Paramount Pictures' abandonment of "The Last Temptation of Christ" production was a huge disappointment to Scorsese. It spurred him to focus on independent companies and smaller projects. The opportunity was offered to him by his lawyer Jay Julien, who put him through Griffin Dunne and Amy Robinson's independent group: Double Play Company. The project was called "A Night in Soho" and it was based on the script by Joseph Minion. The screenplay, originally titled "Lies" after the 1982 Joe Frank monologue that inspired the story, was written as part of an assignment for his film course at Columbia University. Minion was 26 years old at the time the film was produced. The script finally became "After Hours" after Scorsese made his final amendments.