 Ehren Kruger wrote three drafts of the screenplay before Scott Frank came on to do an uncredited rewrite.Verbinski was initially inspired to do a remake of "Ringu" after Walter F. Parkes sent him a VHS copy of the original Japanese film, which he describes as "intriguing", "Pulp" and "avant-garde".Producer Neal Edelstein offered the remake to David Lynch to direct, but he turned it down.