A script doctor is a writer or playwright hired by a film, television, or theatre production company to rewrite an existing script or improve specific aspects of it, including structure, characterization, dialogue, pacing, themes, and other elements. Script doctors generally do their work uncredited for a variety of commercial and artistic reasons. They are usually brought in for scripts that have been almost "green-lit" during the development and pre-production phases of a film to address specific issues with the script, as identified by the financiers, production team, and cast. To receive credit, the Writers Guild of America screenwriting credit system requires a second screenwriter to contribute more than 50 percent of an original screenplay or 33 percent of an adaptation. Uncredited screenwriters are not eligible to win the Academy Award or the Writers Guild of America Award.

Examples

Many screenwriters have done uncredited work on screenplays: