An alcoholic bounty hunter is hired by a business mogul to rescue his unruly daughter, who?s missing in a zombie-ravaged New York City.
Bounty Undead
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Bounty Undead
Pretty clear and concise. I only have two questions:
1. Why is the alcoholic bounty hunter chosen for the job? (Surely there's a more reliable option for the business mogul to save his daughter? Even just a non-alcoholic bounty hunter?)
2. What makes this different from a zillion other films I've seen like it? (Escape from New York/LA, Monsters come to mind instantly). What's the hook that would make me want to fund this film?
The daughter is going to be in her twenties.
I want this story takes place a month into the outbreak. Large cities are being overrun by zombies, but people living in rural secluded areas can still live relatively normal lives. The people living in rural areas still have to deal with the zombies and people taking advantage of the situation both good and bad.
Richiev: That's exactly what I was thinking! I will try to raise the stakes!
That's why I asked the age and character of the daughter.
I immediately thought of a substitute father-daughter relationship between the extraction specialist and the rescued victim.
I was thinking of the extraction specialist having no or very bad relationship with his own daughter. His daughter has just given birth, but she refuses to give him access to his grand daughter. Too many broken promises. Too many birthday missed. Lonely, depressed, and potentially dying from cancer, Going into New-York is an attempt at redemption. The money promised by the mogul would pay for the education of his grand daughter.
The mogul has the same bad relationship with his daughter. He paid for things but he was never there for moral support. Especially during the slow and painful death by cancer of her mother. The rescued daughter notices the mark left by the cancer chemiotherapy on the extraction specialist. The death of her mother from the same disease acts as a point of communication between the girl and the bounty hunter.
What I like in the TV s?rie "Walking Dead" is the depiction of the relationship, hope and despair of the characters rather than the gore part. I assumed that the script was about character driven rather than action/gore driven. Otherwise why use an alcoholic as protagonist.
Agreed, "Nothing left to lose" also leaves room for character growth.
Has the city been like this for some time or has it just occured? I'm wondering what would be best, the bounty hunter having to get in and rescue the girl or a bounty hunter is stuck in the city and his only means of escape is this girl. I'd opt for the later, as he would more likely have a purpose.
It might be better if the "nothing left to lose" attitude is more than just a death wish. Come to find out, the death wish is really the flip side of a desire for redemption. Perhaps he's sacrificing his own wasted life as an act of absolution for a mistake that cost the life of the wayward daughter he neglected to love as much as the father loves his wayward daughter. Or something similar, some subjective symmetry, emotional parallel between the protagonist and the father.
That way it starts out a situation-driven story, transforms into a character-driven one. fwiw.
dpg says: As Valentin asked. And why would anyone hire an alcoholic? What?s his strength that compensates for his flaw?
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Richie V says: I believe that could work for the film. The idea would be, no sane person would go into New York. Basically he's the only one who would agree.
It's why I would change the lead characters flaw to "Nothing left to lose" because it could encompass 'drinking' as well as a 'death wish mentality' which would make him crazy enough to take the job... and not take any (Guff) from the spoiled daughter.
Upping the stakes might help, how about this:
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"When New York City is overrun by zombies, a bounty hunter, with nothing left to lose, is hired by a business mogul to rescue his unruly daughter before the army napalms the dead infested city."
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Hope that helped, good luck with this!
Thanks for the feedback guys! I will definitely address these issues in the screenplay and as I develop this premise more.
When New-York is overrun by zombies, an alcoholic extraction specialist is hired by a business mogul to rescue his spoilt daughter stuck in a locked panic room who will soon run out of oxygen.