Larry David Script Leaks Online: Read ‘Prognosis: Negative’

Before “Seinfeld” and “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” there was “Prognosis: Negative,” a film script written by Larry David in the 1980s that was never produced.

Thanks to a Reddit user from Rochester, N.Y., a 1983 draft of the screenplay has been uploaded to the internet. (Read a PDF here.) The 24-year-old, named Jeremy Smith, bought the script on eBay from a seller offering unpublished scripts; it’s unclear how “Prognosis: Negative” was obtained in the first place.

The existence of “Prognosis: Negative” has long been known (its title was a recurring joke in “Seinfeld”), but the screenplay had never been available to read until now.

“Prognosis: Negative” follows a man named Leo Black, who is incapable of committing to women. When he discovers an ex-girlfriend is dying, he decides to rekindle their relationship. After all, she won’t be around for much longer.

The premise, of course, sounds straight out of an episode of “Curb Your Enthusiasm” or “Seinfeld.” And it’s worth noting that the protagonist’s name sounds strikingly similar to J.B. Smoove’s “Curb” sidekick Leon Black.

Robert B. Weide, who would later serve as a producer and director of “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” was an early advocate for “Prognosis: Negative” when he served as the head of development at a Hollywood agency that specialized in comedy. In an interview with The New York Times, Weide said “Prognosis: Negative” was “probably the funniest script that I read during my tenure there.”

Weide said he brought the script to the agency’s partners — Jack Rollins, Larry Brezner, Buddy Morra and Charles Joffe — and encouraged them to meet with David in 1983. During that meeting, the partners said the script had potential but was not ready to be shopped to studios. According to the notes taken at that meeting, the agency partners believed that “the basic problem” was that “the main character, Leo, is not at all likable.” They also noted that Leo was “‘too ethnic’ — too Jewish/neurotic,” according to Weide.

Weide recalled Brezner asking David if there was any way to make Leo more sympathetic. “Larry David was thinking about it and sort of weighing it in his head,” Weide said. “And then he looked at Brezner and said, ‘No, I don’t think so.’ And that was it.”

David declined to take the agency’s notes, and “Prognosis: Negative” was never made. “I look at the notes from that meeting now, and my stomach just churns for 1983 Larry,” Weide told the Times in an email. “The idea of having to implement notes that you don’t agree with in order to possibly get something made is a terrible position to be in if you have any creative integrity. And Larry sure could have used the money back then.”

Of course, David went on to build one of the most illustrious careers in television with characters who are often arrogant, petty and unlikable by traditional media standards. “Leo Black is Larry David,” Weide said. “Just as George wound up being Larry David on ‘Seinfeld’ and then Larry would up being Larry David on ‘Curb.’ There’s a definite through line. It’s the personality. It’s his attitude about life. It’s about not suffering fools gladly.”

Weide said he brought up “Prognosis: Negative” to David about 15 years ago, asking him if he’d ever consider shopping it around again. At this point in David’s career, he surely could have found a studio partner for the project. David responded: “I think I’ve outgrown that script.”