2025 PAGE International Screenwriting Awards
GREAT Exposure for Contest Winners & Finalists!
Back

Fighting Johnny O'Brian (female lead)

BASED ON A TRUE STORY. For a parole board hearing, a 53 year-old black civil rights attorney gets appointed - despite her protests - to represent a white man who's been in prison 20 years for killing 2 black police officers. (Also written with a young white male as the hero, but the female version is better.)

I just wrote out the entire Synopsis and then the site crashed and it's after midnight now. Can i get a little sympathy here?

The "female lead" version of Fighting Johnny O'Brian - with "Ruby Malone" in the lead - has a similar synopsis to the original version of FJO - which has "Dave Malone" in the lead. That Synopsis is attached to the original version, also listed here on MovieBytes.

This new version - with the female lead - is 90% the same as the original script, but this new version is better.

Thanks for not making me re-write the Synopsis - Terry Lynam

Script Excerpt
Written by:
Format:
Screenplay
Genres:
Starring Roles For:
Viola Davis
a young sean penn type
50's Black Actor
In the Vein Of:
Based on a True Story

Posted:
07/06/2019
Updated:
04/14/2025
Author Bio:
Played baseball at UConn. Army captain in war zone (Bronze Star). I've completed 12 feature screenplays. My most recent 5 have finished as Semi-Finalist or higher in 80 international contests.

The short version of Fighting Johnny O'Brian won First Place in the 2018 Creative World Awards shorts contest. That short has been shot and is in the editing process.

Fighting Johnny O'Brian finished as Semi-Finalist or better in 10 international contests since 2018.

Show More

Go Pro!