Hollywood Fantasy Draft II -Movie Pitch: In The Jungle

Logline: We have seen Tom Hanks trying to survive in a remote island, we have seen Ryan Reynolds trying to be unburied, and we have also seen James Franco trying to escape from the mountain…now, prepare yourself to see the survival of an odd pair of Father and Son hilariously trying to make their way inside the jungle

Director: Edgar Wright
Edgar Wright is the perfect man to direct my movie because he can deliver simple theme into hilarious movie. We have seen his comedic hand in Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, both movies are a great parody to each genre (Zombie and Cop), the kind of parody that doesn’t push things too much and make it as a dumb movie (such as scary movie and the likes of them).

Scriptwriters: Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg.
This pair had proven that they can efficiently hurt our stomach due to too much laughing. They can write silly conversation that forced us to put a smile on our face or laughing our guts out. Since I, as the producer, couldn’t write funny conversation, I have to hire these two to do it.

Cast:

Cillian Murphy will play as Michael McKinley, a very metro-sexual kind of man who thinks that he is a God-gift for women in this world. He acts as if he is the most handsome man in this world, he does in fact has several women. He tends to look down at people he considered as ‘ugly’ or at least not attractive. Cillian has to get all his charm out for this role, a handsome but too narcissist and annoying kind of man.

Danny Devito will play as Robert Flank, Michael’s long lost father. Robert is a famous Biology professor that specialized in primate. 30years ago, he spent 2 years in an African jungle with Michael’s mom, but they had to separate from each other because of family matter. Robert never knew that he had a son.

Note: You might think that Cillian’s face has no resemblance to Danny and it would be odd to pair them as father and son…but even in real life I often see this kind of father and son, my older brother and his son don’t look like father and son AT ALL.

Hiroshi Abe will play as Colt Kawagata. He changes his name into Colt when he landed on Africa, he thinks that’s a cool name for a pilot. He is banned to fly anything in Japan after getting his plane stuck in Tokyo Tower. He goes to Africa to try his luck and of course after forging his flying license.

Prologue:

England, 2011. Michael was just saying good bye to a woman and met another woman a few minutes later. Then, he hung out in a club with his friends. They were laughing at people who they considered as poor ugly men and flirting with women. In the middle of that excitement, Michael received a phone call telling him that his mother died in an accident

Act 1: He was at the funeral talking to everyone his mother had ever know in her life. He spotted a short chubby man coming toward him. He whispered to his friend “look at that man, I bet no woman want to get close to him…unless she is a midget”. He held back his smile while shaking the man’s hand and accepted the man’s condolence. He told Michael that his name was Robert Flank and he used to be his mother’s professor.

After the funeral was over, the lawyer of McKinley’s family, John (a cameo played by the scriptwriter, Simon Pegg), told Michael that he has to come to his office tomorrow.

Act 2: In John’s office, Michael was again introduced to Robert, but not just as his mother’s professor but as his biological father. He looked like a man who had just been told that the world is about to end in 24 hours. In shocked, he said “Haha you got me there for a minute John, now let’s get serious!” But John was serious and that made Michael said “You must have made a mistake John…just look at him, how could this short man can be my father. Just look at him and then look at me, John!” Robert was also surprised because he never thought he has another son in England. An argument between these three men filled act 2.

In the end, John read Michael’s mother’s will and explained that she wanted her ash to be scattered in the place where she once had the happiest years of her life. It was the time when she joined Robert’s research team observing a group of Gorillas in Africa. She asked Michael and Robert to go together to scattered her ash in that jungle. Her actual purpose was to bring them together as she regretted the years she spent without telling Robert about the existence of their only child.

Act 3: After the cremation, both of them went to Africa. Michael refused to do a lot of talking to Robert, even though Robert kept asking him many things because he is really curious about his ‘new’ son (this conversation is going to be a funny conversation). When they arrived in Africa, they hired a small plan to take them as close as possible to the Gorilla site…But, they chose the wrong pilot, Colt Kawagata. Colt always acted as a cool pilot even at the moment he was second from crashing his plane.

Act 4: Colt died in the accident. Robert and Michael tried to get to the Gorilla site by foot. (Their journey is filled with hilarious incidents and crazy conversation).

This is a conversation I can think of by myself:

Michael: “The fact that she never talked about you proved that she was shy of you!”
Robert: “Look, son!”
Michael: “I’m NOT your son!”
Robert: “Fine! I might not be as attractive as you are, but back then I have proven to you that I have something bigger than yours!” *wink* “and that, my friend, can attract more women that your expensive clothes and body treatments”

However, the journey brought them closer and closer and Michael started seeing how alike they were, not in physique but in behaviour…and that made Michael started to open his heart for Robert.

Act 5: They finally found the site. Seeing those Gorillas touched Michael’s heart deeply. He listened to every explanation from Robert. They scattered Michael’s mom’s ash and headed back to civilization. It wasn’t along journey back because they found a group of scientists near the site. Michael apologized to Robert and said he was happy to have him as his father and this journey had been an unforgettable moment for him. Robert who had shown how much he loved Michael since John announced the will hugged him and asked him to come to US once in a while.

Epilogue: Michael arrived in Boston and smiling toward a gentle looking short man.

So…would you like to see this movie?

Read this pitch in Anomalous Material.

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This is part of my participation in Hollywood Fantasy Draft II, my picks is here, you can also check my highlight on other participants’ pitches in Saturday Movie pitches 1 and Saturday Movie pitches 2.