Can I just say, has there ever been a more cursed movie than The Hunt? This is a film that was bullied into pulling its release for accusations against the plot that weren’t true. It gets stuck in Purgatory. Blumhouse finally gets the cajones to make another run at it, setting it up for release this weekend and… the corona virus is in full force, leading to a likelihood of empty theaters. I can’t remember a movie being hit by two huge separate media onslaughts before… ever. I guess some things weren’t meant to be.
But you know what couldn’t be shut down? Not by a Corona N1-Nuclear-Defcon-5 Virus? Sci-Fi Showdown, that’s what. This is the perfect weekend to cozy up to your nearest pet, brew a warm mug of hot chocolate, and read some science-fiction screenplays. This showdown is a special one in that these are coming around less often. That means more submissions and higher stakes. I’ve read one of these scripts already and I can tell you it’s very good. One of my favorite amateur scripts that I read last year. Not going to disclose which one it is cause I don’t want to influence the voting. But I’d be surprised if it didn’t win.
I’m still deciding on what the next Showdown genre will be. Feel free to offer suggestions in the comments. I’ll announce the winning genre sometime this week. But for now, here are your five science-fiction showdown contestants. I don’t know about you. But I’m excited!
Title: The Dying One
Genre: Sci-fi Drama
Logline: Twenty-six year-old Leigh Steinman is dying. Except, no one dies anymore. Not at her age. Now she must adjust to life as the only person in the world dying, while making an impossible choice, take one last shot at a cure or build a legacy in her remaining days.
Why You Should Read: I’ve always loved sci-fi. I was raised on it. And it always drove me crazy how much, at least on film, it fell into predictable patterns. Action and adventure. Special effects. But couldn’t it be more? This is science fiction built on theme and character. I know that’s not easy to pull off, but I’ve spent two decades learning how to. This may not be the flashiest entry, but I promise you, it has depth. It’s unique.
Title: On This Day In History
Genre: Sci-Fi (Pilot)
Logline: Within hours of learning from an otherworldly source that his upcoming flight is destined for disaster, a would-be Good Samaritan highjacks Northwest Orient flight 305 in order to prevent it from crashing – so begins the saga of history’s most elusive fugitive, D.B. Cooper.
Why You Should Read: To be entertained. You could simply read to page 2, at which point you’ll hopefully buckle up and enjoy the ride. For those familiar with D.B. Cooper, great. For those who aren’t, a quick review of his wiki page may interest you.
Title: Nowhere Girl
Genre: Sci-Fi
Logline: A remorseless killer is given the death penalty, only to wake up 1,000 years later in a spacecraft built for one, with an artificial conscience implanted into her nervous system and a life sentence to serve out.
Why You Should Read: I wanted to write a character who has no redeeming qualities whatsoever, the most horrible monster I could imagine, and still somehow make her worth rooting for. Since my wife is a schoolteacher, and I have received that dreaded text that her school is on active shooter lockdown a couple of times, I knew who that character would be. So now I’d love to know if my fellow writers think I pulled it off.
Title: The Shell
Genre: Sci-Fi/Action
Logline: After learning his virologist sister is still alive and being held captive after being thought dead, a retired special forces soldier must infiltrate a secret bio-weapons facility to rescue her and steal the cure to a global pandemic.
Why You Should Read: None
Title: Emergent
Genre: Sci-fi/Thriller/Romance
Logline: A brilliant programmer gets embroiled in a bizarre and dangerous love triangle between a co-worker that saved her life and an artificial intelligence that nearly killed her.
Why You Should Read: Emergent had a good contest run last year, placing as a Quarterfinalist or above in Nicholl, Page, Austin, and Big Break as well as a few others. It landed me a few queries and even a couple meetings with managers, but no bites on it yet. I’ve since made some revisions (based on feedback from said meetings, etc.) and will be sending it out again this year. I’d really love to hear the opinions/advice/feedback from the scriptshadow community and even get it reviewed. Cheers.
