THE GEPETTO PROTOCOL
To stay "real" in the real world after their last creator dies, an action figure, fashion doll, superhero, anime girl, and crash dummy—now real flesh and blood—must find new believers in ten days or be forgotten forever, and get help from two kids and their dad at a cosplay convention. (Could be Animation or Live-Action)
Colonel Max "Shredder" Schroeder is a soldier's soldier, a man of action and military savvy. He awakes in a field after his last mission with one thing on his mind: his next mission. Following the directions of the voice in his head (or chest), he collects his new team, made up of Bobbie, Widow, Suzuka, and Crash. Max is disappointed his new team is not soldiers, but off they go in Bobbie's "self-driving" Jeep.
Five hundred miles later, after one name change, a biker bar fight, and one unpaid motel night settled with a wounded ego, the team drifts to a Chicago comic-con—and fit right in with the cosplayers. It's here that battle-worn Max, stunning beauty Bobbie, svelte diva Widow, Suzuka-chan, and prototype crash dummy Crash/Gears learn the truth about their new lives when they meet James, the grandson of Steven Lan—action figure Max Schroeder's creator. And Max has the dog tags to prove it.
The truth? None of them are real.
They're concepts. None of them made it off the storyboards and sketchbooks. They have, however, enacted THE GEPETTO PROTOCOL—the short amount of time they have to find new fans to reestablish belief in them after their last creator dies, enabling them to stay real flesh and blood. James and his kids, Cammie and Jimmy, have ten days—now down to three days—to help Max and his team become real enough for the real world.
The clock is ticking. . .
(Franchise/expansion for the characters can come in Max’s war stories; Bobbie’s fashion plates/dressups; Widow’s web comics; Suzuka and Professor’s adventure/time-traveling stories searching for Brother; Crash/Gear’s series with the Pony Run Girls.)
Evaluation Comments: The Gepetto Protocol "has an interesting concept with definite potential. The script has a lot of fun with its eclectic cast of characters and the way they interact... It’s easy to see how these five, from such different backgrounds if not universes, can become friends, with a natural bonding forming... The script’s biggest hook is in its premise, which could grab some attention in the vein of "Toy Story" or "Wreck it Ralph"."
25-35 age 1960s-70s
25-35 age 1970s superhero African American female
BIG, BARBIE, TOY STORY
Superhero wannabe characters
THE WANDERING EARTH by Liu Cixin. Edited the English short story collection; now a movie https://pro.imdb.com/title/tt7605074 (as editor https://www.amazon.com/Wandering-Earth-Classic-Science-Collection/dp/1489502858).
GUILTY OF MIND/EVIL MINDS: Edited Lei Mi's translated Criminal Minds novels, now a Chinese TV series & movie.
BLACK COAL, THIN ICE: Formatted and edited the English version screenplay (award winner).
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