Cursed - The Series

[stevieg]

They are monsters.... created by the past.... to protect our future.

THE PREMISE:

Emily Talbot is the new girl in a new city. A normal sixteen year old teenage girl, or so she always was lead to believe. But Emily isn't aware that she is 'cursed', a life that goes back to her great Uncle many years ago, and now whose blood runs inside of her.

As bodies begin to be discovered, a group of extraordinary people lead by the mysterious Bela Harker look to Emily for answers. As Emily begins to learn her true nature, her 'Curse' .... she begins a journey where the bizarre, the weird and wonderful are brought to life in front of her eyes.

A world protected from humanity for the best. A world, where danger lurks and death is often only a heartbeat away...... but first, she must survive facing her own nightmare of what she really is.

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THE CAST:


played by Michelle Ryan
Bela is the leader of the group known as 'Universal'. A mysterious, English young woman, with secrets of her past hidden to guard those around her, but soon discovered over time. Wise. Smart. Caring. She will go out the way to protect her team, even at her own cost. The mystery of who she is, what made her, is in her past ...... and the darkness inside of her, may lead to her downfall!


played by AnnaSophia Robb
A sixteen year old, seemingly normal teenager. Until one day she discovers the truth about herself, and who she really is. Coming to terms with the truth, she sets out on a mission to become part of 'Universal' - using her 'curse' to help the team. Young. Nieve. Caring. She finds it hard to adjust to her new life, as her feelings of all that is happening begins to doubt question wether she has made the right decision.

Also starring:


played by Skandar Keynes
Simon Harker is a distant relation to Bela Harker. Although he himself, is not 'cursed', his intelligence in learning about the world and his family history through Bela lead him to become part of the group. Part Hunter / Part Researcher. He grows a fondness towards Emily from the start, as well as trying to be protective of Bela who may not require it. He has conflicts occasionally with J.J. who he doesn't like.


played by Jamie Bell
J.J. as he is mostly commonly refered to by the Universal team, is a mysterious, dark and often moody at times young man. His goth dress sense and seemingly love for anything dark and strange leads the others to sometimes keep their distance from him, which suits him fine. His 'Curse' stems from his family, who passed it down to be used for good, and not evil but the side effects still haven't been cured. He enjoys using his 'curse' to watch others - especially women, almost stalking them at times to his own sexual desires.


played by Clement Poesy
Christine Daee was a leading acrobat in a circus in Paris many years ago, following in her parent's footsteps. Unfortunately, an incident took place which lead to her parents death, and her career brought to an abrupt end. Running away, she made a decision that impacted upon her future life, taking vengeance upon those who brought harm to others, turning heself into a masked vigilante known only as 'The Phantom' who striked fear in the hearts of the Paris underworld. Discovered by Bela escaping from Paris, after she was forced to flee on the run from the police, she was soon recruited to the team and found herself a new home. And the hope one day, that she will find one soul that will break her curse for the life she once took that began it all.


played by Troian Bellisario
Anka, is an Egyptian young woman, who seemed to appear from nowhere in the early part of the 21st century, with much of her past still unknown. Smart. Agile. A quick learner. She has a curse that has given her life beyond death. But now, she has settled into her new home, and found a calling she sought after as part of the Universal team. She is also 2nd in command behind Bela Harker.

Also co-starring:


played by Nicholas Hoult
Frederick or Doc to the team as he is known to be called, is an all around lab geek. Although he, like Simon Harker is not 'cursed', he leads the field in his intelligence and genius in the art of science, psychology and medicine. The leading physician for the Unit, who patches the team up and helps them survive after their assignments when required upon. His love for medical work seems to be only matched for his passion for experiments and learning more about other 'creatures' captured. His experiments can often cause conflict with Bela who recruited him after seeing the brilliant young mind he had.


played by Kirsten Prout
Gilly is a seemingly mute young woman. In her late 20's, little is known about her as more will be learned of her over time, but she has a soft caring side towards Frederick, who also recipitates his fondness towards her in return. Gilly is often discovered down in the Laboratory area with the Doc. Not a fully fledged member of the team, her calling will soon be answered over time with a mission only she can help out on.

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EPISODE GUIDE (First Half of Season One):


Click banner to read online - or download Pilot Script!

Episode 1x01: Everything Changes .... ? (Pilot Episode) -- 76 Pages

As some form of creature seems to be killing people in the forest close to the city of Serenity Falls, a seemingly innocent young girl arrives on her own. Emily Talbot is soon to learn that she isn't all she thought she was, and that the truth about who she really is, her family history, and the world around her is to be blown wide apart. But can she believe, or survive what exists within her....?

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OTHER EPISODES:


Episode 1x02: Nightmares!

As Anka and Christine are sent out to capture a horrible little goblin demon known as a 'Nightmare'. They travel back and listen to a story he tells of the time he met a woman named 'Bela Harker'. While Bela herself recalls tales of her past few know. A story told with flashbacks of Bela's early life as we see from birth, to pivotal moments of time with her parents that helped shape who she is.


Episode 1x03: Ashes To Ashes.... Dust To Dust!

When a serious car accident causes the death of the woman he loves, the survivor is given an opportunity for her resurrection by a mysterious stranger. But at what price, does love cost?


Episode 1x04: Elements!

At a High School, a teenager suffers an horrific and bloody death in front of his classmates. As Bela sends the team to investigate, they find themselves up against a force more powerful than they imagined.


Episode 1x05: Burn Baby Burn!

Bela receives a call asking for help to protect a young boy with an incredible gift, as the whole case draws too close for Christine who recalls a tale of her own past. A story told with flashbacks to Christine's early life, and what lead to her curse.


Episode 1x06: Deep Steal Diving!

After an horrific and violent death is discovered in the ocean surrounding a small fishing town. Bela sends the team to invstigate, and discover something that lurks beneath the ocean has risen and require help from a new recruit.


1x07: If You Go Down To The Woods Today....?

Bela leads the team to a cabin in the woods, far away from the city to bond. But as she recalls a story of what the cabin means to her - told in flashbacks, informing us of the reasons of what lead Bela to form Universal, a group of Mercenaries close in to kill them all.

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Second part of Season One will feature 5 more episodes (Possibly a special afterwards). Final two I am planning to be a two-part cliffhanger ending. I still need a bit of work on the second half of the season, as most are just rough ideas at moment of a few lines of ideas of what I am thinking of doing in them with no drafts written yet of those.

Early Ideas of Future Episodes:

1x08: Hollow!
J.J. finds himself in trouble, when he is caught by the Police inside a locked room with a dead woman's body on the bed. Bela and the Unit find themselves split over wether to prove his innocence. Contains flashbacks of J.J.'s life and how he became cursed.

1x09: Medusa!
When men suddenly start being discovered turned to stone, the Unit are called in to solve the case and find themselves up against something that is hard to resist for the men in the group.

1x10: The Sphinx!
Anka is asked by an old friend to help out when a murder takes place at the Museum & History of Egypt, but soon discovers her past is returning to haunt her. Contains flashbacks to Anka's past life in Egypt two thousand years ago.

1x11: All Good Things..... (Part 1 of 2 Season Finale)
Bela begins to have terrible nightmares, seeing victims she once killed in her past appear and speak to her. Driving herself insane, she finds herself seeking guidance from the rest of her team to help her....

1x12: ..... Must Come To An End! (Part 2 of 2 Season Finale)
With one member of the Unit kidnapped, Bela finds herself trading her life for those she cares about. And discovers a truth about her past she didn't know.....

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Notes:

I have pitched this elsewhere (MZP) but sadly had no feedback on the script etc, so I'm throwing it out on here to see what you all think of it and if interested

The concept of the show is based on my love for the original Universal Classic Monster Legacy movies. The old classic b&w horror films of the 40's etc that starred the true legends of horror like Lugosi, Karloff, Chaney and more.

The show is also inspired by things like Buffy, Angel and others of this genre.

The show itself focuses on a group of young adults, who each are cursed. Bela Harker, brought them all together to help protect humanity from the creatures and evil that exists in the world. Each of the team bring something unique into the group, and all linked to their past heritage of family history that goes back generations from the Universal Horror Legacy Collection.

From Vampires to Werewolves, Mummy's to Invisible Man, Phantoms to Demons and much more.....

Early first drafts written of the first 7 episodes of Season 1 with episode 1 (pilot) available to read above in link from banner.

Any feedback welcome on it.

[Aimee Nicole]

I think you've got an interesting concept here. Your premise leaves a few questions, but being able to guess what these things are, I think I can let it go, especially if you intended for unanswered questions. Sometimes, I don't like to see those, but in somethings I think it can work. Your pilot, I think, will definitely be what counts here.

I think you have a nice set of characters here, as well as diversity among them. Your casting seems pretty great as well. All in all, I think you've got a nice concept here and I'd like to see where you go with it. Good luck with this, Steve!

[stevieg]

Thanks Aimee for your comments

I think clues are there of what the show will be about - a group of people who work together to protect humanity from creatures and demons etc. But these people aren't just normal, they are all 'cursed' as I call them with their own elements to what makes them different to humanity. Kind of, Creatures fighting Creatures in a way but on the good side.

I went through a couple of cast changes over time - as this has been planned for about 1-2 years now from rough idea to written scripts, but I think I'm happy with the final casting now.

I think episodes 2, 5 and 6 are my favourites I have wrote so far, with 2 and 5 delving into backgrounds of 2 of the characters and what lead them to where they are now.

Season One will have an overall arc playing out in the background, culminating in the season finale - while other things go on in most of the episodes, ie. cases to resolve and creatures to stop/help.

Be interested to see what people think of the Pilot.

[Jack Malone]

Just had a read of the TEASER, and I'm dying to continue, but unfortunately I have to get some last minute homework done before bed. I love your script so far, though. You've really mastered the suspense of this attack, and everything is written so brilliantly. I'm definitely intrigued.

Onto the pitch itself: You've got an interesting bunch of characters. I think its great you have a character who is not cursed, who can perhaps act as the audience to ask all the right questions, and get down to the truth of it all. I think Simon and Frederick may be favourites because of that. The concept has pulled me in, and I'm looking forward to continuing the pilot - like I said, the TEASER was fantastic. You really built up a great deal of suspense, and painted quite a vivid image in my head of the attack. Really, really looking forward to reading the rest!

[Amin]

I read the teaser... and the text that came after. I have a strong feeling that this is going to be something I'll like.

[stevieg]

Thanks Jack and Amin Appreciate the comments. All the scripts are written with a teaser, a 'quote' from the original movies I love that represents in some form the episodes, and then the rest of the episode split into 4 acts. They range from 50-60+ pages in script lengths.

Glad you both loved the teaser, and hope you enjoy the rest of the script too.

[Jamison]

A very interesting concept, you have here. Series that utilize supernatural creatures like werewolves, vampires, ect... always tend to get my interest, because that is what originally attracted me to writing.

I think the general tone of this show is unique, and although there are loads of shows in this genre out there, "Cursed" really does have a different feel to it, and I think that's one of this most important parts.

I'm intrigued by your characters already, and I wish you the best of luck here! I haven't started the episode yet, but I plan to soon, and I'm looking forward it.

[Aimee Nicole]

REVIEW: Everything Changes / Pilot

Alright, so I finally decided to sit down and review this, as it seemed interesting when I first checked out the pilot. So, here goes.

First, I wanna say that the teaser was great. It had all the appropriate pulls to really bring me into the story. Definitely an attention grabber -- I like that. You did fantastically on that front.

On to the first act, I like the look we got into the normal life of these characters. Establishing that, for the most part, they all seem like normal people. It's nice to see that.

I think Emily is a really likable and believable character. I'm really liking her. I'm enjoying Simon and Bela as well. Bela seems to be a character that could easily grow into my personal favorite. Definitely, definitely not a fan of James though. What a douchebag. I like your attention to the character. Each of them has a distinct voice and are easily told apart. It's really great.

I like the story you have here. It's new, unique, and something I think I can see going far if you carry it correctly, which I have no doubt you can. I like the set up, your own mythology you've got going here. It's nice. Props on that.

A few things that I didn't like about the script. For one, your action and directions. I'm not sure how I feel about some of it. Like, the formatting of it. It gets distracting in some places, especially with the "ON "NAME HERE/OBJECT HERE". I think it would work just as well if you just indicated that in the action. Having the constant breaks in the action to read just that particular line of direction kinda jarred me out of the zone a little in reading it. Another thing I found a little distracting was the abundance of "--" that are used in the script. I understand that they're nice little tools as I use them as well, and I know others do too, but the amount that you use takes me away from the script as well.

I think in some places, the dialogue is a little unbelievable and clichéd. Which, this is easily fixed. Read it back to yourself, in your head or otherwise, or bounce it off a friend and see if it sounds natural. For the clichés, just watch out for them. If you think you've heard it too many times, make a note to change it. However, if it's intentional, that's another story entirely and I apologize.

Lastly, I feel sometimes the montages aren't needed. Things that were put in the first....two montages, I believe, I felt like could be stated elsewhere and avoided them entirely. However, I did like the one after Emily becomes part of "Universal". That once seemed completely necessary.

All in all, I think you have a great script here. I can see it being a nice addition to the network with a few touch-ups, but we'll see what the others think first. Aside from my issues with it, I thought it was a great pilot. My final scoring is a 7.5/10. Great work, and good luck to you!

[Jack Malone]

Mar 7, 2012 20:31:26 GMT -6 Aimee Nicole said:

REVIEW: Another thing I found a little distracting was the abundance of "--" that are used in the script. I understand that they're nice little tools as I use them as well, and I know others do too, but the amount that you use takes me away from the script as well.

I've started to read the script, but I won't be able to get a review done by the weekend when I have time to fully focus on it, but I just read your issues with the script Aimee, to see what to look for as well when I'm reading, and I just wanted to say something on the "--" front, which I guess is how I view them.

I think they're great to use! I've read The Dark Knight script, which uses them in basically every paragraph, and there's a Superman script on the web by JJ Abrams that uses them more than this script does. I think it helps in establishing certain shots, and what I've seen so far in this script is that they are not only used for that, but also to state the action, then give a deeper meaning behind the intent of that action. For me, at least, I find them to be a very useful tool, and from what I've read so far, which is about a third of the script, I like how they're being used.

I do agree about the montage, though. But, I'm getting ahead of myself. I will have my own review up for this on the weekend! XD

[stevieg]

First thanks Aimee for the review, do really appreciate it a lot Thanks Jack also, and hopefully after your thoughts I'll comment on any issues you discover too.

Okay first. Glad you enjoyed the teaser. A teaser for me should always be something interesting that has to pull the reader in, and what better way than someone being chased and attacked.

The first act I saw as this is the characters, what they look like and they appear normal at first but have a hidden agenda we don't know about yet. And I needed a way for Emily to be introduced to the group - and it's no coincidence that she got a job at the diner, or that she found herself in the city also....

Emily I always visioned as this pretty, young innocent looking girl who couldn't hurt a fly - but behind it lays the curse she doesn't know about yet. And then, it's how she tries to cope with what she learns she is. I actually at first had Emma Watson as Emily but changed lately after my love for another character on another site played by AnnaSophia Robb who grew my interest in her and thought - she is actually perfect for this as she has that innocence about her look and young still.

Simon was done as a little bit of interest towards Emily and conflict with his sister Bela in some form. But also, with him being human and young he's still learning about his family's past and growing.

Bela, she was the first character I created in the show. And I was a fan of Michelle Ryan and wanted her to be that character as saw her in that role. Episode 2 of the show delves into Bela's history and shows several pivotel moments in her long life that influenced what she became. I always saw her a little as - a female version of Angel - someone who did a lot of damage, but searching for that hope to find peace and forgiveness.

James is a douche, and I'm hoping to have him appear a little more later in series if I can as thought a nice little addition. As may have seen, the two are based on the classic Jeckyll & Hyde, but with mine instead of a monster we have two complete opposites. One's a loving old style of gentleman, and the other is a total douche who gambles, loves women and do anything to get what he wants and always ends up in trouble - which causes issues with his other who has to try and get him out of the things he drags him into.

The mythology is all based as said from the Universal Monster films of 40's I really grew up on and loved a lot. I wanted them all to work together and become a team, but instead of fighting humans - protecting them from harm of other creatures, demons and whatever else. So using their cursed for the good of humanity for a change.

Re: The 'ON EMILY' or similar type of writing, it is something I saw in other scripts elsewhere and kind of picked up on it. I have thought about having that and the rest of the action after it all part of the same slug action and that's a possibility I could do as also shortens the script a little so not so long.

Regards the "--" yes, that is something that crept into my scripts recently for some reason. Someone also elsewhere picked me up on that too lol I recently went through this pilot again and got rid of a lot, and changed one or two little bits where I felt needed a slight jump to new action slug to just the usual "..." as reads better.

The dialogue is probably my weakest area of my scripts. Sometimes I write too much, sometimes I ramble on in parts and others a bit cliche. I need to go through and see what I can do to improve this.

The first montage was just a way of moving forward and seeing Emily in her first job as time passes, but I could possibly cut that and just dissolve to the next scene and show the emptiness of the diner next.

The 2nd montage (party) was just a way of seeing the team look normal, partying and everything. I could try see how could change that. Maybe just a action slug of bits could work instead of a montage.

Glad you liked the 3rd as that was a way I needed of moving the story forward several weeks or so until the next full moon was due to rise.

Overall, I know some slight changes are needed, and was looking for good feedback on things people caught out that I didn't so your comments are a big help and moves me forward with what need to work on.

[Jack Malone]

I feel terrible about not having a review up yet. I'm going to be really busy in these next three weeks of school, and hopefully I can find the time to get one done for you somewhere in between (if not, as soon as these holidays start). I'm really excited for this show, and I'm looking forward to completing the pilot.

[Deleted]

Hey Steve! I downloaded the Pilot onto my computer this morning. I am at work right now, but hopefully when I get home I'll be able to give it a read and get a review up for you!!

[The Doctor]

Love the pitch .
Review coming soon

[Kat Q]

I actually am in love with this pitch! I love J.J. so much, and Jamie Bell - phwoaaarrr! I can see you've really thought this out, and it's a very good concept, and very solid.
You should be proud of yourself!

Well done.

[Deleted]

Looks amazing! Great pilot!

[The Doctor]

I love this series. Can you please continue with it steve?!