This page in intended to acquaint prospective Producers, Directors, film financiers and interested industry shakers and makers with our screenplay body of work. This is not a confidential site, anyone may access it to read our screenplays or our synopsis of a screenplay.
All guests please note and be aware that our entirety of work enjoys the full legal protections of U.S. Federal Copyright and or Writer’s Guild Of America East registrations. As such, no content, specific group of written words or photographic images found on this site may be copied, stored, or transmitted, by any means now known or to be invented, without the express permission of the authors.
Option conditions, status, and expiration dates of current screenplay options are available to interested parties,please contact us directly for the most current status and information on our projects. We offer some options at no cost with time limits and conditions, paid options with time limits and conditions, and option buy back depending on the market and the screenplay.
All screenplays are available for option rights, sale to own, and or lease to produce. We also rent screenplays to film classes, schools and Colleges as hard copy teaching aides.
We offer very reasonable “foot in your door” costs for your first acquisition.
Enjoy.
This is a story about bad cops and is not meant to be a poor reflection upon all law enforcement officers. The very few that abuse their position are just that, very few. Most all law enforcement officers are doing their very best to protect our civil rights and safety. We support all agencies of law enforcement and our great military.
“Ten24”
Genre
Love story / Thriller
Inspired by a true story.
Log Line
To save her husband’s life a woman must convince everyone, including him, that he is innocent of murder.
Tag Line
“Right place, wrong time”
Audience View Expanded Synopsis
In post 9/11 America, on Oct. 24th 2001 (Ten24) a man, HARRY (40’s) is arrested for murder by a rookie cop, SCOTT (20’s) who responded to a silent, but false alarm, of a robbery in progress at a hotel.
Harry arrives at the hotel to pick up his wife, KATHLEEN (40’s) who works at the hotel. He takes a step out of his car and is immediately drawn into a police stand off situation wherein Scott and his senior partner, JOHN (40’s) have several employees of the hotel at gun point, spread eagle in the parking lot, except Kathleen who refuses to lay on the ground.
The hotel Assistant Manager, SUSAN (30’s) has told Scott and John it’s a false alarm, but they have come 9/11 pumped up and they are not leaving empty handed. Harry is commanded to “get down”, instead he walks to Kathleen and stands by her side to protect her.
John walks to Harry, holsters his weapon, then jumps Harry, back twisting his arm behind him and pulling his long hair as he force walks Harry up a side walk and into an out of view side entrance alcove.
BANG! A shot rings out from the alcove! “Harry!” Kathleen screams as she runs toward the alcove. Scott tackles her to the ground and rough and rude cuffs her to a bike rack they fell against. Scott runs to the alcove and enters. BANG! Another shot is heard from the alcove,then another!
Scott comes flying out and runs to his patrol car, the trunk goes up, Scott runs back to the alcove carrying a large first aide kit.
Kathleen thrashes at the bike rack screaming “Harry!, Harry!” as backup arrives and one officer, LUIS (30’s) cautiously walks up to Kathleen as she screams “they’re killing my husband in the side entrance, help him”! Luis creeps up to the entrance, Scott exits the alcove in a looking back fast walk and bumps into Luis on the side walk.
“What’s the situation Scott?” Scott answers Luis “John and a citizen are down and gone, the perp is down and out”. Luis and Scott enter the alcove. A hotel guest is seen lying dead near an exit door, John lies dead and blood soaked, Harry lies unconscious, bleeding from the head next to John. A gun is on a nearby trash can.
Harry awakens in the hospital with no memory of the entire incident due to his fractured skull and learns he is charged with two counts of murder and one count of “Domestic Terrorism” for killing John, a police officer. A wants to be governor State’s Attorney, CHURCH (50’s) orders Scott to do “anything you have to” to make sure Harry is convicted, “this is national exposure, I want this” Church says. Scott, wanting to please Church, goes all the way to the edge and jumps over to get the job done. Harry is convicted and sentenced to be executed.
Kathleen suffers all manner of humiliation, emotional, physical, and financial distress from strangers, family and so called friends as she fights from the heart to stop the execution and free Harry. Kathleen’s goes to her last resort, Luis, as he had said he felt “something is way off about this”, but his wife, CINDY (20’s) and Church asks and tell him to stay away from Kathleen.
ONE YEAR LATER
Luis has become a lawyer. Kathleen visits Harry near the end, Harry asks “how can you be so sure I didn’t do it if even I don’t know if I did?” Kathleen replies,”because I love you and know you better than you know yourself”.
Kathleen, in the very last days of Harry’s life, begs Luis again to help “you know somethings terribly wrong”. Luis dives in and in the very last days finds a witness, DANNY (40’s) who is mentally challenged, or so everyone thinks. Church, Scott, and Danny’s own parents conspire to have Danny committed to a mental hospital under heavy sedation to secure Harry’s conviction and sentence for Church and Scott, and to keep the Social Security checks and other benefits for Danny coming for his parents. Luis interviews Danny. Danny, through his drug haze, talks of a tape he took from his job at Ready Burger, a fast food restaurant across the parking lot from the hotel where the shootings took place.
Kathleen leaves Harry for the last time. Harry says, “loving you has been everything, now walk out of here proud, don’t let them see you cry, and don’t look back”. The prison door opens and closes, Kathleen looks back through the small window in the door, Harry is gone, she cries.
The Governor is at his retirement dinner at a hotel. He takes the last call, Harry will not be spared. Luis and his legal interns feverishly dig in an old dump at Danny’s parents’ farm where the parents have carelessly disposed of Danny’s belongings.
I’ve got a tape! is screamed by one, and heard by all at the dump. Luis and the interns burst into the Governor’s dinner. They pull a tape playing all the Governor’s accomplishments and insert their tape. As the tape begins to play a large white van outside a drive up window moves out of frame and we see the alcove clearly from the Ready Burger window. John is seen beating Harry over the head with his gun butt. Harry breaks loose and runs for a door, John takes aim and fires just as a hotel guest opens the door and steps into the alcove. The shocked guest falls dead at Harry’s feet.
John rushes Harry and they are seen struggling as Scott enters the alcove. Scott takes aim and fires at Harry, his gun jams! John lands another crushing blow to Harry’s head and his gun flies to the ground and lands at Scott’s feet. Scott picks up the gun and fires at Harry just as Harry looses conscientiousness and falls to the floor. John looks quizzically at Scott and falls next to Harry. Scott runs to John gun in hand. John’s shirt begins to turn red at the chest.
Scott quick thinks and then leans down and puts the gun in Harry’s hand, finger on the trigger, and fires a wild round, then places it on a trash can and runs out of the alcove. Scott is seen returning with the kit. He checks John’s pulse. He looks shocked and begins to hurriedly walk out of the alcove while looking back. He bumps into Luis.
The Governor is scared as he looks at the clock on the wall and his watch and picks up the phone in a panic. The has just realized his watch is five minutes slow!
Kathleen sits on a couch with daughter APRIL (20’s). HARRY the 3rd (20’s) looking at the mantel clock Harry built years before. The clock strikes twelve. They never gave up, they now must give in. Kathleen falls into April’s arms and cries from her very soul. Harry is gone, she has gone with him.
Flashing lights in the yard! The kitchen door opens. Mike walks into the darkened living room. Shadows follow him. Kathleen,grief stricken to barely conscious chokes out “it’s over?” Mike moves to turn the lights up. Harry comes to light and life as he steps from the shadows softly saying “yes ladies, it is over”.
Kathleen instantly realizes she has been both wrong and now right, she comes alive and runs to Harry. As the room fully lights Luis brings the man of the hour forward from the group behind him. “Kathleen, I would like you to meet the man responsible for this night, Danny Frost”. Kathleen slowly puts out her hand out to Danny. He is too nervous shy to shake. His hands remain at his side. Kathleen hugs him tight, and whispers in his ear. “Thank you Danny Frost” Danny slowly raises his arms slightly. He smiles.
Notes
Fixed Concept
An innocent, condemned man doesn’t know if he is guilty. Is he, and everyone helping to free him, working hard enough to save him if he and they are not sure he is innocent.
Conversions
The characters ages, gender, race, are available variable convertibles.
Multiples
Feature film, Television Pilot for Mini-Series or Series.
Pluses
*Within the film the main character (Harry) writes the book Ten24 in prison and the last scene is of Harry and Kathleen at a book signing in NYC. Harry is finishing a near final draft of TEN24 the book and the film will have this medium to boost it’s popularity.
*The title Ten24 is at once both memory and word of mouth friendly, and marque and advertising friendly due to it’s brevity. “Ten24” “It’s a Date” (explaining the title and planting a date movie in the prospective audience’s mind) (reg.)
*Timing. Ten24 is an important story set in the aftermath of 911 that highlights the acceleration of police brutality and their violation of U.S. citizens civil and human rights due to the passage of The Patriot Act.
Given the social unrest recently created by stark evidence of police brutality this true story is set to be an important vehicle for overdue, timely change in how many police view civilians and routinely operate outside the law without basic ethics of professionalism and accepted moral standards and how a corrupt justice system covers up for the almost half of police officers that abuse their authority to some extent to protect the overall reputation of law enforcement.
* A very well known and respected married couple/actors are very interested in “coming on board” Ten24.
* At the $1,000,000 – $3,000,000 budget level this film has the potential of a great return of investment/profit margin.
Status
Coming soon,exciting Ten24 update.
“MISSING”
Log Line
A U.S. mission to Mars goes missing for one year. A rescue mission returns with a big surprise. Or does it?
Tag Line
“You can believe some of the government some of the time, but never all of the government all of the time”
Genre
Sci-Fi / Thriller
Status
In technical continuity pass and music rights negotiations.
“UNGLUED”
Log Line
The U.S. government secretly launches an entire city into space, inadvertently causing the earth’s gravity to quickly fade.
Tag Line
” The government is 100% right 1% of the time”
Genre
Thriller / Comedy
Status
In character arc and dialog pass.
“ZOMBIE DINER”
Log Line
Eco-friendly, Neo-Zombies are tired of co-existing with the living and are acquiring, assimilating, and training an army to take over the planet and save the world from the destructive humans.
Tag Line
“Who’s For Dinner”
Genre
Thriller / Comedy
Audience View Expanded Synopsis
Looking down through a moon lit night onto highway 178 in Eastern Pennsylvania, charter bus NZ101 seems to have the road to itself save for a large truck approaching from the opposite direction. In the fully loaded bus sit young and old facing forward, eyes wide, giggling to the beat of the road. OLIVIA BOONE (20’s beautiful) sits behind the wheel transfixed to the road ahead. CRASH! The truck and bus collide. Olivia is thrown through the windshield seat and all as the bus explodes and rolls over and over down a steep hill.
FRANK LEEDS (50’s) number four senior official with The Department Of Homeland Security is in his Washington DC bed watching golf on TV hoping to fall to sleep. His phone spoils it. “Frank Leeds” “Frank. It’s ETHAN (30’s) I have a come be and see situation.” ” I’m there. Call BRAYDEN (45)”.
At a hospital near the crash site Ethan, Brayden and Frank are having a meet and speak with a local doctor VALDEZ (30’s). Olivia lies covered with a white sheet to her neck. The quartet converses, the sheet is lifted and all but Valdez jump back in horror. Olivia is absent her body from her belly button down. She opens her eyes as the sheet is replaced. Leeds leans in.”Olivia Boone! Can you hear me!”
“Where am I? Are you us or others? Leeds jumps back again. “Unholy Christ! She’s alive! “Valdez fills in the blanks that are obvious on everyone’s faces. ” She has no blood pressure, in fact she has no blood. Her organs are petrified and her brain is functioning at a very high level suggesting she exists in an advanced bio-electrical state. I have heard of this in Columbia when I was in medical school”.
Leeds needs a lesson. ” Spell it out in small human words. What in the hell or heaven do we have here!” “Neo-Zombies Frank. You have an environmentally conscious, immortal Neo-Zombie intent on assimilating the human race to keep us from destroying the planet. They are said to have evolved from a group of scientists that went missing in the central South American rain forests back in the 60’s. They were working on saving the forests and stumbled onto a fountain of youth process that went haywire. They have gone from myth, to legend, and now it appears they have busted out of the jungle to be a real time head and handful.”
Olivia overfills their heads and hands. “They are coming for me, and you. Save me and I can save you. I will need a new body for my brain. It will allow me to come halfway back to human.
Brayden’s sarcastic mouth falls open and … “Brain transplant, new body, no problem! We can cover that with Ebay and Utube. Tomorrow okay for you honey?!” Olivia naively concurs. “That is acceptable.”
Leeds turns Brayden’s sarcasm into reality. ” Doable! I’ve got a guy. Ethan call DR. BUTLER (40’s). Ask him a lot and tell him little.We’re rolling to Gouland General”.
A suspenseful and unsuccessful attempt to “retrieve” Olivia is made at the local hospital by a “recovery” team of zombies that hastens the roll out. “That was close! Did you get any of that on you Ethan? Yeah, some. The whole place was full of some kind of heavy gas or something. What was it Frank? Don’t know, but it’s probably worse than bad.”
The Homeland lead and followup crew drive by an entrance sign that reads PAYROLL DATA LLC as they arrive at large office building in New Jersey. In the back they enter through an opening overhead door.
Leeds and Ethan step out of their black Suburban to meet Dr. Owen Butler. “Are we on Owen”? Well Frank there’s owed moneys from last time, money up front this time, and, oh yeah, the fact that I really don’t like you.” You’ll get two out of three. You’re not my kind of friend either Owen”
“Would you like to start looking for another a top, top secret biological transplant research center tonight, or pay and play better to get it done here, now, Frank. And I’ll thank you and your over dressed, undereducated followers not to call the location of my life’s work Gouland General”
Brayden wants to replace Leeds in his number four spot at Homeland, but isn’t thinking of earning it and waiting his rightful turn. He will need to pull off something big that gets the attention of the Director to move up fast. He senses that by working with Butler on the sly to get Olivia a body he may be able to get inside information on the zombie centers locations and get out in front of Leeds to take down a high enough number of them to get the attention he desires and make Leeds look incompetent as well.
Olivia awakens on a bed to the sound of Brayden’s voice. “How do you like your new body Olivia?” She looks down at a naked early 20’s body and asks “Where is Ethan” Brayden moves his plan forward. “He’s been called away, be back in a couple of days. Now you’ve got the tit, and I must say they are great, now give me the tat. Where is the largest zombie center?” Olivia looks down at her new body. She’s impressed. “Okay, Depot 1 is on Pier 1 West Street and Jane New York City. There will be approximately 250. They blink every thirty seconds, they like loud music, they are afraid of lightening, they are comedians and they snap their heads straight when excited. They will destroy life if threatened. We should not be challenged. Our mission is larger than any resistance.
Brayden phones in phase two of his promotion plan. “Yeah, NICK (30’s) I am telling you there will only be about 50 of them. Keep Murphy, Shaw and Thompson deaf and blind until we are heroes. Get guns, and fill a half dozen Suburbans with ambitious no minds and meet me 0500 tomorrow at the end of the pier. By tomorrow night we will be on our way to the top”.
Tomorrow opens with a massive shoot out bust out that finds the Homelanders put down dead four to one against the zombies who manage to flee the depot. Nick is among the fighting dead. Brayden cowards out, hides and lives to return to Gouland. The top three Homelanders get the news and quiz Leeds about the “unauthorized” operation gone “stupid bad”. Brayden chimes in with dumb innocence. “I had no idea Nick was such an ass brain”
With the zombies now exposed to the entire agency another kill off encounter is worked out by Homeland and the military. A captured at the pier zombie, ESTER (20’s), is taken to the top secret “shed” at a counter intelligence farm compound and is interrogated/tortured into giving up the fall back position of the Depot 1 zombies as she is confident that her team will win against any opposition. “They will regroup at the Last Chance Gold Mine in Sedona Arizona. They are best left to themselves”
A meeting of the top minds brings fourth a plan to electrify the base of the mountain at the gold mine. ” It’s mostly copper and silver, the gold has been mined out . We can divert enough power from the transmission line to Vegas to power the entire mountain and fry those elecro zombies” boasts one of the eager engineers. At the mine it takes longer to set the ambush than they allowed for. They had hoped for daylight, it’s dark now. “We have the metal mesh nets in place over the exit. 250,000 volts will melt anybody and anything that comes out that hole. We have the mountain base wired 100′ in. It’s now an electric fry pan. We are on!”.
The zombies in the mine see and hear the preparations for their extinction going on around them and prepare to bus break out. The deafening roar of dozens of diesel buses rolling through the mountain sets the attack in motion.
The first bus out gets snagged in the net and the bus and all occupants rock , giggle, smoke and catch fire as they absorb the massive current of electricity. “Zombie fries! Get your Zombie fries folks!” Yells one of the idiots manning the switch.
Suddenly the the bright glow of Las Vegas on the horizon flickers, dims and disappears.
Bus two hits the burning bus and ejects it from the net. Dozens more buses filled with stoic zombies roar past an amazed gallery of helpless onlookers . Some of them cheer the buses on. The heavy thinkers behind the ill fated plan turn to each other.
“Did we just blackout Las Vegas?” “No, No we did not. In fact we were never here. Don’t leave anything behind”.
Back at Gouland Olivia has taken a turn for the worse. Dr. Valdez gives Ethan the news. “She has last hours cancer” “Brayden!” “I’ll kill him!” “Olivia would be better served if you could get another body in less that four hours. She has about eight Ethan”.
Ethan slides a Suburban into a no parking zone at Mercy General and runs to the morgue. Flashing his credentials and gun…. “I want the last one piece, drug or non head gun shot Jane Doe you have!” A stunned orderly hurriedly pulls open all the occupied drawers. ” Here’s one that just came in. Beautiful kid, shot herself through the heart.”
” Gurney! Now!” blasts from Ethan. The orderly pulls one over to the drawer. Ethan eyes the other drawers. There about a half dozen men in jump suits. He curiously asks ” What!?”. “Prison riot. Six dead. These two just died” is heard just before the twittering of multiple gurney casters.
“Olivia. Can you hear me” “Oh Ethan! I love you!” “Is that possible Olivia?”.
“I am back enough to have emotions. I feel love for you”
Ethan and Olivia get into the Suburban. There are two unconscious men with head bandages, seat belted upright in the back. “Where are we going Ethan?” “Home Olivia, we’re going home”. “Are they coming with us?” “No. They’re going home too”
Ethan drags the two groggy, hand cuffed together, riders into a lobby. The sign reads SINGERVILLE PRISON. A uniformed guard meets him. “Well, Hunter, and Rogers. Great work Ethan. These two started the riot. They will be here forever.” The two slowly speak…”I am Dr. Owen Butler there has been a mistake.” “And I am Alex Brayden with Homeland Security”. The guard slowly smiles. “Sure you are. I’ll put you in our best suite here at the hotel” He whispers to Ethan ” These two are real story tellers from way back. You never know what they will say next.”
A few months later…. Olivia is holding a pregnancy test stick in her hand. She shows it to Ethan. Their heads snap straight.
Frank is now number one.”Mr. Leeds there’s a Will Cumpta on line one.” “Put him through. “Frank Leeds”. “Knock, knock”. Who’s there” “Will Cumpta” Will Cumpta who?”
“Willcumpta the other side” Frank smiles as he slowly hangs up. Thirty seconds later he blinks and turns up his radio.
A reporter on the Vegas strip is interviewing random people. “We are here in Vegas on the first anniversary of the great Vegas blackout. She approaches an average looking couple. “There have been many explanations and theories as to the cause for the the great black out. Everything from aliens to terrorist to zombies, to the official government explanation being homeless squatters trying to tap into the power lines near the Last Chance mine. What do you think?”
The reporter sticks the mike in their faces. Their heads snap straight as they answer. “Squatting, homeless, alien, terrorists”
Status
Commissioned companion book in first draft.
Notes
Fixed Concept
These are not your average foot dragging, eyeball dangling, blotch skin, brain eating zombies. These guys look just like us. They can only be discovered by their ticks or mannerisms, allowing them to get into all kinds of different and interesting situations.
Multiples
Feature Film, Pilot for a Mini-Series or Series.
Pluses
“You’re Going To Want To Be One!”
“JONNY GETS MARRIED”
Log Line
A group of men invent a fictitious friend/groom, and wedding, as an excuse for them to spend a week end in Vegas.
Tag Line
“There’s a little truth in every lie”
Genre
Mob Comedy
Status
In comedy lift pass.
“KILLSMITH”
Log Line
An activist fast food worker kills patrons with a mysterious fast acting poison while blackmailing the U.S. government to seriously address the country’s obesity epidemic.
Tag Line
” The government’s cure works but the patient dies”
Genre
Thriller / Comedy
Status
In bio-technology and concept pass.
“FIRST LOVE”
Log Line
The C.I.A. kills the First Lady’s secret lesbian lover to silence her, but she speaks loudly from the grave.
Tag Line
“Be careful what you wish for, it may get you”
Genre
Thriller
Status
In B story arc pass.
“DNA-NOT”
Log Line
The distraught father of a murdered teen aged girl discovers that finger prints and DNA use as unmistakable identifiers is not always unmistakable.
Tag Line
“Justice can blind some of the people, all of the time”
Genre
Thriller
Status
On second draft.
“THE PAPERBOY”
Log Line
An adolescent paperboy gets tomorrows news today and uses it to rid his family of an abusive step-father.
Tag Line
“Today’s smile is tomorrow’s news”
Genre
Teen Thriller
Status
Option/Production ready short. In Feature Film expansion pass.
HJL Studio 1 