Take a peek into the “dark” side of Hollywood with the annual screenplay list showcasing the best un-produced dark genre screenplays and pilots of the year, as voted on by industry executives.
Founded in 2009 by literary manager and producer Kailey Marsh as a way to bring more awareness to darker genre screenplays and screenwriters, the annual BloodList has become the industry standard in recognizing dark voices in the screenwriting world. Featured genres include horror, thriller, science-fiction, dark comedy, psychological drama and dark fantasy. The list is voted on by working Hollywood executives with an eye toward finding their next project. Previous BloodList alumni include: The Blackcoat’s Daughter, Arrival, Stoker, The Boy Next Door, Patient Zero, The Voices, Warm Bodies, Chronicle and Maggie.
74 execs voted on #BloodList2016, with 10 scripts making the final cut.
This year also features a #FreshBloodSelects section to share the spotlight and introduce / showcase new writers. There were 386 submissions for the Fresh Blood initiative, with 13 scripts making the final cut.
Without further ado, here are the Bloodlist 2016 selects. To read the full scripts and to check out the #FreshBloodSelects list, visit Bloodlist.com. You can also follow BloodList on Twitter and Facebook.
Title: ORB
Writer: Steve Desmond & Michael Sherman
Logline: Inspired by actual events from a phenomenon that occurred in 1974, the story follows a young married couple who discover a mysterious metallic orb in the woods near their house following a meteor shower. While the unusual object dazzles the couple by exhibiting some awe-inspiring properties, its true purpose is revealed to be far more sinister than they could ever imagine.
Genre: Sci-fi Horror
Agent(s): Adam Perry, Sheryl Petersen, Malcolm Hamilton (APA)
Manager(s): Peter McHugh, Matt Shichtman (Gotham Group)
Any attachments / additional info: Alex Mace and Derek Dauchy (Davis Entertainment) are producing.
Title: MAN ALIVE
Writer: Joe Greenberg
Logline: After an alien invasion takes over the minds of humankind, one survivor known as “Man” must make peace with this alien to fight a greater evil.
Genre: Sci-Fi, Horror
Agent(s): Bryan Besser, Parker Davis (Verve)
Manager(s): Jake Wagner, Jake Weiner, Scott Stoops (Good Fear Film + Mgmt)
Any attachments / additional info: This is set up at Fox with Noah Hawley attached to direct.
Title: SEVERANCE (Pilot)
Writer: Daniel Erickson
Logline: Data analyst Mark Scout heads up a team of pencil-pushers, each of whom has had their memories surgically split between work and home life. After a colleague goes missing, Mark begins to see the company’s dangerous secret agenda, and must try to contact his “outside” self to help take them down forever.
Genre: Sci-Fi Mystery/Thriller
Agent(s): N/A
Manager(s): Benjamin Blake, Markus Goerg (HEROES AND VILLAINS ENTERTAINMENT)
Any attachments / additional info: N/A
Title: THE WATCHER
Writer: Zack Ford
Logline: When a couple living in a Brooklyn high-rise think that a man in the building across the street is looking through their window, their paranoia grows until they begin to suspect he might actually be a killer at large who the news refers to as The Headhunter.
Genre: Horror
Agent: Charlie Ferraro (UTA)
Manager: N/A
Any attachments: Kaplan/Perrone Entertainment & Lost City are producing.
Title: SOUL MATES
Writer: Chris LaMont & Joe Russo
Logline: Based on a short story by Frankie Mendoza, Gunnar Baroldy and JJ Chalupnik. The film is about two unsuspecting strangers who find themselves participants in a twisted new dating service that forces two singles inside a nightmarish maze designed to help them find their Soul Mate – or die trying.
Genre: Horror/Thriller
Agent(s): Greg Pedicin (Gersh)
Manager(s): Russell Hollander (Hollander Entertainment)
Title: I THINK WE’RE ALONE NOW
Writer: Mike Makowsky
Logline: The apocalypse proves a blessing in disguise for one lucky recluse — until a second survivor arrives with the threat of companionship.
Genre: Sci-Fi Dark Comedy
Agent(s): Praveen Pandian, Rob Herting, Ryan Ly (CAA)
Manager(s): Susan Solomon (Circle of Confusion)
Any attachments / additional info: Reed Morano (Meadowland) is directing the Automatik Entertainment is producing. Elle Fanning & Peter Dinklage are attached to star.
Title: THE LIVE ONES
Writer: Alex Carl
Logline: A San Francisco attorney inherits a house in upstate New York that contains the dark secrets of the family she never knew. Tonally like the SKELETON KEY, but with haunted mannequins.
Genre: Horror
Agent(s): Varun Monga (Equitable Stewardship for Artists)
Manager(s): Kailey Marsh (Kailey Marsh Media)
Any attachments / additional info: N/A
Title: MAXIMUM KING!
Writer: Shay Hatten
Logline: An outlandish, surreal imagining of how in 1985, Stephen King wrote and directed his horror classic MAXIMUM OVERDRIVE.
Genre: Dark Comedy
Agent(s): Joe Mann & Praveen Pandian (CAA)
Manager(s): Lee Stobby (Lee Stobby Entertainment)
Any attachments / additional info: N/A
Title: SUMMER OF ‘84
Writers: Matt Leslie & Stephen J. Smith
Genre: Thriller, Suspense, Horror, Coming-of-Age
Logline: It’s the summer of 1984, the perfect time to be 14 years old and free. But when neighborhood conspiracy theorist Davey Armstrong begins to suspect his police officer neighbor might be the serial killer all over the local news, he and his three best friends begin an investigation that soon turns dangerous.
Management: Jeff Portnoy (Bellevue Productions)
Agency: CAA
Any attachments / additional info: The Canadian directing trio ROADKILL SUPERSTAR (François Simard, Anouk Whissell and Yoann-Karl Whissell) is attached to direct. Brightlight Pictures is producing.
Title: SAFE AND SOUND
Writer: Natalie Hanson Logline: A new mother hears voices through her baby monitor, discovering a secret that threatens to destroy her.
Genre: Horror
Agent(s): N/A
Manager(s): Mark Finley (Metric Talent & Literary Management)
Any attachments / additional info: Brett Leonard is attached to direct (repped by Benjamin Bradford – Bradford/Blonde Management) Jasper Grey (Fortunate Falls) is producing
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