It was based on a "film treatment". 1) "A film treatment (or treatment for short) is a piece of prose, typically the step between scene cards (index cards) and the first draft of a screenplay for a motion picture. It is generally longer and more detailed than an outline (or one-page synopsis) and shorter and less detailed than a step outline, but it may include details of directorial style that an outline omits. They read like a short story. There are two types: the original draft treatment, created during the writing process, and the presentation treatment, created as presentation material." Source and further information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_treatment 2) "Andrew Niccol completed a one-page film treatment titled The Malcolm Show in May 1991. The original draft was more in tone of a science fiction thriller, with the story set in New York City. Niccol stated, "I think everyone questions the authenticity of their lives at certain points. It's like when kids ask if they're adopted". In the fall of 1993, producer Scott Rudin purchased the script for slightly over $1 million. Paramount Pictures instantly agreed to distribute." Source and further information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Truman_Show 3) "Several high-profile cases have proven the difficulty in proving copyright infringement. In 1988, New York playwright Mark Dunn filed a $60,000 suit against Paramount for using his 1992 play, Frank’s Life, as the basis for The Truman Show. The case was settled out of court without any formal acknowledgment of Dunn’s credibility." Source and further information: http://www.hhdb.com/boards/showthread.php?t=2405 4) "But American critics have pointed out Dunn's play is not the only production The Truman Show resembles. The Los Angeles Times has commented on striking similarities between the film and a 1966 short film called The Secret Cinema. Directed by Paul Bartel, it features a woman who suspects her boyfriend and colleagues are secretly making a film of her life. It was remade for a 1986 TV series. A 1960 episode of The Twilight Zone is also said to be similar in concept." Source and further information: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/183572.stm

1999. The Truman Show Oscar Nominated for Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen Andrew Niccol http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120382/awards