The high-level concept of a TV show:
FIRST 12 pp here: https://www.stage32.com/loglines/32495
“INCANTATION”
We need to enter the mind of a professor who created a virus that is destined to kill humanity and the serum to cure the future disease but committed suicide to guard the formula of the serum.
His body and brain were subjected to the digitization and a world was created around him. A team of agents was sent into his mind from 2099 to convince him to give away the formula. But his mind is resisting the idea and deploys an army of collaborators who are there to defend the secret – the system, government, any federal agency is there to protect it.
They need to find out the “incantation” consisting of words and music. Don’t even know what it is. That’s why they send several teams, lonely agents and groups.
The only piece of evidence that they have from 1992 is the computer project, AI that was created by the MIT students as a time-capsule fun joke. But this program gave away a few things that the professor mentioned in his classes.
To guard the formula professor’s mind separated it into three pieces and split among the most guarded people in the world.
1) The PRESIDENT of the UNITED STATES.
2) A Thai monk who gave the vow of silence
3) A death-row prisoner in a maximum-security facility.
We start with agent Ivy who lands in the US consulate in Bangkok on the morning of 2009 days before riots erupt in the capital of Thailand with a legit passport issued in 2099. This is where we start...
Inception, no.
Matrix – no.
Source code – no.
12 monkeys – no.
Think bigger…
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Okay, this sounds awesome. I love writing big budget with limitless possibilities. This premise certainly sounds interesting and It's totally my style of writing. I'm interested and open to sending you a sample script for you to read.
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Email me anytime! Jordantatescreenwriter@yahooo.com
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There were 3 concepts I had in mind:
1) just one story of two agents - Ivy and Monica for the entire 60 mins. And at the end of the pilot episode, we show that there are in total 3 groups - one Presidential, one to get to the prisoner and the monk theme (Ivy + Monica)
2) follow 3 teams from page 20
3) do the flashback from page 30 on what happened in 1992. I did the one-pager with the AI scene, but that was just a small little trick to lure more audience into stuff.
This show is not for sci-fi lunatics or UFO hunters, nope. This is a psychological thriller that will show how dangerous the mind of a professor with all his guilt and remorse and hatred for human beings can be.
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I'd go with option 2. Simply because it will give the audience more clarity on all 3 of the people who are guarding the professor's mind. It will be so much more satisfying to see it all play out without jumping back and forth in the story. Also keeping in mind that there are already 3 teams, 3 different settings and narratives, keeping it tidy might be better.
But I do like the idea of being more creative in the structure and exploring option 1 and 3. It's just difficult to endorse them at the moment because you haven't explained them fully.
For what it's worth, I like doomsday movies with a medical twist. In fact, the sample script I want to send you is a medical thriller. What attracted me most about this project was the fact that it's character driven. The President, The Monk and A Prisoner, it's pure genius. And the fact that the professor's mind is split into 3 characters dilutes the sci-fi element of his mind being some kind of out of body super computer like Lucy (starring Scarlett Johansson). Even in your post it is clear that you're not writing a sci-fi because you communicate well.
I sent you a network request and a message, please let me know a suitable way you'd like to chat.
Ally Shina Thanks. Great input. The marketing side of the story needs to be addressed. In order to make it a collaterable asset deal this needs to address somebody bigger than one network - I'd say, HBO, well, they're too lazy these days, nothing worth watching since THE NIGHT OF, to be honest, other networks copy-pasting the reality shift, well, not that interesting anymore, COUNTERPART (they did a good job in season 1 - then, well, it's a "6 feet under again" project - and definitely it's not rednecks doing the monster zombie thing, Netflix, Amazon, Disney, they just need more steam. I predict Alphabet, Facebook jumping into movies full-throttle one day, but not on this project. They're too young to make sober decisions. The executives that run the floor right now are not there yet, we need an executive who's gonna be hungry in 10 years. This show can easily go beyond 80M+ an episode, just payroll.
Jay, I think you're being just a little too hard on the networks here. HBO has since The Night Of made Game Of Thrones which is Game of Thrones, I need not express how huge the show was, huge in every aspects of the word.