Well, I finally finished the movie pitch I did as part of a Hollywood Fantasy Draft blog-a-thon project spearheaded by a blogger who sadly is no longer around. It has been quite er, laborious effort but definitely fun and worth every second! I realize it’s a long one, but I would appreciate you taking the time to read it and let me know what you think. Without further ado… I present to you:
Hearts Want. A film by Ridley Scott.
Tagline:
In the crossroads of love and life, the choices are never easy.
Themes:
Past sins, true love, second chances, lawlessness, temptation, forgiveness, and making tough choices under seemingly impossible circumstances.
Genre: Romantic Thriller
Setting: London, Scotland, France
Cast of Characters:
(Check out this post for the rationale of why I picked each actor)
My director pick is British director Ridley Scott. I need someone who can create a solid thriller but with heart. Known for his sweeping landscapes and cinematography, the contemporary European setting would look stunning visually under his direction. He may be known for action adventure films like Gladiator or Kingdom of Heaven, but he also did Someone to Watch Over Me years ago so I know he could handle the romance. According to IMDb, Ridley usually casts / works with actors who have a strong theater background and are graduates of drama schools. Hence my choice for a leading man…
…
Timothy Dalton as Spencer Wesford: 64-years old, 6’2”, dark haired with green eyes, with a permanent five-o’clock shadow. Still maintain a lean figure as he jogs daily and does boxing workouts in his basement. Smokes pipe occasionally and drinks only Whisky or Scotch. Speaks French and German from his MI-5 training, was one of the best agents until he retires over two decades ago when his wife Maggie died in a car accident. Drives a black 1999 Range Rover, as he’s sworn off German cars as his wife died when he was driving his Audi S4. A man of refined taste, Spencer dresses well, wears tailored suits and Grenson shoes.Though he’s still as dashing as ever, even Darren’s female colleagues have the hots for Spencer, he hasn’t been with a woman ever since Maggie died. He’s still too heartbroken over her death and the loss of relationship with his only son. But Maggie isn’t the only love he’s lost. About five seven years before his wife died, Spencer had a brief but torrid affair with Olivia, which he ended abruptly within a year.
,,.
Helen Mirren as Olivia Ferrars. The heir of a billion-dollar empire, the 58-year-old takes over the powerful Ferrars enterprise after her younger brother died of MS. Once married to a man she didn’t love to honor her father’s wishes, but divorced him as soon as her father died. In her 30s had a brief but torrid affair with Spencer, then a young detective who’s assigned to probe into her family’s ties to drug cartels/diamond smugglers. Olivia is a patron of the arts and active in the Ferrars’ philanthropic endeavors and often hosts charity galas and fund-raising efforts for her many charitable foundations. She does all this partly out of guilt as she’s well aware of her enterprise’s carefully-concealed unlawful activities that is now carried on expanded under her ruthless son’s rule.
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James McAvoy as Dylan Ferrars: 31-year-old youngest son of Olivia and Spencer. Handsomely-boyish looking, soft-spoken and well-mannered, Dylan may seem like the perfect son and role model for any wealthy family. He always excels at school, doesn’t party endlessly or do drugs, and not only diligently working to advance his family business but also have time to accompany his mother to charity events. But deep down Dylan is as merciless and fiercely-ambitious like his grandfather, able to pull off the two-faced trick seamlessly and without remorse. He could be giving a speech at an earthquake benefit one minute, and the next he’d authorize to have someone who gets in his way killed or tortured.
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Gerard Butler as Jacob Wesford: Spencer’s 38-year old estranged son who hasn’t spoken to his father pretty much since his mother died. Despite being a college-dropout, his savvy business sense and popularity help him become a successful club owner and restaurateur. He owns five clubs and a few elite restaurants in the UK, which Dylan Ferrars often use for business dealings and to ‘entertain’ their hoodlum guests. He’s always been a rebel, but his Godly mother was somehow able to reign him in. Of course that’s all changed with her passing. He’s constantly angry with God and blames his dad for her death, but when he misses her the most, he’d drive to the local church where she used to go and just sits there for hours. That’s when he meets Alexa.
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Cate Blanchett as Julienne Ferrars: Olivia’s 37 year-old daughter from her first marriage who doesn’t get along with her mother and brother. She’s never been married as the men she’s been with are either spoiled rich boys, or the opposite, they’re after her family’s money. She’s devastated by the divorce as she was her father’s favorite and sensed that her mother never loved him. She shuns being a member of the Ferrars family for its deceitful nature, and prefers live in an understated condo in the outskirt of London and works as a part-time nurse.
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Eva Green as Alexa Noble: 30-year-old French-English girl who’s engaged to Jacob whose disappearance propels a series of events in the movie. She’s a natural beauty, even in her plain clothes of mostly long sweaters and skinny jeans, her black hair against piercing green eyes are striking. Alexa is adopted by a couple of missionaries when she was in her late teens when her parents are killed by a drunk driver. She’s an accomplished pianist who’s a member of the London Community Orchestra but dedicates her spare time volunteering at her church, which happens to be the same small church Jacob’s mother attended. That’s when she met Jacob, who quickly falls for her. Within 4 months of their whirlwind courtship, Jacob proposes to Alexa, as he can’t imagine even a day without her. Alexa would only marry him on one condition; that is if he quits his party-boy lifestyle.
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Lee Pace as Sean Leigh: the young detective assigned to the case of Alexa’s disappearance. The bright and spirited young man was one of Spencer’s most gifted student at the University, who now sees Spencer as his father figure and friend. In a way he’s like a son to Spencer who grieves for his own long lost son Jacob. They see each other every weekend playing chess or going to orchestra performances together as they share a love of classical music. Spencer is also Sean’s mentor, as he’d always consult with Spencer because of his extensive MI-5 background and expertise in forensic science.
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Daniel Henney as Darren Sun: Sean’s detective partner. An equally gifted and ambitious detective, Darren’s been friends with Sean since they joined the force together. In fact, one of Sean’s sister once dated him in college. The Korean-English looker is a fitness buff and pro-triathlete who makes him extremely popular with the ladies. He’s also a skilled empathic communicator with a deft attention to detail, which makes him a skillful detective. Has just been married recently and is expecting his first child.
…
Additional Cast (cameos):
- Michael Gambon: Edgar Ferrars (Olivia’s father)
- Julia Ormond: Magdalene Wesford (Spencer’s late wife)
Logline
Spencer, a retired MI-5 agent currently working as a forensic professor is reeled back into his old world when his estranged son’s fiancée is suddenly gone missing. Thinking that solving the case might be the key to winning back his son’s trust, he vows to do whatever it takes to help solve the case. Dark secrets and past sins are quickly revealed as people’s lives are entangled in ways no one ever expected. As the case reaches a boiling point, everyone involved must make some difficult choices under seemingly impossible circumstances.
Overview
I always like thrillers that have love stories at the heart of it. I like Ridley Scott’s work and this one appeals to his softer side while still incorporate his knack for suspense n action. It’ll be set in his native London with a moody, almost melancholy but gritty atmosphere.
The prime suspect of the case is Dylan Ferrars, whose mother is Spencer’s former lover Olivia, owner of the multibillion-dollar Ferrars empire. The actors I’ve chosen will play roles they’re not normally associated with, for example, I chose McAvoy for this ‘villain’ role BECAUSE of his boyish role. Just because he looks like a non-threatening nice guy doesn’t mean he is, and like Cillian Murphy in Red Eye, that actually makes him a more menacing bad guy. I also like to see a couple of mature thespians at the core of the story, hence my pick of Mirren and Dalton.
Backstory
This movie is more of an ensemble-cast in which the principal performers are assigned roughly equal amounts of importance and screen time in a dramatic production. But at the core of the story is Spencer because a lot of the events has to do with a dark past he’s been trying to put behind him. Spencer retired from MI-5 soon after his wife’s death in a car accident 25 years ago, and has taken up a job as a forensic professor in the past 15 years. His quiet life is suddenly turned upside down when his long-estranged son Jacob’s fiancee is suddenly missing. In the hope of regaining his son’s trust, he vows to do whatever it takes to find her.
The case puts him back in the path of his former lover Olivia, whom he had an affair with 30 years ago. The affair lasted nearly a year, but Spencer ended it abruptly out of his conscience. Unbeknownst to Spencer, Olivia became pregnant with Dylan but she decided not to tell Spencer as she found out just as he ended their affair. She never quite get over Spencer and always hope they’d be reconciled one day.
Five years after the affair, Olivia inherited the corporation when her father died (her brother succumbed to MS, which made her the sole heir to her family’s empire). The Ferrars may appear as renowned philanthropists with all the charity and foundations benefiting the poor and the sick, but under wraps they’re a ruthless and nefarious corporation with countless illegal activities. In fact, it was during an investigation into her empire’s alleged dealings with the South American drug cartels as well as ties with Sierra Leone diamond smugglers that Spencer first had an encounter with Olivia. The investigation was fruitless given that the Ferrars had the power to cover up and throw away all kinds of evidence. As the future heir to the Ferrars’ fortune, Dylan is even more ruthless than his grandfather, and even though Olivia had become troubled by her son’s wickedness, she’s powerless to stop it.
In a bizarre turn of events, Jacob and Dylan’s path crossed 30 years later as business partners. Though he was a high school dropout, Jacob managed to work his way up to become a successful club owner and restaurateur. Dylan often uses Jacob’s clubs to entertain his high-powered clients and business associates, and though Jacob isn’t involved in the dealings, he turns a blind eye on the illegal activities.
Julienne is Dylan’s sister who’s sort of the ‘black sheep’ of the family as she not only doesn’t get along with her mother and brother, she never participates in her family’s events and charity functions. Deep down Julienne resents the two-faced nature of her family and finds that money and power is corrupting her family. She has never been married as she never loved the men she had been with, they were all spoiled, rich boys Olivia deemed ‘perfect’ for her daughter. In the past few months, Julienne starts a love affair with a young detective Sean and she’s been feeding tips about the drug cartels and diamond smuggling her own family’s involved in. At first, she was ‘using’ Sean to rebel against everything her mother’s warned her against, knowing that she would never approve of her marrying someone of such a lesser stature and economic level. But then Julienne ends up falling in love with Sean, and for the first time in her life, she finds a real reason for living. Sean happens to be Spencer’s protege who was his former professor at the U and he’s been telling Spencer of his new love, though he cannot reveal her name out of his promise to Julienne. Sean is like a son to Spencer, as he’s pretty much lost Jacob at the same time his wife died.
THE SET UP
Act 1
The first 10-15 minutes of the movie shows a slice of six lives that’s about to collide.
Opening sequence of the movie opens with scenes of a day-in-the-life of Spencer in the outskirts of London with Philip Glass’ score is playing in the background (similar to the one he did for The Hours). The aging widower lives a quiet, regimented life — wakes up in the early hours to jog, followed by boxing in his basement and then breakfast as he reads his paper. His watch beeps; he grabs his jacket and drives to a nearby park. It’s Saturday morning, which means chess game with Sean. Sean buys Spencer coffee and treats, obvious he’s in a good mood. He tells Spencer about this new girl he met and he’s giddy like a schoolboy. He can’t reveal who she is as she made him promise not to because of her famous family.
It’s night time at one of Jacob’s swanky clubs. Love is in the air also for Spencer’s estranged son, who’s on the brink of a new life. He’s newly engaged to Alexa, ending his stint as London’s ‘most eligible bachelor’. He’s telling one of his buddies that he’s got to be home by midnight, which is unheard of for the ultimate party boy and ladies man who usually goes home with a different girl every night. But tonight is different and he’s a new man now, he says, he’s done sowing his wild oats. Next scene shows them in his bed together but they’re not making love. Alexa refuses to do that until they’re married, and Jacob respects that out of her love for her… something he has never done before given that a rich playboy like him usually sleeps with women within hours of meeting them. But Jacob is tired of frivolous sexual escapades that always leave him empty and lonely, so he’s happy even just kissing and gazing lovingly at Alexa’s beautiful face and just talk to each other until they both fall asleep.
Olivia and Dylan at their elite fund-raising event for MS (the organization Olivia is active at in honor of her dead brother). Shows Olivia giving a speech, toasting her son for her charity effort and generous giving to a recent earthquake victims, etc. Snippets of the guests questioning why the Ferrars’ daughter is nowhere to be found as usual… accusing her of not being as charitable as the rest of her family. Moments later shows Dylan on the phone ordering someone tortured/killed as he refused to do something he asked for.
Julienne is at a camp site with Sean, blissfully happy being in love. They’re talking about going on a week-long road trip together in Sean’s beat up Jeep Cherokee. He’s teasing her about maybe borrowing one of Dylan’s Maseratis and see if he’d even notice and Julienne scoffs at the idea of using any of Dylan’s preposterous ‘toys’. Her disdain for her brother is apparent.
Act 2
Shown in flashback mode: Jacob and Alexa are in a restaurant and Dylan came over to their table. The conversation heated up when Dylan made a remark about Alexa being one of his conquests. In the heat of the moment, Jacob threw his champagne at him and tells him Dylan and his guests are no longer welcome at his club. Dylan’s men almost shoots Jacob before Alexa begs Dylan’s forgiveness as she helps dry him off with a napkin. Dylan wipes off his face and says, ‘you’ll be sorry for this!’ before storming off.
The thing is, when you deal with someone like Dylan and his vicious cohorts, there is no turning back. Dylan and his friends think that Jacob knew to much to simply walk away and so they plan on killing him. One night on his way home from his club Jacob’s car is followed by Dylan’s men. A car chase ensues and Jacob is shot in the shoulder and he hits a median, sending him into intensive care, but he survives. Spencer and Alexa visit him in the hospital but Jacob’s still unconscious.
Fast forward a few days later… Spencer is at the U talking with some students about midterm when his cell rings and he immediately leaves. That’s Jacob, calling his father out of desperation to tell him Alexa is missing. That is the first time in over a decade that Jacob is speaking to his father. As Spencer is driving, Sean calls and tells him he and his partner Darren have been assigned to the case. Because of Jacob’s call to the Police station that Dylan is the perpetrator of Alexa’s disappearance and his car crash , the detectives pay Dylan a visit for questioning but they can’t arrest him as there is no evidence of his involvement.
Two days later Spencer receives a note on his front door with the initial OF, saying “I have to see you and I can help” with an address in a villa south of Scotland. Spencer knows immediately whose name is on the card and the exact location, because that’s the place they’d go for their rendezvous 30 some years ago. Thinking that Olivia is in a position to help, Spencer has no choice but to agree to meet her. Though he had left her, deep down Spencer still have feelings for Olivia, but he’s adamant not to let that affect him. The second they meet, Spencer immediately cuts to the chase and confronts Olivia if her son was indeed involved in this matter and Olivia rebuffs it, saying that they may have done a lot of bad things but kidnapping isn’t one of them. She assures Spencer that if she knows anything, she’d be more than happy to help. The two spend the whole day together—biking in a Scottish moor, strolling in a small town nearby, etc.—reminiscing on the past the shared together, and Spencer’s heart is softened as the wall he’s been building comes down that night. As they hold hands over coffee, Olivia comes close to telling him about Dylan but Spencer has to leave immediately back to the city. Olivia is hopeful that her dreams of rekindling their romance is about to come true.
Jacob regains his consciousness and he is adamant to help with the investigation of the case, even offers to share everything he knows to bring down Dylan and his associates. This puts Jacob in even more danger, and he risks of losing everything he has built as in the course of one week, his clubs have been the subject of arson (done stealthily by Dylan’s men). At this point, all Jacob cares about is finding Alexa alive.
Meanwhile, Julienne confronts her brother and pleads him to release Alexa if he indeed has her. Dylan shoots back at her saying that he knows she has been seeing the same detective assigned to the case and warns her it won’t end well if she continues to do so. Julienne tells him to leave him alone and says that Sean is only doing his job, to which Dylan replies that he’s doing the same thing, and that is to sustain the well-being of their family business. “But at what cost, Dylan?” Julienne responds, and the scene ends with her saying, “I’m sorry to see what you have become.”
Act 3
Spencer visits Jacob at the hospital on the day of his release. The two hardly speak to each other, there is still so much pain between them but this time Jacob doesn’t tell Spencer to leave. Jacob’s friends want to drive him home but Spencer convinces his son to stay with him to ensure his safety. He can protect Jacob because of his MI-5 backgrounds and reluctantly, Jacob agrees, at least until his shoulder heals. Slowly Jacob opens up to his father as the two share a house together. Spencer is ecstatic of this second chance, but he also realizes he can never see Olivia again or risk losing Jacob forever.
It’s day 11 of Alexa’s disappearance and Jacob is losing patience on the way the investigation is going. Despite all the suspicion, there is lack of evidence to pine the case on Dylan. Jacob pleads his father to do go after Dylan as he’s convinced they’re simply so powerful that the authorities can’t touch them. Spencer initially refused, saying that he cannot interfere with police business, but seeing his son’s desperation, he simply cannot refuse him. Besides, they both realize that Dylan is guilty of all kinds of criminal activities he’s been involved in, regardless of whether the Police can link those back to him. Spencer takes Jacob to visit Sean and asks him for help. Sean realizes he’s risking his career and all he’s worked for if he agrees, but at the same time he is loyal to Spencer. Suddenly Julienne shows up, much to Spencer’s shock, but Sean assures them she is not a mole but she is in fact been trying to finally bring her own brother to justice. Julienne tips everyone that every year Dylan hosts a party at one of their mansions in France, which is also one of the location of his money laundering factory. It’ll be the perfect time for a bust as all of Dylan’s powerful associates will also be there.
On the eve of the plan of a shakedown, Spencer receives a call from Olivia. She tells him she has stage 4 breast cancer, and she only have weeks left to live. She pleads for Spencer to visit her at her private clinic. Spencer can’t simply refuse her now, and on her death bed, she finally reveals the truth about Dylan, much to Spencer’s shock and anguish. Olivia asks Spencer to go easy on his son, knowing that sooner or later he will be caught. She also confesses that she knows of all the illegal activities that Dylan is doing, but that there is nothing she can do about it. Spencer says there is and there is only one way to make things right, even if that means making the most difficult decision in their lives.
Act 4
Sean manages to convince his partner Darren, as well as several detectives and special forces to help with the bust. After a brief shootout, they’re able to arrest most of the criminals, but Dylan escapes with his right hand man. Sean is able to shoot Dylan’s protector though he is wounded in the process, but Dylan manages to get into his Maserati and drives off. Jacob grabs Sean’s gun and runs after Dylan in one of the detectives’ car. Within minutes Spencer is on their tail, fearing his worst that his two sons will try to kill each other. As Dylan is not a very experienced driver, having been chauffeured all his life, Jacob has no trouble catching up with him. He hits Dylan’s car and finally able to corner him. Jacob pulls a gun on him, telling him to get out. He threatens to shoot if he doesn’t reveal where Alexa is. Dylan says if he kills him, he will never find Alexa again. Jacob just about to pull the trigger when Spencer yells that Dylan is his brother. As Jacob is distracted, Dylan starts the ignition and drives away.
Final Act
As he arrives in his house, Olivia is waiting for him in her wheelchair. She’s wearing a wig as she’s undergoing chemo. She tells him that her last wish is for his dearest son to do one selfless act before she dies. Dylan’s heartbroken seeing her mother so fragile, and he finally confesses. The night Jacob is in the hospital, Alexa paid him a visit and offered to leave Jacob forever in exchange for his life. She made Dylan promise not to hurt Jacob if she left the country. Dylan reluctantly agreed, but he had one of his men followed her to make sure he knows her whereabouts as he planned on killing Jacob anyway and make it look like an accident.
Unbeknown to his son, Olivia is wearing a wire and Spencer hears the whole thing. Within minutes the whole place is surrounded and Dylan is finally arrested. Jacob is reunited with Alexa in France, whilst Olivia spends her last weeks of her life with the man she loves.
Epilogue
At Olivia’s funeral, Jacob is shown hugging Spencer, with Alexa by his side. Julienne and Sean who’s still in crutches are there as well, and they’re now engaged. It’s a bittersweet moment for Spencer as he’s finally reconciled with his estranged son again, and he hopes that one day he’ll do the same with Dylan.
Well, what do you think, all? Would you be interested to see a movie with this kind of story and cast? I welcome your feedback.
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Not bad. I will say the cancer seems to come out of nowhere(its just there was no hint of it before, and then suddenly she has stage 4 cancer. Seems a bit much) and the whole playboy who is really lonely thing seemed a bit cliche to me, its still something i would see
Hi Julian, he..he.. somehow I knew you’d call me out on that one. I guess I should’ve alluded to it a bit sooner, but people who have stage 4 cancer might not be so noticeable (I was just watching Michael Douglas here on Letterman: http://www.newser.com/story/99500/michael-douglas-vows-to-beat-stage-4-cancer.html) and Olivia would’ve done her best to camouflage it at that point. Two weeks before she is admitted to the private clinic (when she first met Spencer), she hasn’t heard that her cancer has spread to her brains and lungs, but it happens so quickly that it’s too late to stop it.
As for the forlorn playboy thing, it’s a cliche but it still makes for a good drama. I think most playboys are lonely, they just don’t want to admit it 🙂
You can delete my other reply
I suppose. I hadn’t thought about the case with Michael. It just seemed very sudden when i was reading it
As for the playboy thing, i just thought it was unnecessary. I would have totally brought that romance even if he did enjoy his playboy lifestyle before meeting her.
But thats just my opinion anyway. And as for the movie i was telling you about before in my email, it might end up being too long to put on youtube, but i will try to find some way to share it online. I must warn you tho, some horror elements might creep in(nothing to heavy tho). I pretty much only have the concept right now, so the final product may end up with some horror movie influences.
Yeah, it does work without Jacob being a playboy, but it actually works well with the story because not only does he falls for her, but also inspires him to leave his life of debauchery.
Your movie idea sounds intriguing, Julian, just let me know when you have it up somewhere. You can also break it in 10-minute increment in YouTube, so that’s always an option. Or maybe Vimeo??
I don’t mind horror if it’s not too gory like Exorcist or SAW, I mean I like 28 Days Later and Sixth Sense. I guess creepy as long as the story is well-written is fine but I despise it when people put up terrifying scenes just for shock value.
I suppose, but thats just my honest opinion on the Jacob thing.
And i just remembered i don’t think i told you about the concept i’m using for the classscreenplay(its totally different than the fantasy movie i told you about before). Right now its about a book arthur who is writing a vampire novel and gets help from a woman named pamela, who he starts getting feelings for. Everything seems to be going well, but soon it turns partly into a murder mystery, and affects there relationship in a way he doesn’t expect. . Thats all i can say without spoiling it. And i’ll find some way to get it online when its finished
And it might end up being having some creepy moments, but i don’t think its going to be too gory.
wow, youve thought a lot about this Ruth, good pitch.
Cate Blanchett wouldnt be seen dead with Gerard Butler though
Why thanks Ross!
But your aversion to GB is starting to worry me 😉 I think a great actress like Cate would know the difference between poor role choices vs. acting ability. Mr. Ralph Fiennes obviously did 🙂
I’m with Ruth, Cate and Gerry would have the most amazing chemistry together and I believe the sparks would fly all around 🙂
Thanks Dez, I know you’d have my back 🙂 But Cate actually won’t share much screen time with Gerry, her love interest is Lee Pace. GB is with Eva Green.
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when will the shooting start? 🙂
I like the tagline.
He..he.. it already started in my dreams, Dez, it’ll take an Inception technology for you to watch it, ha!
Oh hey thanks about the tag line. Surprisingly that wasn’t hard to come up with as I have the themes in mind, it’s the title that’s challenging. My friend Prairiegirl helped me come up with that, I just keep it vague and grammatically-off on purpose.
I got so caught up in your story last night that when it came to the end, I was suddenly jolted back into the real world and realized, unfortunately, that I wasn’t reading a “real” script or novel, so IMHO it certainly could be published or “projected,” an amazing work and can totally see it on the big screen. “And the Oscar goes to…” 😉
Hey Becky, firstly let me thank you for helping with the title. I certainly like that better than “The heart wants what it wants” 😀
Oh dear, you are way too kind, but thank you, I appreciate the compliments. As you know, I was a bit consumed by this, especially with Spencer & Jacob’s character… I was getting way too detailed on my notes about what they’re like that I kept putting off writing the plot! But then again a real screenwriter would have at least 3 months to write something instead of 3 weeks 🙂 I might go back and polish this in the future if I feel like it though.
Holy CRAP, you’re going from reviewing films to basically coming up with your own. It’s truly in your blood! Like Father, like Daughter. VERY impressive. I think I could get the GF to see this one.
Hey thanks Mike! No, this is just part of a blog-a-thon, otherwise I probably wouldn’t have done it. It’s fun to do albeit very time consuming though, I wish I can do this all day and not worry about my full-time job, he..he..
Would you show this post to your GF? Yeah she probably would love seeing the cute guys, he..he.. and my movie won’t be bloody or gory, I do enjoy some stimulating shoot-out action and car chases though, so there’ll be a few of that in the story 😀
Heck yeah, I’d see it. I’m confused about one thing, though…Spencer and Olivia had the affair AFTER the death of his wife? Because McAvoy is younger than Butler, right? For me, I’m not good at visualization so it seems a little difficult to follow overall, but I think that it would probably be fine once it was onscreen. Perhaps a few changes in the order of the scenes, but it sounds like a good movie. I’m actually kind of sad it isn’t real. 😀 Great job! I don’t think I could essentially write a movie…I’ll just be a casting agent. 😉
So you’ll see it? Yay! Thanks for taking the time to read all this. I know there is a lot of information in here, it’s even hard for me to keep track! 🙂 I have a time line chart that I have with me as I’m writing the plot, and I did have a bit of info re: your question under Dalton’s cast of character (… But Maggie isn’t the only love he’s lost. About five years before his wife died, Spencer had a brief but torrid affair with Olivia, which he ended abruptly within a year.) But I realize that I’m off by a couple of years, so I changed it from 5 to 7 years. So the affair happened BEFORE Spencer’s wife died. She died 8 years later when Jacob is about 15.
Hey, being a casting agent is definitely more fun isn’t it? But after doing this, I kind of enjoy coming up with the kind of characters that’d work for each actor, it’s coming up with the plot that’s really tough.
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Nicely done Ruth, I love the poster for the film. You should pitch it to Sir Ridley Scott for real. 🙂
Thanks so much Ted. Oh dear, I wouldn’t dare do that… I’m afraid Sir Ridley would laugh so hard at this I’d give him a heart attack. But for wishful thinking sake, it’d be cool for him to read it wouldn’t it… I mean just to have him or even Dalton taking the time to read this would be an honor!
wow! I was already engrossed in this movie just while reading the character bios. How much time did you spend on it? I’m sure it took a lot! Nice work! I saw myself watching it, and actually started imaging what the trailer would look like and what the music for it would sound like! Let the movie come out in theaters!! I’ll review it! 🙂 I really enjoyed this, Ruth! One day I may dare to do so. The only thing even close to this I’ve done was come up with a cast for an Xmen movie when such a movie was only a dream in the minds of comic enthusiasts! Bravo, ma’am….Bravo!
Thank you for the kind words, Scarlet, much appreciate it! Yeah this project kind of ‘consumed’ me for at least a week, and I did spend a lot of time developing the characters so thank you for noticing that.
He..he.. I too kind of imagine the scenes unfolding in my head as I’m writing it. It’d be a dream come true to see this come to life… yeah, dream on right? 😀
Hey I’d love to see your fantasy cast for an X-Men movie. I love that franchise. Aren’t you excited for the upcoming prequel X-Men: First Class, it got McAvoy as Prof. X. The cast for that one is astounding!
Thanks again for your comment!
Wow! Like other comments, I could totally visualize the trailer for this while reading the acts. If done well enough, it outright fits the bill for an oscar type movie. The media would be all over the “Dalton in his finest” vibe. Perfect for Scott to direct this type of melodrama (check out Someone to Watch Over Me). There are also tinges of Chinatown in the plot which I think works great for the film. Well done! Now send it to Ridley…
Thanks Vince! Oscar-type movie??? Oh wow, I’m over the moon at the idea, maybe if I could get someone like John Logan, Paul Haggis or Julian Fellowes to write the script?? 😀
Well I’d like to think that Dalton’s best role is yet to come… I just hope it’ll come soon! I’ve never seen Chinatown but I know it’s a well-loved and Oscar-winning movie, so thanks for even mentioning it in the same breath as this, I don’t think Polanski will be pleased though 🙂
It kind of passed me by, I didn’t know it was going on until I read Kai’s pitch.
Ah I see. Well you can still participate I think, just post it on your blog. I’d love to read it.
Nice work. I love the story idea and the casting particularly of Lee Pace is inspired but I am really not convinced by Gerard Butler playing the character you describe. The character bio’s are brilliantly thought out and detailed. The most important thing, I would go to see this movie if it were made, get pitching!
Why thanks Andy! Well Lee Pace is the first one I cast (before Dalton!), so I’m glad you approve 🙂 As for GB, I’m in the camp that think the Scot CAN act, and I do firmly believe he not only can portray Jacob, but do it well. I don’t know what other movies of his you’ve seen (aside from the new ones, as I know you loathed Law Abiding Citizen), but he played a forlorn alcoholic in the BBC miniseries The Jury and a desperate novelist in a short called Please! and he blew me away. Those are the roles that made me believe he is perfect for this role, not to mention his scene-stealing performance in Dear Frankie. The fact that I fell for him in Phantom of the Opera, he definitely can do romance, and he’s a bit obsessed with Alexa here (that’s just his nature), which makes it all the more devastating for him to learn of her disappearance.
Thank you so much for your kind words about the character bios. I spent more time developing each one than the plot, so I’m glad you noticed!
P.S. I was hoping you’d participate in this thing, I’m sure you have plenty of pitch ideas up your sleeve that you can share with us?
I’ve seen almost all of Gerard Butler’s movies, both good and bad, and can see him in his role of Jacob in Hearts Want as one of the best he would play and it would be very well suited for him too. While reading the Hearts Want pitch, I vividly saw him as a redeemed playboy, and imagined how he would play the angst of dealing with Alexa’s disappearance. So again, Ruth, great casting!
But I do wholeheartedly agree with fandangoroovers that I would rush to see this film as soon as it came out!
Well done Ruth, you’ve done a fantastic job here, you’ve obviously put a lot of time and effort into this project and it shows. They say you get what you give, well I think if you get this idea in front of a producer they’d be mad not to give you a shot.
I particularly liked the casting, I struggled initially imagining James McAvoy as Dylan, Mr Tumnus, the gangster? But then as the plot developed and his character showed his true colours I was able to imagine a fresh approach to a familiar type of villian. I like the idea of having him have the charity benefits as a cover, kind of like the anti-thesis of Bruce Wayne (Bruce ‘Pain’ maybe?) 🙂
I have to disagree with Andy about Gerard Butler. I was imagining him as a very suave and charming businessman, wining and dining clients, and yet, maybe stopping by his local church on his way home, sitting quietly in his expensive car. I totally bought it, he has the gruff swagger of a confident businessman and also the enigmatic charisma of a contemplative guy who is lonely and searching for something more out of life.
I was very touched by the relationship between Jacob and Alexa. ‘Jacob is tired of frivolous sexual escapades that always leave him empty and lonely, so he’s happy even just kissing and gazing lovingly at Alexa’s beautiful face and just talk to each other until they both fall asleep’. It is so refreshing to have a relationship between a male and female lead that doesn’t involve them jumping into bed together. I think this sends a very positive message to your audience, who may be used to habitually seeing characters having pre-marital sex which often leaves them feeling empty and lonely, as Jacob has felt before he finds Alexa.
I’m very much in favour of the ending you gave it, a nice balance of suffering and hope, leaving the characters with lessons learned from the past and new resolutions for the future.
Thanks for taking the time to write this considerate and thrilling story Ruth. If and when you decide to bring it to the silver screen, you can rely on my patronage. 🙂
Hi Ronan! Thank you, thank you for taking the time to read this… and I was so moved by your kind words. I truly appreciate your encouragement, I do hope one day I get the opportunity to get this in front of someone who has the power to actually turn this into reality.
I’m so glad you like the casting… I kind of want to have an ‘unpredictable’ cast and have the actors play characters that aren’t exactly what they seem. So yeah, I cast McAvoy BECAUSE I haven’t seen him as a bad guy but he’s such a great actor I know he can pull it off. You know what they say, the devil comes in attractive packages, so his boyish look makes him appear as if he’s a nice, charitable guy. Bruce Pain, ha! I like that. Yeah, I guess you could think of him like that. The way his mom spoils him since he was a kid (as Dylan is the ‘fruit’ of her love for Spencer) turns him into a ‘monster’ who’s power hungry and insist on getting what he wants.
Oh my!! I LOVE how describe the essence of Jacob’s character… I couldn’t have written it better myself! I realize that because of his role choices of late, people just don’t think Butler has the chops. But I know he’s the perfect actor to portray the bad boy on the brink of repentance… that beneath all that ‘swagger’ he really is a broken man.
I LOVE you for noticing that bit of insight into what kind of relationship Jacob and Alex have. It happens to be my own personal belief as well, which obviously isn’t a popular one in the world we live in today, sadly. It may sound hard to believe for some people, but my hubby and I did the exact same thing when we lived together before we’re married, and I believe that helps our marriage tremendously. Instant gratification really isn’t all that’s cracked up to be.
The ending is the hardest part for me to write… but I can’t tell you how happy I am to read that you summed it up perfectly. It isn’t so much a ‘happy’ ending, but a hopeful one.
Your comment means so much to me, Ronan. I promise you, if this ever made it to the big screen, I’m sending you a free advanced screening + plane ticket to the premiere! 😉
P.S. Love the poster for Hearts Want. Did you design it?
Hey thanks! Yeah, it’s a photo my husband took on our recent London trip. I only had like 15 minutes to make a poster so I was lucky that the photo worked out quite nicely.
WOW!! I just got through reading and it was really impressive. I just can’t get over you’re imagination Ruth. It’s got everything. Love, suspense, Gerard Butler. I also love the poster for your film too. Now if we could just get some big time movie director to read this.
Good Job, Corinne
Hey thanks Corinne, you’re sweet! Thanks for taking the time to read this, I know it’s super long… He..he.. well, I’m quite the dreamer I guess. I spent my commute of an entire week talking to my Blackberry recording my thoughts on the characters & the plot as I can’t possibly write as I’m driving. I kind of enjoyed it actually.
Thanks again for your kind words!!
i liked the script. very well written, strong and blessed.
I’m sure it would be a success 🙂
Hello, welcome to FC. Thanks for your comment. It’s not a script yet, it’s more of a high level concept, but I appreciate your compliment.
Hi Ruth,
I think Ridley Scott would be a fantastic choice as director of ‘Hearts Want’ and I love the casting! I really enjoyed the journey through your characters lives, which are really well developed, and when it got to the end it has left me wanting more. I am now curious as to if Spencer and Dylan are reconciled.
In answer to your question yes! I would like to see “Hearts Want’ produced as a Motion Picture. I hope you will follow this dream and that it comes true as it would be wonderful for everyone to have the opportunity to see your vision in this film.
Hi Deb! Thanks for your comment, I really appreciate you taking the time. As TD fans we all should start a petition to get him to do more movies 😀 Glad to hear the ending left you wanting more… I personally don’t know whether Spencer will be reconciled with Dylan and specifically how Dylan would react to the news of Spencer being his real father, I think it’d be harder on the son’s part. That’s why I left it open ended.
Well, it’d be a dream come true to see this being realized on-screen, even as a miniseries of some sort. As they say, never stop dreaming 🙂
Hi, Ruth!
Great movie pitch! Love the title and the cast is just brilliant.
Great choice of director too as Ridley Scott has directed some of the biggest hits.
I’d definitely go and see it if it gets picked up by one of the big studios and hopefully it will.
Hi, Ruth!
I told some friends about your movie pitch. They’re thrilled.
I came back to read more about your story and I can’t help but notice that if Gerard Butler does play the role of Jacob, he will be basically playing himself a bit.
I’m happy to report that his work on Machine Gun Preacher with the influence of Sam Childers seem to be helping him to look for something more serious in his life. His recent sightings in SA showed a man who didn’t party hard, but did go out with a few ladies but ladies of good reputation. Could the handsome bad boy Scottish actor be looking for the one? I wouldn’t be surprised and can’t help but being happy for him if that’s the case.
There is one movie I wish you would check even though you said you would never see it. It seems you fell prey to the trailer which was showing only very little of it. All the people who have seen The Ugly Truth noticed at some point that Mike Chadway is less of a boar than the actual real life inspiration for the role. Actually Mike shows some insight and even some real feelings for Abbey at some point in the story. It is very surprising to notice that Mike may have had a very good reason for being so harsh and judgmental with women: he has been hurt several times. Listening to Gerry say his lines about why Mike is such cynic about relationships, I couldn’t help but think that maybe he met some women just like those he described. Mike also shows us that he’s capable of being a good influence over his young nephew to whom he suggests never to watch his show or listen to what he says on it and actually scolding him for having made a teenage girl cry. In the end, the Mike we see is very different from the Mike only seen in the trailer: that new Mike is not afraid to admit to Abby that he does love her though he doesn’t even understand why himself. So finally Abby didn’t had to change too much as Mike fell in love with the woman she was. I know most people based themselves on the trailer which was very rowdy and crude but once you see the story, you realize that the “bad boy” finds redemption at the end of it.
Hey thanks Lise, glad you like this pitch and I really appreciate you sharing it with your friends!
He..he.. well, I wasn’t planning on it being a GB story but yeah I guess you could say that. I just see Jacob being a broken man because he was so close to his mother as a young teen as his father wasn’t around very much, and then she died all of a sudden. He kind of blames his dad for it as being an MI-5 agent, he got a lot of threats, so he always thought the car accident wasn’t so random, that some thugs actually targeted his dad but killed his mother instead.
I don’t know why you got the impression that I’ve never seen Ugly Truth because I did see it on dvd. No, I wouldn’t be judging a movie just from the trailer, but it did confirm my dread about it (how cliched and banal it was). Yeah, there was a bit of a ‘transformation’ if you will, of this Mike character, I just feel the movie wasn’t well-written nor well-executed that the change felt too abrupt for me for both him and Abby. And in the end, though he kind of revealed his true nature to Abby in the end, the attraction is still largely a physical one (case in point, that scene in the elevator), though I guess you could argue that by this point, it’s more than that as he’s willing to sacrifice his career for her, hence the redemption.
In any case, as for GB, I haven’t been following what he’s up to lately. But I do hope you’re right that he is trying to turn over a new leaf. I’m really looking forward to MGP.
Wait, Gerald Butler was a partier? He never seemed that way to me. Of course i don’t follow him closely, but i think in this world of tabloid over saturation if can party while still keeping his career afloat then i don’t think he needs to turn over a new leaf. I think as long as it doesn’t get to the point where it damages his career(unlike someone like Lindsay Lohan) i don’t think its a problem.
I’m not trying to target you or Lisa with this, but I honestly think people need to stop forcing actors/musicians/entertainers to follow there morals(Although i think in general people need to stop trying to force there morals on others, but that’s another topic). They are paid to act/sing/entertain, not be role models. As long as they don’t let there personal life affect there work i don’t really care
Hey Julian, yeah well he’s got quite a reputation from what’s reported in the media, but as celeb gossip is based on a lot of speculation anyway, I don’t want to get into stuff like that. I did ‘follow’ what’s going on about him initially when I became his fan, but I quickly grew tired of it and it’s pointless anyway as nobody really knows the truth about somebody just by reading what’s been written about him, ESPECIALLY from the gossip variety.
Nobody is trying to force anyone’s morals on anyone. We obviously differ quite heavily on that topic, but I’m not going to address that in this blog. There is a time and place for such a discussion.
I do agree that artists are not role models, and I’m in the camp that think their personal life is their business. If one actor/filmmaker has a viewpoint that contrast with mine I still might see their movie (if it has merit of course), but if I find him/her offensive I also have every right not to support them in any way.
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Hello rtm,
what a splendid idea this film! I came across your post at IMDb.com and as I run a Timothy Dalton fan site (http://www.obr.lh.pl/timothydalton/) I was thrilled. It is of course a movie all Dalton fans would love to have seen. And I just can’t imagine you not trying to show the idea to someone who could forward it to Ridley Scott 🙂 Anyway, congratulations again and I’d be happy if you’d like to contribute to my website in any way.
Best
B
Hello Bartosz, always thrilled to ‘meet’ a fellow Dalton fan. Welcome to FC, glad you found this blog… I talk about Mr. Dalton all the time here 😀 I just checked out your site and I’m sure I’ll be back often. If I’m in any capacity to contribute to your site, of course I’d be happy to do so. Thanks for asking.
Thank you for your kind words about Hearts Want. Well, I’m just a lowly blogger so even though I wish someone like Ridley Scott or Timothy himself would be interested in just READING the pitch, I wouldn’t have a clue as to how to get it in front of either of them. If you know of a way, please do let me know 🙂
P.S. Would it be all right with you if you add a link to Hearts Want on your blog? I’d love to hear from other Dalton fans. I think we’re all in agreement we’d love to see more of him in movies!
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This is excellent. I enjoyed reading this very much (though I would enjoy seeing this more I think). Thrillers would a touch of romance are my absolute favourites, and I am so impressed with your actors’ choices – they would look and interact great together!
Thank you so much for reading. I had so much fun working on this and yeah, romance thriller is one of my favorite genres. Too bad they don’t get made very often. I’m glad you like my actors’ choices. To see Dalton and Mirren on screen together would be heavenly! That’s another thing Hollywood should make more of, romance with ‘seasoned’ actors in the cast!
Definitely. I noticed that many foreign films are not ‘afraid’ to combine actors of different ages, and see their interaction ( in Hollywood’s opinion, this will, probably, make it closer to some soap opera). I should also mention that I love your poster very much with Piccadilly Circus and Regents Street there, the title and all those names beneath, it all captures my imagination. That would have been one of my favourite films, no doubt!
Thanks again for your kind words. Well I figure life is full of people of all ages too, but I think Hollywood generally prefers ‘young romance’ with gorgeous, plastic people. I’d imagine this more of a British production, so smaller budget but shot on location in the UK and starring mostly British cast. I think the different ages would add to the dynamic of the story, at least in my head anyway 😀
Thanks for the compliment about the poster. My hubby actually shot that photo when we went to London and I thought it perfectly captured the mood of the story. I’m so flattered that you want to see it being made. I’m still hoping to work on the script for it but I don’t really have the experience for it 😦
Loads of things I could say, but it really comes down to I’d watch it, and I know I’d like it 🙂
Hey thanks Alex! Glad to hear this pitch interests you 😀