stalker himself published his own book "stalker" on the subject in february 1988, and the production team considered taking out an option on it. but michael eaton, who they approached to dramatise it, suggested that he "did not want to write a film just centred around one policeman. it was as important to make a film about everything that led to the inquiry as it was to make a film about the inquiry itself." this was also the view of the rest of the team, and so the production went ahead on the basis of the material and contacts they already had. given the amount of research that had already been done, and the need to be led by it, eaton said of his role and that of writers working on similar projects "we are structuralists rather than dramatists − producers want us to supply form and structure." dramatists also did not usually face the challenge, according to eaton, of having all three of their main characters being called john.