This draft, dated September 2, 1998, represents the first formal rewrite of Alan Ball’s Academy Award-winning screenplay. This version is significant for containing a framing device that was ultimately removed during the final editing process. The script begins with a sequence set in a jail cell and a courtroom, showing Ricky Fitts in custody and Jane Burnham on trial for the murder of Lester Burnham. These scenes establish a different narrative structure than the theatrical release, providing insight into the film's evolution from a legal drama framework into the final satirical character study.