it on to her ed Her fear passed When she did "cross over" a few days later, my friend was at her side and reported to me that her mother was peaceful and even anticipatory in those last few moments; further, my friend had the distinct iered in the room to comfort my friend and let her know that all ith her mother Nohen a work of art (as this book truly is) can help a reader transcend life itself, it deserves to be viewed in a very special light all its own

What Dreams May Come is a truly visionary novel written by a visionary author at the top of his powers We need to remember that the self-examination and consciousness of the 90s didn’t exist twenty years ago when Richard wrote the book Today, every branch of the entertaines and es In music today, the record stores have whole areas devoted to Enya, Yanni, when twenty years ago, it was a corner bin in the back--maybe Remember? In the world of books today, The Celestine Prophecy sells twelve million copies, Deepak Chopra’s books sell way into the millions, and the bookstores and bestseller lists are replete with such books Twenty years ago, you had to go to specialty bookstores to find "that" kind of ood reasons why I couldn’t find financing for the film until now--neither the industry nor the world was ready for Richard’s version of twenty years ago, until now

Richard Matheson saw a lot of this co awareness of our era, the questions he kneould be asked about the nature of existence, and he wrote a truly evolutionary novel Into it, he suffused his love for his wonderful wife, Ruth Only someone who loves as deeply as Richard loves Ruth could write the epic love story depicted in these pages

Over the years, Richard and I have laughed--and cried, that he wrote a novel that ay ahead of its tih, unlike others before hinized and come to fruition This special edition and the filenius The vision and the visionary converge in the ical illusion we call life

If you want to knohat issues huuy sitting at his desk in Southern California who has, I assure you, already seen that world In fact, he’s probably writing about it as you read this

I can think of no greater honor than being asked to write this afterword about an extraordinary adventure into love and life

--Stephen Simon