2026 Producer Pitch

Short synopsis

“The Quest to Overthrow Heaven” delivers a dramatic, spiritually charged reading experience rooted in Christian life themes and the reality of spiritual warfare. Centered around Lucifer’s rebellion, the story draws readers into a high-stakes conflict that reveals how pride, deception, and ambition can lead to devastating consequences in both the physical and spiritual worlds.

Comps (comparisons)

None.

The hook

The story explores the cost of resisting – or surrendering to – darkness. The story challenges readers to think about courage, obedience, humility, and the power of truth that affect both the physical and spiritual worlds.

Scale / budget

Feature.

Short synopsis

After being told that writing is not a real career, a discouraged young girl begins to question her talent, her future, and whether her dream is worth pursuing at all.

That night, she awakens inside the Hall of Forgotten Dreams, a vast realm where abandoned ambitions are transformed into glowing scrolls and stored among endless shelves that stretch beyond sight. Every scroll contains a future someone almost lived. Every whisper carries the regret of a dream left behind.

As she ventures deeper into the Hall’s winding corridors, forgotten archives, and processing chambers, she encounters the Minions, mysterious figures who collect, catalog, and dispose of abandoned futures. Once dreamers themselves, they now carry the fears and compromises that caused them to surrender their own ambitions. Convinced that disappointment is inevitable, they encourage others to make the same choice.

When the young girl discovers a scroll connected to her own unfinished future, she learns it is marked for disposal. As it inches closer to the abyss, she is forced to confront the same doubts that claimed countless dreamers before her.

To reclaim her scroll, she must choose between the safety of letting go and the uncertainty of beginning again. In doing so, she discovers that dreams are rarely lost in a single moment. They are surrendered through fear, practicality, and the belief that there will always be more time.

When she finally chooses belief over doubt, she becomes the first dreamer to reclaim what was almost lost and awakens with the courage to write the first words of the story she nearly abandoned.

This story is for anyone who has ever set aside a dream, questioned their purpose, or wondered how their life might have unfolded if they had chosen differently. It is also a reminder that our dreams do not exist in isolation. The stories we tell, the gifts we share, and the callings we pursue have the power to impact others in ways we may never fully understand.

At its heart, The Hall of Forgotten Dreams is not simply about following a dream. It is about reclaiming possibility, confronting regret, and recognizing that the future is shaped by the choices we make today. In a time when so many people feel disconnected from purpose, the story offers a hopeful reminder that it is never too late to begin again.

Comps (comparisons)

Imagine the emotional depth of Inside Out, the imaginative world-building of Coraline, and the exploration of purpose found in Soul, woven into a story about the dreams we abandon, the lives we almost live, and the choice to begin again.

The hook

Have you ever wondered what happens to a dream when you stop pursuing it? Where does it go? Who is impacted when you abandon the very thing you were created to do? The Hall of Forgotten Dreams imagines a world where abandoned dreams do not simply disappear. They are collected, cataloged, and stored within a vast hall filled with glowing scrolls, each one representing a future someone almost lived.

Scale / budget

Independent animated short film with franchise and anthology potential. The Hall of Forgotten Dreams is designed for scalable independent production. The story unfolds primarily within a contained fantasy environment, reducing the need for multiple locations while allowing for rich visual storytelling. With a focused cast, a limited number of speaking characters, and a world built around a single core setting, the project can achieve a cinematic feel without the production demands of a larger animated feature.

Its contained scope, emotionally driven narrative, and visually distinctive world make it well suited for festivals and cross-generational audiences. The Hall also offers opportunities for future expansion through additional stories exploring purpose, possibility, identity, and the choices that shape our lives.

Short synopsis

60 CE. Roman-occupied Britannia.

When Roman forces betray the Iceni and brutally assault her family, Aeronwen — daughter of Queen Boudica and heir to the Iceni throne — is thrust into the heart of a rebellion that will shake the Roman Empire.

As tribes unite behind her mother’s banner, Aeronwen must navigate war, political intrigue, and forbidden love while confronting a devastating question: how far can she go in pursuit of justice before she becomes the very thing she is fighting against?

Set against one of history’s greatest uprisings, Flame of the Iceni is a sweeping historical drama about resistance, identity, family, and the cost of freedom.

Comps (comparisons)

The hook

The story of Boudica has been told before. The story of her daughters has not.

Flame of the Iceni reimagines one of Britain’s most iconic rebellions through the eyes of Aeronwen, daughter of Boudica, and the women caught in the shadow of an empire they almost brought to heel. Rather than retelling a familiar legend, the series follows the next generation as they inherit a war they did not choose and confront the cost of resisting an empire.

Combining large-scale historical spectacle with deeply personal character journeys, Flame of the Iceni centres complex female relationships, political intrigue, and a forbidden LGBTQ+ love story that threatens to reshape the rebellion itself.

At a time when audiences are seeking powerful, character-driven stories rooted in real history, Flame of the Iceni offers a fresh perspective on a legendary uprising, exploring resistance, identity, colonisation, and the human cost of war through the voices Rome tried to silence.

Scale / budget

Premium television drama.

Comparable in scope to The Last Kingdom, Vikings, and Britannia, the series is designed as a returning historical drama with large-scale battle sequences, practical locations, ensemble casts, and cinematic production values.

Production Scale: Mid-to-high budget premium television series suitable for major broadcasters and streaming platforms.

Short synopsis

As war looms in the Pacific, a rebellious young Navy radioman is recruited into a secret intelligence unit hidden atop the Main Navy Building in Washington. Trained to intercept Japanese communications, he and a band of brilliant misfits become the unseen ears of the U.S. Navy. After the attack on Pearl Harbor shatters their innocence and claims the life of his closest friend, he must overcome grief, guilt, and a forbidden love while helping uncover the intelligence that turns the tide of the Pacific War. Based on a remarkable true story, The On-the-Roof Gang is an epic tale of friendship, sacrifice, and the birth of modern intelligence.

Comps (comparisons)

The Imitation Game meets Band of Brothers in the Pacific.

The hook

The incredible true story of the sailors who listened to the enemy—and changed the course of World War II.

Scale / budget

Mid-tier Prestige Feature ($20-35M), assuming that major historical events are viewed through Ray’s perspective, intelligence rooms, radio stations, streets, barracks, and selective use of archival material rather than large-scale battle recreations. The On-the-Roof Gang can be substantially less expensive than most Pacific War films.

Short synopsis

Arthur lies alone in his apartment, mourning the death of his girlfriend, Marin, listening to “Bro” podcasts to shut out the quietness. Inspired by something the podcasters say, Arthur decides to buy himself a pet fish to keep himself company in these lonesome times. Little does he know that soon he’ll hear Marin’s voice coming from his new pet.

He believes this fish must be the reincarnation of his girlfriend, so naturally he attempts to restart his relationship with Marin – even if it’s a little tougher now. Whilst some stuff is easy, such as going out on dates, it’s much harder to reintroduce Marin to her grieving sister, Amy. Especially when Amy blames Arthur for her death and refuses to tolerate such a fantastical idea.

The hardest part of all, however, is how intimacy works between a man and his fish. They give it a try, but the heat of passion triggers memories for Arthur that he’d previously been repressing. Arthur and Marin’s relationship hadn’t been perfect; in fact, it was abusive. Ultimately, he ended things by making her sleep with the fishes, so to speak.

The rekindled relationship doesn’t turn out much differently, as Arthur awakes to the new Marin, floating lifeless in the bowl, not being able to survive the new salt levels. From listening to “Bro” podcasts to his dehumanisation of women, Arthur has been and always will be a toxic male.

Comps (comparisons)

If Shape of Water had the toxic masculinity of Fight Club.

The hook

With the rise in Toxic masculinity, highlighted especially well in Louis Theroux’s ‘Inside the Manosphere’, it is important we all call out such poor behaviour. Plenty of Fish is my own criticism of this growing movement.

Scale / budget

This short film would require a micro-budget, having only a limited number of locations and cast members.

Short synopsis

Sydney 1903 a diaspora of immigrants whose stories unfold as their lives intersect, creating a new tribe the “White Aliens”. Most of these new immigrants arrived “broken” seeking new hope and opportunity in Australia only to find that ironically, many become more broken in their struggles to adapt and overcome challenges.

George’s story is set in Surry Hills, a Sydney immigrant ghetto that was close to work and where rent is cheap. Surry Hills was also the focus for Sydney’s criminal “razor” gangs, the “Peaky Blinders” of Sydney. The gangs lived in and around “Frog Hollow” an area neighbouring the immigrant dwellings.

George had skills and works as a pastry chef at the Wentworth Hotel, one of the classy establishments at that time located not far from Surry Hills, in Elizabeth Street in the Centre of Sydney.

George’s close friend Yiannis, with whom he travelled to Australia, was less fortunate and became involved with the Opium and Cocaine trade to secure some form of living. Working conditions, even in the better establishments was tough and George lost an eye in an accident. But in spite of the accident, he was able to continue working as a pastry chef.

Life for men was tough, but it was tougher for women. As a result, many women became prostitutes out of need, and some set up bordellos under the protection of the “Frog Hollow” gangs to meet the demand of immigrant single and married men.

Nora’s bordello frequented by George and his friends, is where he finds solace and ironically contracts Syphilis. His determination to become successful and respected overrode any regard for his health.

The story begins when George meets Benjamin, a Polish migrant selling second-hand furniture. A friendship develops, and they later become business partners.

George marries a respectable Greek pious virgin but continues to keep a mistress. Despite the many troubles and setbacks George begins to become successful, gaining respectability through property ventures with Benjamin.

But both George and Benjamin have their secrets. George favoured a prostitute Liz, under the protection of the Frog Hollow gang and the Police. And Benjamin had a secret past with Rachel, a high-class whore, who was planning her revenge on Benjamin, because years earlier he was her betrothed to her, but he abandoned her at the Quarantine Station.

George’s focus on gaining respect and success led him to killing Liz because she threatened his future. After this tumultuous event, while trying to keep all of the increasingly tenuous and fracturing components of his life afloat, he succumbs to Neutrophilic Insanity.

Nevertheless, in spite of many challenges and tragedies, George ended up creating a bedrock for success for the future of his family.

Comps (comparisons)

It’s Peaky Blinders meets “The Immigrant” meets “Poor Man’s Orange”.

The hook

Scale / budget

This is envisioned as a mid-tier feature.

Short synopsis

ROSALINDA ALVAREZ (17) is mortified that her dad CARLOS (40s) works as a custodian as he copes with depression brought about by a tragic school shooting at a school where he was the principal. The family’s fallen on hard times. But then Carlos’ long neglected family hacienda on the Texas border with Mexico has an interested buyer offering a million dollars for the seemingly worthless property.

The isolated hacienda is being repaired by CHEMA YEPES (18) for the prospective buyer who turns out to be VICENTE MEDRANO (40s), kingpin of a drug cartel which plans to use the isolated hacienda as a fentanyl lab and drug distribution center.

Rosalinda learns the hacienda was built by a wealthy 19th century ancestor, JORGE

ALVAREZ (20s), whose wife, CATA VALERIA (20s), ministered to tenant farm workers during an epidemic, then died of the disease. Jorge blamed the workers for her death and in a rage drove them from his land before dying at an early age of a broken heart.

Rosalinda is moved by the sadness of his story and has a vision in which Jorge pleads with her to help him be reunited with his wife.

Carlos visits a sculpture garden where he encounters CATA VALERIA, who reveals she is separated from her husband because he is confined beyond the grave in a desolate realm the 16th century Spanish mystics called “the dark night of the soul.” Carlos enrages Medrano by withdrawing his offer to sell the hacienda. Chema, who has fallen in love with Rosalinda after agreeing to work for Medrano, turns on the drug lord. He gets the jump on Medrano, binds him and leads Rosalinda and Carlos on a path of escape through a rugged field of mesquites and cactus. Medrano gets loose and, gun in hand, storms outside. Carlos instructs Rosalinda and Chema to hide as he confronts Medrano. Medrano overcomes Carlos and prepares to kill him. Jorge breaks free from his confinement to protect his descendants. Cata Valeria appears and explains that Rosalinda’s compassion for Jorge freed him from the confinement that prevented her from joining her husband. Rosalinda, Carlos and Chema promise Cata Valeria and Jorge they will use the land of the hacienda in a way that will benefit troubled youth in need of a helping hand.

Comps (comparisons)

THE SIXTH SENSE (1999), UNBREAKABLE (2000), and WHAT LIES BENEATH (2000).

The hook

Love is revealed to be not only a wonderful emotion, but the very Source of Being that has the power to resolve the suffering and uncertainties increasingly rampant in the contemporary world.

Scale / budget

SOUTH WIND COME would be a mid-tier feature.

Short synopsis

As the winds of revolution are beginning to stir in Mexico’s struggle for independence from Spain, an American slave, MENDE GAUTIER (30s), arrives with his “master,” Nathan Lipscomb (17). They are on a mission to prevent Nathan’s father from losing his plantation to creditors. A widower, Mende is fearful that if the plantation is lost, his daughters will be sold. So, he is keen to guide young, inexperienced Nathan in gaining permission from the Viceroy of New Spain to establish a colony in Texas. A lucrative project, it would generate money for Nathan’s father and prevent the breakup of Mende’s family. But it would also force more Africans into slavery. Mende and Nathan meet ALAMAR SANDOVAL (20s), a courageous woman who is an officer in Father Miguel Hidalgo’s revolutionary army, and Gisela Cruz (16), whose parents were killed by sadistic Captain VICENTE GALVAN (35) of the Royal Dragoons. Alamar is drawn to Mende as a potential leader in Mexico’s struggle for independence, but she is puzzled that Mende seems content with being a slave until she learns that Mende’s father was killed for leading a slave rebellion in Louisiana. Based on his father’s experience, Mende believes the insurrection in Mexico will inevitably fail because Father Miguel’s ill-equipped “citizen’s army” of farmers and laborers stands no chance against the well-armed professional army of Spain. As a result of a deepening friendship with Father Miguel and Alamar, Mende comes to an understanding that no one is free until all people are free. When Father Miguel is captured by Galvan and executed, Mende takes a leadership role in defeating Galvan, after which he and Nathan join Alamar, Gisela and the thousands of others ready to carry on Miguel Hidalgo’s struggle for social justice in a free and independent Mexico.

Comps (comparisons)

JUAREZ (1939) and VIVA ZAPATA! (1952) both focus on the desire of the people of Mexico to achieve liberty, equality and social justice by peaceful means.

The hook

There has never been an American movie centered on Father Miguel Hidalgo, the father of Mexican independence; and though Father Miguel is not thecentral protagonist of THE BANNER, the main characters in the script are motivated by his desire to employ peaceful means to create a Republic of Mexico that would be based on the principles of liberty, equality and social justice, principles very much on the minds of people around the world today.

Scale / budget

THE BANNER is a mid-tier feature.

Short synopsis

Fresh out of West Point, Ulysses Grant goes off to war in Mexico. When he meets Marina Calderon, living with her widowed father on a horse ranch in Texas, the two fall in love. Marina shares Ulysses’ opposition to slavery and works to help American slaves escape bondager. His first battle against the Mexican army in south Texas leaves Ulysses with an intense aversion to war. But he is an effective leader, and he rises through the ranks. Marina suggests the army is his destiny, like it or not. And though they dream of someday going off together to live a life raising horses, it is not to be. He must leave Marina to pursue the Mexicans into Mexico to force a surrender. When he returns to Marina, he discovers she has been forced by circumstances to marry a man her father approves. Dissatisfied with his lot in life and haunted by memories of the war, Ulysses takes to drink. It affects his performance so much that he is asked to resign his commission. He attempts to make a go of it in civilian life with a wife and family. But times are tough and Ulysses can make little headway. When the Civil War breaks out, Ulysses has no choice but to resume his military career. When France invades Mexico and installs a puppet government to replace the democratically elected government, Marina and her husband, a friend of deposed President Benito Juarez, join the Juaristas who go against the French armies sent by Louis Bonaparte to secure his hold on Mexico. It soon becomes clear that Bonaparte’s ambitions extend beyond Mexico. After defeating the Juaristas, he plans to ally with Confederate forces and help them defeat the United States.

When it’s discovered Marina knows Ulysses, she’s deputized by Juarez to travel to Washington to seek Grant’s help against the French. The two ex-lovers meet again. It’s a bittersweet moment. Ulysses pledges to provide weapons to the Mexicans. The tactic works – the French are driven out. Marina takes her place in building the Mexican nation and Ulysses gives in to a destiny that will take him to the White House.

Comps (comparisons)

PATHS OF GLORY (1957) and GLORY (1989) are similar in tone to LABYRINTH OF DESTINY in that both focus on how the horrors of war impact soldiers who hate the violence, death and destruction of war.

The hook

By passing the Civil War battlefields, LABYRINTH OF DESTINY dramatizes the untold story of the formative years of Lieutenant Ulysses Grant during the Mexican American War and his struggle to reconcile his sense of duty with his abhorrence of war. It is a story that needs to be told in today’s world in which people are sick of the death and destruction of war.

Scale / budget

LABYRINTH OF DESTINY is a mid-tier feature.

Short synopsis

Giles, a young 17th-century noble English lad dispossessed by treachery, goes robbing on the high seas. Holding secret ship designs invented by his murdered brother, and seeking to avenge his family’s destruction and regain his ancestral lands, he sets out with his motley crew to build a pirate ship faster and more maneuverable than any other. His encounters with the mercenary colonialists, sadistic slavers, religious zealots and rapacious imperialists of his era pose the question as to who the real villains are.

Comps (comparisons)

“Pirates of the Caribbean” meets “Cromwell.”

The hook

The story of the “Susquehanna” series needs to be told now for two reasons, to present a new take on historical perceptions of societal outcasts and to explore the implications of disruptive technologies for our own future by viewing them through a lens of imagination peering into the past. The concept is designed to have wide cross-market / cross-demographic target audience appeal. In addition to the traditional pirate genre fan base, viewers as diverse as those of Star Wars, Masterpiece Theater and Game of Thrones will all be attracted for their own various individual entertainment interests and viewing preferences.

Scale / budget

“Susquehanna Episode 1” is a $10 to $15 million pilot for a television or streaming series.

Short synopsis

A sardonic, sharp‑tongued Host welcomes the audience to Normal Thoughts From A Strange Mind – Session A, a showcase of “perfectly normal thoughts” that are anything but. With a mix of dark humor and predatory charm, he introduces three horror/thriller stories — each one stranger, sharper, and more unsettling than the last.

As he narrates, the Host paces near a single window that never reveals quite enough. His jokes land just a beat too late, his smiles linger too long, and his taunts feel uncomfortably personal. Between stories, he needles the audience, hinting that someone here is trapped… but he never says who.

The three stories — Go Ahead, Scare Me, The Journal, and Road Rage — unfold like confessions disguised as entertainment. Each segment reveals a different facet of fear, obsession, and the Host’s increasingly fractured worldview.

But the real horror is the framing device: Is the Host locked inside a mental asylum cell, looking out at us… or are we the ones imprisoned, with him peering in?

The screenplay never resolves the paradox. Instead, the Host’s taunting humor and shifting behavior force the audience to question their own position in the room. By the final image — his face framed in the window — the viewer must decide who has been watching whom.

A minimalist setting, three tightly wound nightmares, and a reality that refuses to stay still — Normal Thoughts From A Strange Mind – Session A turns storytelling into psychological entrapment.

Comps (comparisons)

Tales From The Crypt

Tales From The Dark Side

Creepshow

The hook

Scale / budget

Short synopsis

Ever since they were children in WWII-era Cyprus, Greek twin sisters Maren and Luisa dreamed of escaping the mundane, restricting life in the British Crown Colony. Maren vowed to study medicine in England, a dream the twins sealed with their pinkies. When Mussolini invaded Greece, the girls’ father, Andreas, led two hundred volunteers to the Albanian border to fight alongside the Greek army, accompanied by Wooly, a prodigious British officer in his teens.

In the crucible of war, Occupier and Subject became comrades and friends. Following the war, Wooly lived with the twins’ family and eventually fell deeply in love with their sister, Kyveli.

But the Cypriot revolution of the 1950s puts this profound bond between the Greek family and the British Officer to the ultimate test. As insurgency grips the island, childhood dreams are whittled away by a brutal new reality. Andreas leads the armed revolt, while Maren’s fiancé—a brilliant violin virtuoso—trades his violin for a rebel rifle alongside Luisa’s fiancé.

Caught between his oath to the Crown and the people he loves, Wooly must navigate a minefield of raids, protests, and insurgent attacks, ultimately fighting to save his surrogate family from the Akrotiri gallows.

Comps (comparisons)

TESTAMENT OF YOUTH and ATONEMENT.

The hook

During the 1950s revolution, a prodigious British officer is forced to police the surrogate Cypriot family he loves. Among them are the love of his life, her brilliant sister who dreams of escaping to medical school in England, and the sister’s virtuoso fiancé, who exchanges his violin for a rebel rifle. Inspired by my parents’ lives, this timeless love story is poignant anew as Cyprus again comes into the spotlight with Iran bombing the Akrotiri British base—the site of the story’s gallows.

Scale / budget

Both comps had budgets within the mid-tier feature range ($15 million and $30 million). ATONEMENT (2007), for its $30 million production budget, looked like a $100 million sweeping historical epic thanks to its brilliant production design, location choices, and cinematography. CRIMSON FIELDS can similarly stretch its production budget by filming on location in Cyprus, taking advantage of existing locales, and utilizing Cyprus’ active financial incentives for international productions (Invest Cyprus’ 40% cash rebate scheme).

Short synopsis

At Westbrook High, star wide receiver Jace Walker and quiet, analytically minded student Eli Morales exist on opposite ends of the school’s social hierarchy—one constantly performed and publicly celebrated, the other observant, precise, and socially peripheral. A chance connection forms between them through football, where Eli’s analytical eye helps refine Jace’s performance, and Jace’s attention draws Eli out of isolation. Their bond deepens from sideline conversations into private moments of honesty about identity, pressure, and the feeling of being defined by others. That connection eventually turns romantic, but Jace panics and insists on secrecy, triggering emotional distance between them and forcing both to confront what visibility costs.

As rumors and social tension spread through school following a public game incident, Jace experiences the same isolation Eli once lived with—becoming watched, speculated about, and subtly excluded. Meanwhile, Eli refuses to disappear again, choosing instead to remain visible on his own terms.

In the aftermath, Jace begins to detach from the version of himself built for approval, while Eli maintains a steady, uncompromising presence. In the final moments, they meet again on an empty football field—no audience, no roles—only two people sharing quiet space, uncertain but no longer hidden. The episode ends not with resolution, but with a fragile sense of presence, as both begin to exist outside the expectations that once defined them.

Comps (comparisons)

Friday Night Lights (TV series) — The clearest tonal and structural comparison. High school football as a pressure cooker, where identity, family expectation, and community scrutiny shape every relationship. Your script shares its “sports as emotional ecosystem” approach, though yours is more intimate and less ensemble-driven.

Euphoria (TV series) — Not in visual excess or style, but in emotional interiority and the way public perception, secrecy, and identity performance distort teenage relationships. Your tone is more restrained and realistic, but the psychological pressure and shame/visibility dynamics are similar.

The hook

Scale / budget

Short synopsis

It’s 2151, and the solar system is humanity’s backyard. The g-Pilots crew the g-ships, the fastest craft out there. A trio of their best are caught up in a web of intrigue surrounding a rapidly approaching interstellar object that only a few know about. Time is money with profits and peril waiting in the dark of deep space as they race against their competitors for the haul of a lifetime.

Comps (comparisons)

“Star Trek” and “Contact” meet “Interstellar” and “The Expanse.”

The hook

Unlike most science fiction, “g-Pilots” presents a likely and highly believable depiction of humanity as a space-faring species. None of the technology violates any established laws of science. The characters are accessible, human, relatable and similar to the audience. These aspects constitute a significant product differentiation, which, in addition to the expected action-adventure demographic, will appeal to serious science fiction fans for its realistic depiction of our civilizations’ future in space. Moreover, the script also targets a general audience of people who work for a living and relate to the drama of survival in a ruthless capitalist society. Their need to understand the contemporary human condition in terms of a timeless and universal context is the reason this story needs to be told now, and the reason its characters and action will resonate with them.

Scale / budget

This is a $60 to $80 million dollar production, designed to serve as the founding motion picture of a major science fiction franchise encompassing both theatrical and TV/streaming releases.

Short synopsis

DON DAVIS, LENNY GOLDFINKLE AND TYRELL JAMES have driven their wives to give them the ultimatum – either take the Think Pink Intensive Program for Men or there will be a divorce. The wives give their husbands a pink folder describing the program and send them off, suitcase in tow. The men will do anything to get back with their wives, so they participate in the program.

Prisoners of the program, they are asked to do some pretty bizarre tasks and to jot down their findings in a pink journal provided to them. They wonder why such bizarre activities are necessary, but trust the purported expertise of their therapists, the supposed MR. AND MRS. ROGUE. Plus, their journal shares are quite enlightening.

During the program, Mr. & Mrs. Rogue are discovered for the frauds that they are. At the last session, the FBI storms in looking for their true selves, Janet StealeLaCroix and Richard Steale, cementing the men’s suspicions as to their identity.

Though the program was a scam, the men are armed with experiences and reflections that truly help them understand their wives’ way of thinking. Their lives improve and no charges are made.

Comps (comparisons)

Odd Couple meets Tootsie.

The hook

At a time when relationships are strained by misunderstanding and competing expectations, Think Pink explores the lost art of empathy. Three husbands reluctantly enter a bizarre therapeutic program only to discover that understanding their wives may require stepping outside their own comfort zone. The story uses farce to examine a very current challenge: learning how to see the world through someone else’s eyes.

Scale / budget

I’m not experienced with budgeting. Mid-tier feature?

Short synopsis

Daniel Kelly is a hockey goalie with his popular high school team. However, Daniel has been at war with his own mind. His mind takes the form of a shapeshifter known as Clark. After watching his therapist die of a heart attack, Clark becomes more dangerous to Daniel’s psyche. Completely unsatisfied with himself, Daniel quits the team suddenly and faces the critics of his decision: his family, high school classmates, and himself. Everything changes when he gives advice to Colleen in the middle of a crisis. Daniel realizes he’s good at reading people and understanding how to fix their problems. He decides to become an unofficial therapist. What Daniel doesn’t realize is that he needs to look at his own life and correct certain things about himself if he wants to become the person he wants to be, if his mind will let him.

Comps (comparisons)

Adam and Jojo Rabbit Meets Good Will Hunting

The hook

Daniel’s world feels like the audience is experiencing the outer and inner turmoils of the character. The inner turmoil is in the form of Clark. Clark is a physical manifestation of Daniel’s anxiety and self-hatred. Clark constantly shifts forms depending on Daniel’s emotional state, such as a coach, a bully, a drill sergeant, or even a pathetic version of Daniel. Insecurity changes Clark’s shape depending on the situation. I do not want to soften Daniel’s reality through inspirational storytelling. Conversations become emotional traps, while simple interactions carry the weight of panic. The script’s world expands further through the use of hockey, because it provides tension, public humiliation, masculine pressure and states that can be visually cinematic. The main goal of this script has a lot to offer anyone with anxiety and Asperger’s. The mental health angle is meant to feel timely without being artificially designed for social relevance or feeling exploitative.

Scale / budget

Micro Budget Indie. 10 to 20 million. Most of the script takes place inside of schools, homes, offices, and a hockey rink. Not that many exterior scenes occur in the script. Renting out the locations would be the biggest costs in this film. Another cost would be the use of different costumes for Clark. No one else but Daniel sees Clark and the overall actor’s performance will help keep the costs low. One scene may need some makeup for a post fight scene and another scene may need some visual effects for the Clark clones. That being said, Clark would be a flashy supporting role to attract actors to this project. This film could be an actor’s showcase. A young performer looking for emotionally demanding material would absolutely respond to Daniel Kelly. This film is a character study that would not require a big budget to accurately show and tell its story.

Short synopsis

Jeffrey Walting is a young genius who, with the help of his scientist parents and funding from billionaire Richard Brickley, made the scientific breakthrough of bringing dinosaurs back to life. After Richard kills Jeffrey’s parents in an attempt to control the research, Jeffrey plans his revenge while hiding in seclusion with his wealthy uncle, Wes. After eight years of creating the perfect dinosaur ecosystem, Jeffrey and Wes invite to the island Richard and a selection of other people who had a hand in the Walting’s deaths. When the group arrives, they are left abandoned in the middle of the jungle preserve. The result is a brutal and thrilling adventure, as billionaires and social media influencers try to survive dinosaur attacks, all while Jeffrey and his childhood friend Persephone grapple with their own internal moral conflicts.

Comps (comparisons)

Saw X and A Quiet Place meet Jurassic Park.

The hook

Prehistoric Vengeance is a sci-fi thriller that combines the exciting world of dinosaurs with social commentary on the world we are living in. Have you ever wanted to get back at someone, or even just “stick it to the man”? This film does so through the violent deaths of backstabbing billionaires and shallow social media influencers, all at the hands of dinosaurs. And who doesn’t love dinosaurs? This is about a young man having his parents ripped away at a young age, then struggling to retain some innocence as he travels down the path of revenge. The movie plays with genre conventions as it blends horror and humor, family conflict and the quest for revenge. Parents and their role in children’s lives is a theme throughout the film, while character-driven drama and edge-of-your-seat excitement stay consistent alongside it. Through unconventional kills, complex emotional journeys, and well-placed violence, Prehistoric Vengeance brings something new to the horror genre: dinosaurs.

Scale / budget

Large studio tentpole, $40-60 million. We can keep the film in this range primarily due to a main cast of less than 20 people, simple wardrobe and makeup, and compacted locations. However, the use of both practical effects and VFX when it comes to the dinosaurs, as well as some of the locations and the advanced tech used occasionally within the film, will be the biggest costs. The horror and emotional terror brought on by the dinosaurs is best brought to life through the use of practical effects, although wide shots will of course need to be done using visual effects. The revenge aspect and unique take on the genres will hopefully attract actors to the script and audiences to the theatre, as people in general enjoy the concept of bloody revenge on the bad guys. My main focus in getting this film funded is to bring a new vision to the world of dinosaurs, in combining the greatest predators ever to live on this planet with the concept of avenging ones family.

Short synopsis

After losing his wife and daughter in a tragic accident, a retired Chicago firefighter reluctantly rescues an abandoned ten-year-old girl and becomes her guardian in hopes of helping her find her family. As they form an unlikely father-daughter bond, he realizes that this girl might be more connected to him than they both anticipated, forcing him to confront his past in a final chance at redemption in fatherhood.

Comps (comparisons)

Pursuit of Happiness (2006) meets Fatherhood (2021) meets Manchester by the Sea (2016)

The hook

This story is unique in that it tells the story of a broken, black man who gradually rediscovers purpose through a child who is unknowingly both his greatest failure and his last chance at redemption.

Scale / budget

I would classify Lake Shore Drive as a mid-tier feature, if not even a mid-tier indie feature, with an estimated budget of around $5-12 million, up to $15 million depending on cast and production. The locations are very contained with locations, with practical filmmaking for the medical scenes and opening car accident, as well as shooting on location in Chicago. With the story being character-driven and emotionally intimate, focus would be on casting and shooting on location.

Short synopsis

In 1891, the desert town of Serpent’s Run exists for one purpose: to guard a cave filled with gold that keeps three invincible dragons imprisoned in diamond. When the notorious outlaw Van Milch and his army of bandits descend on the town demanding the treasure, Sheriff John Shaw must protect not only the gold but prevent a catastrophe that could threaten the town. Despite the town’s defensive preparations and magical protection spells passed down through Shaw’s family, a gunshot in the cave releases the young dragon. As the creature wreaks havoc and Milch’s son Thomas is killed, the situation escalates when the adult dragons break free. The Shaw family—John, his wife Virginia, and their seventeen-year-old daughter Joanna—must use their ancestral magic to re-imprison the dragons before it’s too late.

Comps (comparisons)

Unforgiven and The Treasure of Sierra Madre Meets Reign of Fire

The hook

Serpent’s Run is about a family of heroes who are surrounded by the corrupting power of greed and humanity vs. nature/creation. With greed being a big theme in the news these days, Westerns are known to showcase this theme in their stories. However, greed can lead to consequences within, but how often is there a physical consequence as big as a dragon? Greed pays greatly, but others suffer in the wake of it. We read about it online and see it happen on shows like American Greed. With the dragons causing chaos, there is a whole other aspect to the story in the Shaw Family. The family dynamic is meant to bring heart and emotional drama that audiences can relate to. Dragons have such a rich and mythical history, but have you ever thought of one flying over the western genre? Between a western and a fantasy, the film is a western first to help develop the human characters in a way that we cheer for the good guys and hope the bad guys don’t make it out alive. As the Warner Bros started, their goals were to entertain, enlighten and educate. Gun battles and dragon attacks play a role in the fight against greed, while a family and small town working together in the chaos can do all of the above for a modern day audience.

Scale / budget

Large Studio Tentpole. $40-60 Million. One of my top goals for this project is to heavily focus on the Shaw Family. A father and daughter discover magic in their ancestral backgrounds. The Shaw Family scenes can save the film from 100 million dollar territory. I hope this will attract actors to the script, and that it’s not all about the dragons and destruction. The Shaw scenes are intimate. The use of sound effects and camera tricks (such as closeups of the family, and building tremors from nearby dragon movements and gunfire) can help save money. However, I can’t hide the bigger costs. The biggest costs will be the visual effects of the dragons, the construction of the Western town, period clothing, and the destruction caused by bandits/dragons. The dragons and sandstorm are the main VFX priorities. That being said, the Shaw family themes and character development are my main focuses in getting this film funded.

Short synopsis

For hundreds of millions of years, two ancient trilobite eggs have lain dormant, undisturbed on the ocean floor. Then a tornado bears down and sucks everything violently into its massive, spiraling funnel – including the two tiny eggs. One egg, containing our story’s hero, Auggie, falls into a lush green forest, while the other lands perilously into a contrasting landscape of utter devastation. Inside the second egg is Auggie’s brother, Ziggy.

In nightmares, Ziggy visits Auggie, and when the very existence of the forest is threatened by external forces, Auggie must find a way to heal the broken world. With the help from an immortal jellyfish – a time traveler, Auggie traverses the abyss and ventures back in time to the Fantasy Age, when the world was a perfect paradise but was contaminated by humans at some point. With great courage, Auggie overcomes all the dangers and makes it, rewriting history to save his brother and heal the whole world.

Comps (comparisons)

Which 2-3 existing films are most similar to my screenplay in tone and target audience?

Finding Nemo, Rio

The hook

A tiny trilobite, dormant on the ocean floor for hundreds of millions of years, embarks on a mission to heal the dying world contaminated by humans. And this screenplay features many unique creatures never seen on the screen before.

Scale / budget

Mid-tier feature or large studio tentpole

Short synopsis

In the deep marshland of Louisiana, there lives Moses, a man in his twilight years, who yearns with all his heart to be reunited with his late wife. One day, he senses a “call” from her. The wish she entrusts to him is to embark upon the greatest adventure of his life. At that very same time, he receives a wedding invitation from the granddaughter whom he never knew existed. Believing that following this mysterious thread of destiny is his late wife’s wish, he sets off for the adventure; the destination is Japan. During his journey, the emotions he has harbored deep within his heart for so many years begin to quietly resurface. And finally, when he is reunited with the woman he had once loved, he comes to a profound realization: his life had been a rich existence—one filled with both love and meaning — without her.

Comps (comparisons)

The Straight Story meets Perfect Days with the emotional resonance of Tokyo Story.

The hook

Louisiana Story explores the emotional Odyssey of the protagonist’s reconciliation with his long-lost love. At a time when many stories focus on division, this film offers a deeply human meditation on family, memory, and belonging. It is a story about discovering that the connections we leave behind can endure across decades and generations.

Scale / budget

The film is a mid-tier feature with a strong indie presence. It focuses on the beauty of human encounters and interactions, thus weighing on the natural settings and actors’ performances.

Short synopsis

Socorro, New Mexico, 1877. After a card con turns deadly in a smoky saloon, Luis Santos and Joel Ashwood flee into the desert with Wolfie, a young woman and skilled pickpocket they barely know. Stranded with two strangers, Wolfie agrees to one job: help them steal an invitation to a private card game in Las Cruces, take her cut, and disappear. The plan gets complicated, forcing Luis and Wolfie to pose as husband and wife. But when the heist collapses and the real guests arrive, Wolfie proves herself by quietly robbing the entire party. Afterward, Wolfie realizes Luis and Joel see her in a way she didn’t expect. By morning, the exit she planned for herself has quietly disappeared. At the same time, a man from Joel’s past is released from prison with unfinished business.

Comps (comparisons)

Deadwood meets The English, with the sensual, character-driven intimacy of Interview with the Vampire.

The hook

Cielo’s Nocturne takes the bones of a classic Western and uses them to tell a queer love story about identity, intimacy, and survival. What begins in distrust and self-preservation slowly opens into something stranger and more delicate: three distinct people becoming more themselves because of each other. The frontier setting turns that discovery into something both intimate and dangerous.

Scale / budget

Mid-tier premium cable/streaming drama. The pilot requires period locations, a desert camp, and a contained estate sequence, but the action is intimate and character-driven rather than large-scale spectacle. Best envisioned as an atmospheric period Western with controlled set pieces, strong visual identity, and a limited-series/premium drama production model.

Short synopsis

Payment is due to the North Side Gang. ERICH WEBER sits outside in a Lincoln L-Series driver seat and waits. He notices a MAN across the street, oddly interested in Erich and the car. Suddenly the rest of his squad plops into the car with payment in tow; SEAN O’GRADY, QUINN MCGREGOR and NOLAN FERRELL.

They shoot the shit but are called out by the man and a slew of detectives. Erich slams on the gas and a car chase ensues. Eventually, Erich manages to do some quick maneuvers in the car and they get away. Celebrate! Erich is honored at a local Gin Mill by the squad and their boss EDDIE FLYNN for his quick-thinking and loyalty to the North Side Gang. His reward: his next phase of training in the gang and a pretty prostitute to play with. That night, at the urging of his bunkmate and friend, Quinn, Erich reads a letter from his sister back in his hometown. His best friend and grandfather is on his death bed. They discuss the consequences of desertion. Erich decides against it but has a dream that night about what caused him to run away. Still conflicted with what to do, Erich, weighs the pros and cons and decides to go. Quinn wakes up and says he’ll cover for him. Erich slips away out of the house homeward bound. Little does he know, the newest member of the squad and all out Erich-hater, KIERAN, sees the escape.

Almost missing the train, Erich eventually makes it home to Crystal Lake. His arrival is met with anything but open arms. He sees his grandfather before he passes. As the undertaker takes his grandfather away, hurt feelings and confusion stirs up and arguing ensues with his mother but disregard from his father. Erich escapes into town. Since prohibition began, the pub he used to work at has changed and isn’t doing well with its no booze policy. An old “flame” RHIANNON BYRNE approaches him. He’s delighted to see her but not so much her new beau, LIAM NILSSON. They’ve become hardcore prohibitionists, but Erich is still infatuated. As they walk away, his old boss SCOTT MCGINNIS closes the pub. He offers his condolences but also a little information about the local Mineola Hotel and its knack to break the rules. Following along with McGinnis, Erich visits the hotel but is also followed by some shady characters. When he finally returns home he is greeted by Nolan, Sean and Kieran in his kitchen with guns to his family’s heads. Erich is paralyzed and doesn’t know what to do. His father steps forward with a plan: the family will make alcohol for the North Side Gang in exchange for their lives.

Comps (comparisons)

Gin Mill is Peaky Blinders, Boardwalk Empire and Road to Perdition meets elements of This Farming Life, Babylon Berlin and the family and mob elements of The Sopranos.

The hook

With the exit of Peaky Blinders and the rise of contemporary family drama/crime fiction series such as Yellowstone, Gin Mill is the newest and much needed 1920’s period drama that combines the family drama with mob stories. It uses the coming-of-age journey to highlight the parallels between the happy American farming family and the dark American Irish mob family of Chicago. Gin Mill shows how blood family or chosen family can bring hope and stability but also fear and uncertainty from their beliefs and choices that result in different consequences like restoration of the family or murder.

Scale / budget

Gin Mill is a period drama set in Chicago and the farming communities of Chicagoland. It is a lower mid-tier series story based around and focusing on drama caused by and surrounding two different types of families and the choices they must make. Although period the excitement and mystery comes from the actions of the story and not from extreme CGI or special effects.

Short synopsis

Newlywed Olivia and Ajay already have some stress on their marriage coping with being a bi-racial, cross-classed couple, and the stress of Ajay’s work as an SAS soldier. Things don’t get easier as a stalker comes onto the scene with motives that are hidden in a generational family history the couple are unaware of.

As the marriage breaks apart through suspicion and infidelity, a secret, older, second family is revealed who were robbed of their fortune by Olivia’s mother. Olivia and Ajay work together despite their separation and relationship tension to find out who is family, who is lying, who is stalking and stealing from Olivia and why?

As the twists unfold, no one is who they seem and family and friends turn on each other. As Ajay attempts to move on with his life, he discovers Olivia is suddenly in danger but rescuing her reveals a sinister level of betrayal levelled at him by those dearest to him.

Comps (comparisons)

Gone Girl meets Sixth Sense in the psychological thriller where we find out in the second act that none of the characters are who we thought they were thanks to the biases we all hold in our subconscious.

The hook

PROCEATION is a psychological thriller that weaponises racial bias and class prejudice. A Jamaican SAS soldier is judged by the colour of his skin while his affluent in-laws hide crimes stretching back a generation.

As his marriage collapses under suspicion, infidelity, and betrayal, a campaign of stalking exposes a secret family, a stolen fortune, and a web of lies that forces everyone to reveal who they really are.

The perfect family is exposed as rotten, the victims become suspects, and the man judged by everyone turns out to be the only one with a conscience.

With his wife kidnapped and a killer closing in, Ajay discovers he is the final target in a revenge plot to reclaim the stolen fortune.

Scale / budget

With a small cast of 10, no FX and limited filming locations, this production could be made on a budget of 2.5 – 4 million pounds.

Short synopsis

Born a slave and orphaned at 16, African American journalist Ida B. Wells is religious, social, and ambitious. Ida’s life in 1890s Memphis is her church, her friends, and her work at The Free Speech & Headlight. She is optimistic. Ida’s boss Reverend Taylor Nightingale presses Ida to be an activist too. Her coworker J.L. Fleming urges caution as he lost his right ear to a white mob. Her friends include People’s Grocery owners Tommie Moss, Calvin McDowell, and Will Stewart. Ida is especially close to the charismatic Tommie and his pregnant wife Betty.

A fight over a children’s marble game escalates into an invasion of the grocery by white supremacists and disguised deputies that culminates in a shootout. Tommie, Calvin, and Will are arrested. KKK members and newspaperman Edward Carmack invade the jail, drag Ida’s friends to a field, and lynch them without a trial.

After Ida and others desperately search for their missing friends, they find them hanging from trees. A devastated Ida suffers crises of faith in God and America before the birth of Tommie and Betty’s child pushes her to action. She investigates six lynchings in nearby Millington and barely escapes being lynched.

Ida then writes an article “shining a light on the truth” that says the excuse used for most lynchings — Black men raping white women — is a lie. She says that the true reason is whites resenting economic and political competition from Blacks.

A furious Carmack leads a mob that burns down her office and tries to kill Ida, forcing her to flee Memphis and reject activism. But then a horrific lynching in Texas moves Ida to renew her unending fight for justice for her people.

Comps (comparisons)

“Harriet” meets “Spotlight”.

The hook

Ida B. Wells’ amazing story has not graced the big screen. “Ida B.” is unique as it relates the struggles of all African Americans in the post-Civil War South through the eyes of this brave heroine. Despite white supremacists constructing obstacles to Blacks obtaining economic and political power that included the cold-blooded lynchings, Ida and others muster the courage they need to survive and thrive. “Ida B.” should be produced and shown worldwide as it will tell Ida B. Wells’ amazing-yet-largely-unknown story and the United States is slipping backwards in the long battle to ensure civil rights for all citizens.

Scale / budget

The production scale of “Ida B.” is a mid-tier feature — a budget of $20 million for “Ida B.” has been formulated.

The right director and other personnel could make “Ida B.” into an absolute classic.

Short synopsis

Immortal Apology is about the last three days of Socrates’ life are spent facing trial in Athens, where he is accused of corrupting the youth and challenging the city’s beliefs. Unwilling to give up his quest for truth, he presented a potent defense, which became known as his Apology. In his final moments before execution, Socrates engaged his loyal followers in calm discussions about justice, virtue, and the soul’s eternal nature. With death imminent, he refuses to compromise his principles, opting for integrity over staying alive. The film offers a touching portrayal of courage, sagacity, and the cost of adhering to one’s beliefs.

Comps (comparisons)

A Man for All Seasons (1966) A principled man (Thomas More) refuses to bend to power, chooses death over an oath against his conscience. Quiet, dialogue-driven, deeply moral. The Last Emperor (1987) – not for story, but for one specific tone: The long, quiet resignation of a man watching his world end. The final act’s stillness. The Seventh Seal (1957 – Bergman) Similar: A knight (Antonius Block) plays chess with Death, asking God for meaning. Socrates dialogues with death itself, asking only for integrity. Both are meditations on faith, doubt, and the silence of the divine.

The hook

We are in an era characterized by public displays of anger, quick opinions, and swift reversals. Socrates declined to show remorse. He chose death over a lie. In a time when people change their core beliefs for social approval or career safety, his example is radical—and uncomfortable. Socrates was condemned by a democratic jury of 500 citizens, not by tyrants. The same mob dynamics are visible online and on campus in present times. Modern heroes blow things up or survive dystopias. Socrates’ heroism is quieter: sitting still, refusing escape, keeping a promise to the law even when the law is wrong. In an era of burnout and escapism, that stillness is revolutionary.

Short synopsis

Recently separated from his wife Teri and drifting away from his teenage son Tom, Mitch Underwood has become an expert at hiding in plain sight. To colleagues, friends and strangers alike, he is dependable, cheerful and endlessly helpful. Behind the smile, however, Mitch is fighting a constant battle with OCD, anxiety and a brutally self-destructive inner voice named Bob. When a chance reunion with Donna, his unrequited love from school, reignites memories of the artist he once dreamed of becoming, Mitch is forced to confront everything he has spent years avoiding. As his compulsions intensify and Bob’s grip tightens, Mitch finds himself pulled between the safety of routine and the possibility of a different, better, future. Across six episodes, Mitch struggles to repair his relationship with Tom, whose own emerging obsessive behaviours mirror Mitch’s own troubled adolescence. He attempts to navigate the complicated feelings that remain between himself and Teri while exploring a growing connection with Donna. Along the way, he becomes entangled in the lives and problems of those around him, from vulnerable colleagues and lifelong friends to complete strangers, often helping everyone except himself. As Mitch rediscovers his passion for drawing and begins creating a graphic novel inspired by his own experiences, he gradually uncovers painful truths about his past and the stories he has told himself for decades. What begins as an escape becomes a path toward self-acceptance. By the end of the series, Mitch learns that neither Bob nor his fears can be silenced completely. Instead, he discovers that recovery lies in accepting the imperfections beneath the veneers we all present to the world. Reconnecting with his creativity, rebuilding bridges with his family and finally choosing to move forward rather than stand still, Mitch takes the first tentative steps toward the life he once imagined for himself.

Comps (comparisons)

VENEERS combines the mental health insight and internal struggle of PURE, the warmth and emotional honesty of THIS WAY UP and the character-led humour of ALMA’S NOT NORMAL. It is a contemporary British dramedy that uses comedy to explore anxiety, OCD, family relationships and second chances, while retaining an optimistic and uplifting arc.

The hook

What makes VENEERS unique is the relationship between Mitch and Bob, the brutally critical inner voice that narrates his fears, regrets and compulsions. By turning intrusive thoughts into a fully realised antagonist, the series transforms an invisible internal struggle into a funny, relatable and emotionally honest dramedy about second chances, creativity and, ultimately, learning to live with yourself.

Scale / budget

VENEERS is designed as a low-to-mid budget television dramedy. The series is primarily character-driven, with contemporary real-world locations including homes, offices, schools, cafés and healthcare settings. There are no expensive visual effects, action sequences or large-scale set pieces. While the ensemble cast and occasional flashbacks create a slightly broader production footprint than a single-location comedy, the series remains grounded, contained and highly producible within the budget range of contemporary UK character-led dramas and dramedies. Its focus on performance, writing and authentic relationships allows production value to come from the strength of the storytelling rather than costly spectacle.

Short synopsis

Timeer, a legendary but physically scarred former adventurer, and his young daughter, Ohno, live a quiet life running a dusty item shop. They are content to leave behind the monster slaying past of Timeer and his late wife, Mariee. Their peaceful retirement is shattered when the ambitious and ruthless Queen Millie forces Timeer and Ohno into a mandatory expedition to retrieve the Heart of Shadows, an ancient magical amulet hidden in the treacherous Lost Isles. They set sail alongside a colorful crew, including the theatrical hero Fitz, the stoic warrior Jade, the brilliant robotic engineer Poppy, and the wise healer Meece.

The voyage quickly proves deadly as the crew battles the Tempest Sea and a massive, glowing Hydra. Seeing that Timeer wants to abandon the perilous quest to protect the crew, Queen Millie secretly stabs him with a blade coated in paralyzing Hydra venom. Feigning innocence, she convinces Ohno and the crew that the only cure for her father lies deep within the amulet’s temple on the Lost Isles. The desperate crew pushes into the magical jungle, encountering giant spiders, perilous terrain and a tribe of abandoned children led by a small child named Ziki. Millie ruthlessly manipulates the children into guiding them to the ancient ruins, proving she will sacrifice anyone to achieve ultimate power.

Inside the temple, the crew survives deadly trials and an army of the undead, culminating in Fitz sacrificing his life to defeat the creature guarding the Heart of Shadows. Millie finally claims the cursed amulet. The dark artifact consumes her entirely, transforming her into a colossal, shadowy monster that absorbs her own sister, Princess Nara. Outmatched but refusing to surrender, Ohno is guided by a spiritual vision of her mother, granting her the strength to fight back. Ohno plunges her dagger into the amulet, shattering it and vanquishing the darkness. With Timeer healed and Princess Nara saved, Ohno embraces her own legacy as a true hero. The survivors return to the Kingdom of Iron Roe to rebuild, honoring those they lost.

Comps (comparisons)

Scallywags is similar in comparison to 3 films in particular. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, for it’s exciting and action packed quest for a sacred treasure. Treasure Planet, for having a similar aesthetic of seafaring magical adventure mixed with futuristic technology. Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, for having a more adult themed storyline, but still being grounded enough for children.

The hook

Scallywags distinguishes itself by blending a unique aesthetic of fantasy, adventure and technology. With grounded high stakes consequences where the heroes pay a physical and emotional price, the story is serious enough for adult’s while still keeping the narrative light enough for children. This story taps into the market’s hunger for emotionally mature animation while exploring the resonant theme of a younger generation burdened with fixing the broken systems and dangerous legacies left behind by previous generations.

Scale / budget

This script best fits a large studio tentpole or a premium mid-tier feature (estimated at $40M–$80M). Its ambitious vision requires blockbuster level technical backing to handle the complex action sequences, the expansive sets, and the visual effects demanded by many scenes. It is perfectly positioned for the scale of a studio like DreamWorks, Sony Pictures Animation, or Netflix Animation.

Short synopsis

Andy arrives at a remote woodland couples’ retreat hoping to win back his ex-girlfriend Amy. Accompanied by his chaotic best friend Eddie, he soon discovers that failing couples are disappearing during the night — and by morning nobody remembers they ever existed.

As more couples disappear, Andy uncovers the truth behind Lily, an ageless supernatural predator who feeds on emotional dishonesty and broken relationships. To survive, he must finally confront the fears and avoidance that destroyed his relationship in the first place.

Faced with an enemy that weaponises emotional weakness, Andy, Amy and Eddie must expose the truth before they become the next people erased from memory.

Comps (comparisons)

Shaun of the Dead meets The Cabin in the Woods, with the supernatural horror and dark humour of Evil Dead II.

The hook

Broken Hearts combines a supernatural horror mystery with relationship comedy. Every victim is erased not only physically, but from everyone else’s memory, creating a shifting reality where characters can no longer trust their own recollections.

Beneath the horror is a story about emotional avoidance, honesty, and the fear of commitment. The monster isn’t simply killing people — she feeds on the truths people refuse to confront, turning the characters’ deepest fears, secrets and relationship failures into weapons against them.

Scale / budget

Contained independent feature.

Primarily set at a single woodland retreat location with a focused ensemble cast and practical horror effects.

Designed as a commercially viable UK horror-comedy in the £1.5m–£3m range.

Short synopsis

On an island owned by Count Borromeo in Lake Maggiore in Northern Italy, the world- famous Arturo Toscanini–who had worked with Barber’s aunt, contralto Louise Homer, who sang with Caruso–asked the young composer to write a piece for the conductor. Present was Barber’s lover, fellow composer Gian Carlo Menotti. In flashbacks the story of young Barber and the history of the love affair between Barber and Menotti is told, from their meeting at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia to their support by Mary Louise Curtis Bok, to their adventures and complications as a couple. Central to the story is their time in St. Wolfgang, Austria, where they befriended the family of a forest caretaker and Barber finally overcame his tendency to procrastinate to draft The Adagio. Equally important to the composition was Barber’s mentoring by his uncle, and Louise’s husband, Sidney Homer, and their time (with Menotti) at the Homer estate, Homeland, on Lake George, integrated into a narrative that moves back and forth in time. At a wild party in Austria is becomes clear that the Nazis continue to follow them and their friends, as they had in Italy. Since Barber didn’t hear back from Toscanini, he assumes he has been rejected. But the more aggressive of the two, Menotti revisits Toscanini, who laughs, knowing Barber would be worried, and explains that the conductor has a photographic memory and the piece will be premiered on November 5, 1938, by the NBC Symphony Orchestra, under Toscanini’s direction. They celebrate by sharing Menotti’s bedroom at the back of the Villa Menotti, where the maid discovers Sam’s shoes the next morning. But eventually they need to flee Europe separately as the threat to their life together becomes real. Toscanini interprets the composition to a reporter moments before the lovers hear The Adagio in a New English redneck store deep in the night. In a final highly suggestive scene, they reflect on their life together.

Comps (comparisons)

Most recent comp is Maestro because it similarly deals with issues facing a homosexual composer. (In fact, Menotti later was briefly one of Leonard Bernstein’s lovers, which caused tension between Barber and Menotti.) But that film uses Bernstein’s attachment to his wife as a counter. My screenplay explores more deeply the issues between two men, with Menotti being more promiscuous and Barber more willing to settle into a monogamous relationship. Meanwhile, they were able to inspire each other artistically despite their 35 years of love and tumult. In a less dramatic way, The Adagio is in the tradition of biopics about composers, like Amadeus and Immortal Beloved.

The hook

The Adagio is familiar in the popular mind as the music played at the funerals, for example, of JFK, FDR, Princess Grace of Monaco, and Albert Einstein. For film viewers, it is recognizable in films like Platoon, The Elephant Man, Amelie, Lorenzo’s Oil, and El Norte. In the first place, The Adagio tells for the first time the accurate story: from Arturo Toscanini’s request that Barber write something, to the many delays Barber was prone to, to how he and Menotti worked together to finally finish the piece for its first airing on radio in the United States. But the more personal story, the subtext, is how difficult it was for the two composers to create their music while enduring the many complications, from different methods of composition, to competition for fame, to quite different approaches to their homosexuality. Menotti was extroverted and unapologetic while Barber was secretive and wishing for a monogamous, domestic goal. Marriage would’ve suited him. A third layer in my drama is the growing awareness of the threat to their relationship, and all homosexuals, by the rise of Nazism in Europe and the need for closeting in the United States. Finally Barber, the darker and more politically savvy of the two, convinced Menotti of the growing storm.

Scale / budget

Mid-Tier Feature, much shot in Austria and Italy.

Short synopsis

Olympe de Gouges was a radical feminist in Revolutionary France, at a time when women had no civil, financial or personal rights in society.

A petite bourgeoise from the French countryside, Olympe reinvents herself in Paris, where she hobnobs with the aristocracy. There she becomes a prolific writer, playwright and political activist so intent on breaking norms to bring equality to all men and women, that she makes powerful enemies at the forefront of the Revolution.

A passionate advocate, she fights for the civil rights we take for granted today, but which were unheard of in the 18^th century: equal treatment for women under the law, rights for divorced women, abolition of slavery, women’s suffrage. “A woman has the right to mount the scaffold. She must equally have the right to mount the speaker’s platform,” she says, foreshadowing her own appearance before a bloodthirsty Revolutionary tribunal.

When the French National Assembly publishes Lafayette’s Declaration of the Rights of Man in 1789 – the template for both the French and the American Constitution – she quickly publishes a Declaration of the Rights of the Woman.

But Robespierre and leaders of the French Revolution are threatened by her mouthy advocacy, and Olympe follows King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette to the guillotine. However, Olympe retains the last laugh, as her radical ideas become the laws of the land by the 20^th century.

Comps (comparisons)

“The Duchess” meets “Braveheart”.

The hook

With women’s rights and Black civil rights under such fire these days, Olympe’s story has never been more relevant.

Scale / budget

It’s a historical feature with big set pieces (storming of the Tuileries Palace, execution of Louis XVI). Kinda pricey.