full image - Repost: My pitch for a Man-Bat creature feature (from Reddit.com, My pitch for a Man-Bat creature feature)
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"On the verge of permanently losing his hearing, a desperate genetic engineer has a breakthrough splicing bat DNA and prematurely tests the formula on himself, leaving his lab intern to figure out what monstrous thing has taken place; but when his daughter his killed in the gangland crossfire, he must realise Gotham City needs a hero, not a monster, before losing his humanity forever."For years I've thought a Cronenberg-esque monster movie about Man-Bat could be an interesting idea. Superhero stories have always shared a lot of DNA (pun intended) with body horror and pushing that would be a fun different of exploring Gotham City.Based on Blake Snyder's 15-point Beat Sheet from his popular screenwriting book Save The Cat, I've structured a rough plot for what this could look like. Hope you enjoy my take and please tell me what you think!Opening Image: In his lab, Dr. Kirk Langstrom lets bats land on him, while his lab intern, Tim Drake sheepishly stands away from him. His background in zoology makes him very comfortable around animals while Tim only sees the animals for their scientific potential. Tim Drake is a forensic science major who has to build up several hours of lab work as part of his course.Theme Stated: The pair discuss the current state of Gotham City. The Batman has been missing for the past year after the rumoured death of Robin, and in his absence Cluemaster and his gang have taken control of the streets and the GCPD are overwhelmed, despite getting new equipment to help fight super-criminals. Tim is hopeful that Batman will return but Kirk believes that someone more severe is needed to clean up the city. Tim asks at what point would that person go from being a hero to a villain? Kirk has no answer. In a world of superhumans what point does someone go from being a hero to a monster? Can you be both? That is what the movie is about.Set-up: As the pair sequence the genes of the Bats, Kirk highlights their hyper-sensitive hearing and how it adapts for their echolocation and to heal damage. Kirk and Tim’s research is interrupted by the arrival of Kirk’s wife and daughter, Francine, and Rebecca, who cut their work day short. Francine was Kirk’s lab partner before taking time off to raise their daughter. Rebecca is an 8 year old who is a violin prodigy with a recital with the Gotham City Youth Orchestra at the end of the month. As his shift ends, Tim heads home and runs into Cluemaster’s gang and fights them off after they try to mug him. Watching him is a young woman hiding in the shadows. She sneaks down and leaves a note for the police on the unconscious bodies of the gang member before introducing herself. Her name is Stephanie Brown, and she has been secretly informing the police about Cluemaster’s activities and has gained the name “Spoiler”. Francine takes Kirk to take him to a doctor’s appointment about his worsening tinnitus.Catalyst: The doctor has very bad news for Kirk. He is rapidly losing his hearing, with his tinnitus becoming permanent by the end of the month and complete loss by the end of the year. The source of this is also genetic, meaning Rebecca is likely to suffer the same. But genetics is something Kirk deeply understands…Debate: Can Kirk cure his hearing loss through his research on bat DNA? Kirk dives manically into his research, while Tim argues with him about how dangerous and unethical this is. Kirk eventually gets him on his side by saying he can’t let his daughter suffer this fate. Tim begrudgingly works with him and the pair synthesis a genetic cocktail that will work as a cure. After testing it on himself, the cure seems to be 100% effective with the only side effect being an orange tint in his eyes. He and Francine celebrate this miracle by attending their daughter’s recital. After Rebecca nails her section and the adult orchestra take over, Kirk takes a turn. The sound becomes louder and unbearable and Kirk storms out of the concert hall. Kirk has begun to transform and as he bursts onto a balcony he lets out a sonic scream shattering the glass before tumbling over the edge. Francine follows and has no idea what happened to her husband.Break into Two: Kirk has transformed into the Man-Bat: an anthropomorphic, feral, half-man, half-bat hybrid. Acting purely on animalistic instinct, he takes flight through Gotham, flying through the light of the ever-present Bat-Signal.B-Story: Francine frantically calls Tim, asking him to find her husband. Tim takes to streets to track him down. Tim finds Stephanie again as she works with him to find Kirk. Tim deduces that she is Cluemaster’s daughter and realises that being a hero doesn’t mean you have to work within the law.Fun and Games: Man-Bat finds the Cluemaster Gang robbing Gotham Central Bank and decimates them after they attack him. He is a predator making easy work of his prey. The gang are picked off one by one by this monster, shrieking in the darkness. Tim has tracked Kirk to a nearby area and runs into the bank when he hears gunfire. He comes face to face with Man-Bat who beings to chase him down, only for the creature to be scared off by the headlights of the arriving GCPD.Midpoint: Kirk (back in human form) is woken up by Tim in his lab. Tim now knows that Kirk is Man-Bat and confronts him about what he has done. Kirk believes that this is a miracle and now he can be the new Batman, Tim thinks he is destroying himself and promises not to tell Francine if Kirk finds a cure. Kirk begrudgingly agrees.Bad Guys Close In: Kirk works to find a way to keep his hearing but cure the transformation, to little success. Meanwhile Cluemaster himself makes a public appearance and makes killing the Man-Bat his gang’s no.1 priority, as their presence increases. As there are now more stand offs with the police, it’s clear Gotham is a powder keg. As his failures keep growing, Kirk’s mania grows and he snaps at Francine and Tim, causing them to storm out.All is Lost: Francine walks Rebecca home after a practice, who laments how little she has seen her dad. The pair are then accosted by Cluemaster’s gang. A mugging goes bad, leaving Rebecca dead and Francine in a coma. The police come to Kirk’s lab to tell him.Dark Night of the Soul: After the funeral, Kirk visits Francine’s unconscious body and he tells her how he’s turned himself into a monster and he is sorry that he couldn’t protect them. He kisses her on her forehead and apologies for what he is about to do. He leaves a vial of serum under her pillow. Returning to his lab, Tim is waiting for Kirk. Tim tries to get Kirk to think rationally but Kirk isn’t listening. As he locks himself in his sealed experiment chamber he talks to Tim: “You were wrong Tim, this city doesn’t need a hero, not even Batman could fix this mess. Gotham deserves a monster. It deserves Man-Bat.”Break into Three: Kirk injects himself with an enhances serum, transforming him Infront of Tim. The transformation is more violent resulting in a more monstrous creature, who shatters all the glass in the lab with a sonic scream before flying out of the lab.5 Point Finale: Gathering the Team: Man-Bat assaults the headquarters of Cluemaster, savagely taking out the gang members. Tim and Stephanie run to GCPD HQ, gathering police, and telling them to get spotlights as Man-Bat is hurt by light. Storming the Castle: Man-Bat faces off against Cluemaster himself. Cluemaster taunts him, asking if he some kinda superhero. Man-Bat respond by shattering his eardrums with a scream before slashing him with claws. Torturously drawing it out. High Tower Surprise: Out of his mouth, Man-Bat throws the head of Cluemaster before the arriving GCPD. The Cluemaster’s gang and the GCPD both take arms against Man-Bat, causing him to fly away. Digging Deep Down: The spotlights on the GCPD’s new blimps direct Man-Bat to the roof of their headquarters, where Tim Drake drives him down with the Bat-Signal and officers armed with tranquilizers. Executing the New Plan: As Man-Bat is driven down and tranquilized, he stares down Tim who watches with the police. Those same eyes are then seen on Kirk’s human body, now in Arkham Asylum in a special containment cell. Kirk Langstrom is dead, there is only the Man-Bat. As he sits there, he smiles as the scream of another Man-Bat is heard: The She-Bat.Final Image: Tim realises that Gotham is only going to get worse, he takes it upon himself to find Batman. He and Stephanie build a case and eventually come to the conclusion that he is Bruce Wayne. Tim climbs through the cave network around the deserted Wayne Manor, eventually he stands on the edges on the Batcave, holding a spotlight as bats swarm around him.(Edited for formatting)
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