Writing The film was based on Murray Burnett and Joan Alison's unproduced play Everybody Comes to Rick's. The Warner Bros. story analyst who read the play, Stephen Karnot, called it (approvingly) "sophisticated hokum" and story editor Irene Diamond, who had discovered the script on a trip to New York in 1941, convinced Hal Wallis to buy the rights in January 1942 for $20,000 (), the most anyone in Hollywood had ever paid for an unproduced play. The project was renamed Casablanca, apparently in imitation of the 1938 hit Algiers. Casablanca also shares many narrative and thematic similarities with Algiers (1938), which itself is a remake of the acclaimed 1937 French film Pépé le Moko, directed and co-written by Julien Duvivier.
writing the film was based on murray burnett and joan alison's unproduced play everybody comes to rick's the warner bros story analyst who read the play stephen karnot called it (approvingly) "sophisticated hokum" and story editor irene diamond who had discovered the script on a trip to new york in 1941 convinced hal wallis to buy the rights in january 1942 for $20000 () the most anyone in hollywood had ever paid for an unproduced play the project was renamed casablanca apparently in imitation of the 1938 hit algiers casablanca also shares many narrative and thematic similarities with algiers (1938) which itself is a remake of the acclaimed 1937 french film pépé le moko directed and co-written by julien duvivier