About Robert Jordan: On September 16 2007, Jim Rigney, whose pen name was Robert Jordan, the author of The Wheel of Time series, died in Charleston, SC. He was America’s highest selling fantasy writer, and was in the middle of writing his final book in the series. In addition, he wrote historical novels set during the revolutionary war, he also wrote additional books for the iconic Conan the Barbarian series. After two years of battling amyloidosis, he died peacefully and respectfully, surrounded by friends and family. Despite selling over thirty million copies of his books, and achieving notoriety around the globe, very little is known about Jordan due to his private nature.

About Robert Jordan:

On September 16 2007, Jim Rigney, whose pen name was Robert Jordan, the author of The Wheel of Time series, died in Charleston, SC. He was America’s highest selling fantasy writer, and was in the middle of writing his final book in the series. In addition, he wrote historical novels set during the revolutionary war, he also wrote additional books for the iconic Conan the Barbarian series. After two years of battling amyloidosis, he died peacefully and respectfully, surrounded by friends and family.

Despite selling over thirty million copies of his books, and achieving notoriety around the globe, very little is known about Jordan due to his private nature.

About the Film:

The Wit of the Staircase” will focus on Robert Jordan’s life – beginning with the writer’s early years, growing up in Charleston, his tours of duty in Vietnam, his relationship with his wife and step-son, the creation of The Wheel of Time series and its enormous success; as well as his contributions to the fantasy genre; which has undergone a popular resurgence in the past decade. The filmmakers are especially well positioned to show the life of this man who was our friend and colleague for many years. The project will be comprised of new interviews with Jordan’s family and friends. We will use photographs obtained from his family, as well as Footage shot by fans and family members. We will secure interviews with literary contemporaries, family members, friends, assistants, and Brandon Sanderson the author chosen to complete the final book in The Wheel of Time series.

The initial target audience will mainly consist of fans of Robert Jordan. We plan to expand from that to the wider fantasy community, the literary world, and those interested in regional southern issues.

Work Already Completed:

In July of 2007 we interviewed Robert Jordan about his life, his work, and southern literature. Not only was it a rare appearance, but it was the last time he appeared on camera. The interview was an hour and half long and captured in high definition video. Utilizing this exclusive footage, as well as the added insight of being a family friend, we are now making a feature-length documentary on Robert Jordan, tentatively titled “The Wit of the Staircase.” Check out our blog for up-to-date info on what we’re up to!

Our Goal:

This film will be the definitive biographical documentary about a writer with a fan base of millions that has only grown more and more as time goes on. For the first time, his family and friends will speak out together about the man that made such a huge impact on their lives which will enable the viewer feel the same connection as them. Fans can forever go back to this film and have the one true source of information on their favorite writer.

Creating High Production Values at Low Costs:

Utilizing the latest advances in digital technology, we will be filming, editing, and delivering in HD. Although some third-party and archival footage is only available in standard definition, all of the new footage shot will be captured in glorious 1080 line resolution at 30fps progressive scanning. Costs will be minimized, as the production company already has full ownership of all the camera, sound, and editing workstation resources required to complete the film in high def. Since we are shooting with such high quality equipment, additional distribution avenues will be available, such as film-based exhibition, HD-only distributers, and premium delivery formats like Blu-ray.