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JLA/PLANETARY: TERRA OCCULTA An Elseworlds Story ... Written
by WARREN
ELLIS 48
pages THIS IS A SCRIPT SAMPLE, containing the script for the first nine pages of art, supplied directly to this store by Warren Ellis. DIAMOND
ORDER CODE: All
material herein � and � DC COMICS INC,
2002. This
material supplied for review only. *
http://www.warrenellis.com
* PAGE
ONE Pic
1; We�ll
do the titles and credits on the inside front cover, and get straight into
it. Full
page panel: DIANA
PRINCE, in a black business suit and a gold top underneath the jacket,
sits on a bench in parkland, writing in a black-wrapped journal.
The sun is setting � lots of REDS dripped over the scene. A
few other people are visible moving around out here; kids, a family,
people walking home from work � because we�re in Central Park, NYC.
It�s just bigger than we know it. LETTERER:
Captions denoted as JOURNAL CAPTION are handwritten sentence case,
Diana�s handwritten entries in her little book. She�s
writing them as letters to her mother.
But her mother is dead. JOURNAL
CAPTION;
Mother, There�s
an eerie whistling in the background as I write this; a Flash passing by
on a courier route. Men
and women move across this country like Hermes now, in pursuit of
commerce. This is a fast
world I live in now. Fast
and dark; a vicious undertow. I
want to go home. PAGE
TWO Pic
1; She
stands up, slipping the journal into the purse by her side. JOURNAL CAPTION;
But I can�t, of course. You
know that as well as I do. Better
than I do. Pic
2; Takes
the path from her bench � we see she�s wearing high heels � starts
to walk out of the park. JOURNAL CAPTION;
I am trapped here in Man�s World, a civilisation I learned of
through viewscreens. Nothing
prepared me for the way this place feels. Pic
3; Walking
through park gates out onto street JOURNAL CAPTION;
The voices. This is a city of voices, of constant chatter.
There is no song here, Mother.
Only the tinny riot of untrained voices from their radios, and the
clatter of their talk. Pic
4; �and
a wheelless, floating Yellow Cab pulls up by her.
In fact, all the traffic down this street is wheelless; all the
cars look like cars, with a Fifties feel to them, but are
hovercraft. She leans down to
talk to the driver: JOURNAL
CAPTION;
I find myself longing for the days when their cars made noise. DIANA;
GRAND CENTRAL STATION, PLEASE. PAGE
THREE Pic
1; Big
pic, half the page, whacked out to bleed at top, left and right; the
interior of Grand Central Station, seen from a point up in the rafters.
But it�s not train platforms that people are streaming towards�
it�s DOORS, the teleportation portals from THE AUTHORITY. (no
dialogue) Pic
2; Zoom
down, to find Diana handing a ticket over to a GUARD (who looks at it as
he accepts it) at an airport-style gate about ten feet away from one of
the big Doors� DIANA;
I HAVE A FIRST-CLASS TICKET TO GOTHAM, I WAS TOLD TO COME STRAIGHT
THROUGH�? GUARD:
THAT�S RIGHT, THIS IS THE FIRST-CLASS DOOR TO GOTHAM CITY. GUARD;
JUST WALK STRAIGHT ON THROUGH INTO THE LIGHT, MS PRINCE, AND THANKS
FOR TRAVELLING WITH PLANETARY DOORS. Pic
3; A
little reluctant, she steps through the Door, vanishing where she touches
its rippling gold glow� FROM ABOVE (JAGGED);
YOU ARE NOW LEAVING NEW YORK CITY.
THANK YOU FOR TRAVELLING WITH Pic
4; �emerging
on the other side in a far darker space.
She looks up -- FROM ABOVE (JAGGED);
PLANETARY PORTALS. YOU ARE NOW IN GOTHAM CITY. PAGE
FOUR Pic
1; --
at a doomy, dark station in the mode of Grand Central, but made out of
black iron, all angles and alcoves, industrial and forbidding.
We know we�re in Gotham City now because it looks like Hell�
which isn�t helped by the fact that the COLOUR of the DOORS here is
RED� Doomed,
beaten-looking people stream out from the Doors� FROM
ABOVE (JAGGED);
WELCOME TO GOTHAM CITY. Pic
2; She
joins the stream. Against one
wall of the great hall, people lurk in the shadow� the homeless�
criminals waiting for a hook-up or a potential victim to follow� (no
dialogue) Pic
3; �and
one thin guy, his eyes little points of light in a shadow-covered face�
it�s THE DRUMMER, but we probably won�t get it� (no
dialogue) Pic
4; �until
we pan down to see his hand, two drumsticks held in it and being tapped
against the wall� (no
dialogue) PAGE
FIVE Pic
1; Big
pic, again probably half the page. A
business party. Everyone in
black and white (again, I�m thinking Fifties stylings, but I�m
definite in that everyone here is wearing black suits and white shirts, or
black dresses with white trim, or� you get the idea.
Diana will stand out because of the gold, and Bruce Wayne, whom
we�re going to meet momentarily, will stand out because he wears a black
suit and a black shirt, no tie. Keep
highlights on the clothes to a minimum � I like the idea of them as a
black mass). The
glass roof in this penthouse area shows a night sky through it.
The mural on the wall is a huge WAYNE INDUSTRIES LOGO. (no
dialogue) Pic
2; Cut
to; DR JULIUS ERDEL, an old scientist in a threadbare suit, runs a shaky
hand through his Einstein hair, trying to explain something really
terribly important to a bored young woman abandoned by her date and
looking around for him. ERDEL;
NO NO NO. YOU SEE, THE
ORIGINAL TIMETRACK THEORY HAD IT THAT THE LOOP BEGINS AT THE POINT OF
ACTIVATION AND PROCEEDS INTO THE FUTURE. ERDEL;
HOWEVER, I AM CONVINCED THAT THERE MUST BE A GHOST LOOP
BACKTRACKING FROM THE ACTIVATION POINT, AND -- WOMAN;
-- AND BRUCE WAYNE PAYS FOR THIS?
GOD, HE�S MORE STUPID THAN I THOUGHT. Pic
3; CUT
TO; Diana, being doted on by a group of attentive middle-aged men who are
trying not to get caught looking at her cleavage. DIANA;
I DON�T FEEL COMFORTABLE WITH �INVENTOR�.
I PREFER �TECHNOLOGIST�. IT
FITS BETTER WITH WONDERDOME FUTURES� BACKGROUND AND GOALS. DIANA; NO, COLLIMATING STRUCTURE AND TESSERACT TECHNOLOGY ARE THINGS MY FAMILY HAD BEEN WORKING ON IN THEORY SINCE THE 1950�S. THANKFULLY, MR WAYNE�S MONEY -- Pic
4; BRUCE
WAYNE appears to one side of Diana, smiling quietly, a champagne glass in
his hand. She gives him a
dazzling smile. The guys
around her look down, mutter, begin to move away. BRUCE;
-- IS NEVER BETTER SPENT THAN ON DIANA PRINCE, AND HER WONDERS TO
PERFORM. DIANA;
MR WAYNE! ONE
OF THE GUYS:
Bruce ANOTHER;
Hello Bruce AND
ANOTHER;
here comes Bruce to sink his claws in AND
YET ANOTHER;
drunk too PAGE
SIX Pic
1; He
sips his champagne, smiling, eyes on her.
Her smile becomes broader, more knowing. DIANA;
MR WAYNE? YOU LOOK
LIKE YOU�RE WONDERING ABOUT SOMETHING. BRUCE;
MM. BRUCE;
I WAS WONDERING WHAT IT�D BE LIKE TO� Pic
2; He
puts his glass down on a passing waitress� salver, not breaking eye
contact with Diana; the waitress hears what he says, and stares wide-eyed
at him. BRUCE;
NO. LET ME PUT IT THIS
WAY. BRUCE;
I WAS WONDERING IF I COULD TAKE YOU HOME. Pic
3; Diana
smiles a dirty smile back at Bruce. DIANA;
I�VE ALWAYS WANTED TO SEE STATELY WAYNE MANOR. Pic
4; CUT
TO; A big black car sweeping down a highway away from us, headed towards
the brooding WAYNE MANSION rising from its hillside setting in the
mid-distance� bats clattering through the air in a right-to-left stream in
between us and the car� (no
dialogue) PAGE
SEVEN Pic
1; CUT
TO; At the front doors of Wayne Manor, Wayne gallantly and showily ushers
Diana through the open doors ahead of him, where light streams through� BRUCE;
AFTER YOU, MS PRINCE, PLEASE. DIANA;
CHIVALRY IS NOT DEAD. BRUCE;
NO, JUST LAYING DOWN FOR A WHILE.
WHICH, YOU MUST ADMIT, IS AN EXCELLENT IDEA. Pic
2; In
the great Wayne Manor hallway: ALFRED awaits as Wayne shuts the doors
behind him. BRUCE;
ALFRED. STATUS? ALFRED;
ALL SECURITY SYSTEMS ON; NOTHING INSIDE THE GROUNDS CAN BE SEEN OR
HEARD FROM ABOVE, SIR. BRUCE;
GOOD. HOW DID YOU GET
HERE, DIANA? Pic
3; He�s
all business now, is Bruce Wayne, as he shrugs off his jacket for Alfred
to take. Completely different
man. Intense. DIANA;
I TOOK A DOOR FROM NEW YORK. BRUCE;
DIANA, YOU SHOULDN�T USE THE DOORS.
THEY MONITOR THEM. IF
THEY�D CAUGHT YOU USING THEM THEY COULD�VE TELEPORTED YOU FIVE MILES
DOWN. DIANA;
BRUCE, WE�RE ALL WELL AWARE BY NOW THAT THEY KEEP ME ALIVE
BECAUSE IT AMUSES THEM TO DO SO. Pic
4; Jacket
draped over one arm, Alfred consults a pocketwatch with his other hand. BRUCE;
STILL. YOU SHOULD TAKE MORE CARE.
IF I COULD FIND YOU, THEY COULD FIND YOU. DIANA;
WHAT ABOUT CLARK? ALFRED�
THEIR SURVEILLANCE SATELLITES WILL BE IN THE PREDICTED CONJUNCTION
IN ABOUT THREE MINUTES, MASTER BRUCE. Pic
5; Bruce
indicates that they walk across the hall, unsmiling. DIANA;
CONJUNCTION? BRUCE;
I PLANNED THE PARTY TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF IT.
EVERY FEW DAYS THE SATELLITES� ORBITS ACCIDENTALLY CREATE A
CORRIDOR OF UNMONITORED AIRSPACE BETWEEN HERE AND METROPOLIS. BRUCE;
IT LASTS ABOUT SIX MINUTES. I
THINK THAT�LL MAKE AN INTERESTING POWERS TEST FOR MR KENT. BRUCE;
COFFEE? PAGE
EIGHT Pic
1; CUT
TO: Bruce and Diana walking through french doors into the dark rear
grounds of the manor, holding steaming cups of coffee. BRUCE;
THE CORRIDOR OPENED UP A LITTLE OVER THREE MINUTES AGO. BRUCE;
LET�S SEE. Pic
2; Bruce
narrows his eyes, points up into the sky � Diana follows his gesture. BRUCE;
AHA! Pic
3; Against
the full moon � a human figure, silhouetted.
It�s wearing a suit, and the jacket snaps out against the wind,
making a shape a little like a cape. (no
dialogue) Pic
4; Wayne
looks at his watch. BRUCE;
EXCELLENT. NEARLY
THERE, MR KENT, NEARLY THERE� Pic
5; Through
the trees in the grounds, a dark figure drifts down, in an upright
standing position but a good twenty feet off the ground� (no
dialogue) PAGE
NINE Pic
1; �drifts
down until he�s only a few feet off the ground, and close enough to
us/Wayne that the cold light from inside the mansion falls on him� �Clark
Kent, in a black suit, white shirt and red tie, night winds pulling at the
jacket and tie� Let�s
give this a full page panel. Make
him look slightly spooky. We
should not be reassured by this dark figure drifting down from these
nighted trees� KENT:
EVENING, BRUCE. MS
PRINCE. -- end script sample -- |