Michael Crichton(1942-2008)

After the success of Jurassic Park (1993), Soleil levant (1993), Harcèlement (1994) and Congo (1995) (all adaptations of Crichton's novels), he was paid a substantial amount for the movie rights of his future bestseller Airframe before it was even published. Sigourney Weaver, Gwyneth Paltrow and Demi Moore were reportedly linked to the project. However, the movie adaptation was permanently shelved when Crichton could not agree on a screenplay that he liked, after which he returned the money.

[First line of his autobiography] It's not easy to cut through a human head with a hacksaw."