LOGLINE: The Russians murder their American counterparts on the first manned mission to Mars and claim the Red Planet in the name of the old Soviet Empire.

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"It's the twenty-second century, yet mankind still can't get it right. Whatever brand of religion, politics, or economics man tries, it always ends in failure. Look at the world today. Ethnic strife, religious and racial hatred, civil wars, insurrections. Technology has only given man new and more efficient ways to kill his fellow man."
 - Svetlana Ulnovich, November 12, 2117

Lieutenant Jack Evans: Naval Academy grad finds the adventure he has yearned for -- perhaps more than he bargained for.

Sergeant "Pudge" McCain: Was twelve days away from the end of his enlistment -- twelve days away from an idyllic life of and hunting and fishing.

Corporal Vincent Petit: A smallish man from Peoria who believes that a chest full of ribbons will prove his worth.

Lance Corporal Lan Ortiz: A street-wise kid from Mexico City who joined the Corps in a court plea-bargain.

Seaman Shawn Penders: Joined the Navy for a job near a "tubular beach." Little did he know that the Navy supplies corpsmen to the Marine Corps. Much to his disliking, the stereotypical surfer dude who is scared of heights finds himself attached to the most "gung ho" unit in the U.S. military.

Svetlana Ulnovich: Both seductress and sophisticate, she is Earth's foremost expert in Einstein's unified field theory. She must accompany the daring mission to Mars. But is she actually in league with the Soviets? Fan favorite Jeri Ryan of Star Trek's Voyager would be perfect for the part.

General Ivan Trotsky: Leader of the Red Planet. A cold-blooded monster in every sense of the word; ruthless, a rapist, and demented. Seeks to destroy life on Earth so that he can recolonize it with genetically superior Russians.

Catherine Trotsky: Abused wife of Ivan Trotsky. Dreams of someday returning to Earth with her young son Alex.

Marishka Tazari: Leader of the Resistance, a group of refugees from the Soviet colony living in a secret Martian underground complex. An ex-fighter pilot in the Red Planet's Soviet Air Force, her greatest fear is returning to the Soviet colony where she suffered both physical and sexual abuse at the hands of Ivan Trotsky. Casting wish list: Denise Richards

In the year 2017 an ambitious joint U.S./Russian space mission arrives in orbit around the Red Planet to land the first humans on Mars. The Russians, however, have a secret plan.

Under the charge of their ultranationalist leader, the Russians murder their American counterparts and claim Mars in the name of the old Soviet Empire. One hundred years later, the grandson of the coup leader initiates a sinister plan to reclaim Earth. 

Earth's only hope is a U.S. Marine Force Recon Team, led by Naval Academy grad Lt. Jack Evans, that must escort a beautiful Russian scientist to the Red Planet on a daring and desperate mission. Evans had always dreamed of a heroic and adventurous life, but this mission may be more than he or anyone else bargained for. 

High in concept, RED PLANET has a unique story, a well-developed future world scenario, strong characterization, original action, and a Chess-like plot with a high-tech Chess game ending. 

I already know what you're thinking -- a movie poster with Mars and the Soviet Hammer and Sickle -- and a video game, book, technical manual, and more. RED PLANET is a franchise concept. 

Kirk Sullivan, a Hollywood insider, says this screenplay is "very well written and executed" and "given the strength of the script would have a high chance of being a finalist in the Nichols competition."

Every now and then a movie concept comes along that is highly original and high in concept, and the screenplay literally writes itself.  RED PLANET is such a concept. When you hear the logline for RED PLANET, you immediately see the movie. RED PLANET is everything a successful movie should be:

- Provocative and big
- An event movie (4th of July opening)
- A fresh and marketable concept
- Unique, but with familiar elements*

*The Screenwriter's Bible, by David Trottier

In the weeks and months after the Soviets hijacked the joint mission to Mars (in the year 2017), there was much debate among the generals, scholars, scientists, politicians, and theologians of Earth on what to do about the fourteen renegade Soviet cosmonauts.

The American Generals proposed a nuclear strike.

The scientists were outraged by the thought of having the virgin Martian ecosystem contaminated in such a drastic and vile manner. They joined with the theologians to defeat the proposal.

Scholars and academia believed that the Soviets were no threat, and that the small Soviet outpost would eventually wither and die.

Whatever the course of action, the politicians were concerned about the prohibitive cost of dislodging the Soviets from a planet millions of miles away in what would be the 21^st century equivalent of crossing the English Channel.

So, they did nothing. Anyway, Earth was having problems of its own. China, having intimidated Taiwan into capitulation under a weak American presidency, was hungrily eyeing Australia and New Zealand. A new Islamic Confederacy was ready to once again pounce on Israel. Hardliners in Russia, riding a wave of patriotism as a result of the Soviet capture of Mars, were seeking a return to the old Communist system.

Meanwhile, the fourteen cosmonauts were hard at work forging a new world. They weren't about to wither and die. In fact, the bleak Martian environment was, in many ways, no different from Siberia. Besides, everything that they needed had already been pre-staged on the planet in anticipation of the mission's arrival. This aspect of the proposed mission had been carefully and calculatingly planned by the Russians from the beginning.

NASA had originally proposed a smaller mission for mankind's first trek to the Red Planet. Five astronauts were to travel to Mars, spend about 500 days on the surface, and return. The Russian space community, led by Dr. Groz Korelev, proposed a much more ambitious project. In hindsight, their intentions were apparent from the beginning.

The Russians proposed establishing a permanent colony on Mars. Their reasoning was that if the industrialized nations were to expend such great effort in such an undertaking, that it might as well have permanent and lasting value. Their plan called for up to 50 individuals  to travel to Mars. Once there, the colonists would begin building a new life and a new world, just as the Pilgrims did 400 years earlier in America. Everything that the colonists would need would already be pre-staged on the planet. The cash-strapped Russians even (uncharacteristically) pledged to cover much of the extra costs associated with such a mission.

NASA readily excepted Russia's generous and ambitious proposal, however, the final number of individuals making the journey was eventually whittled to 28 (14 Americans and 14 Russians). More to come...

RED PLANET has a lot going for it, including the opening hijack sequence.  You always want to start a story with an attention grabber, and this is it.  It also quickly establishes the premise. 

Kudos should also go to the structure, which is tripwire tight.  It also generates plenty of rising tension.  The First Act crisply sets-up the mission, the Second Act sends the team to Mars only to be double-crossed, while the Third ends with a major land battle and the Earth itself threatened with extinction.

The action writing is lively and visual, carrying us along on a wave of excitement as Evans and his commandos get into one scrape after another.  You can almost feel the adrenaline during the Jet-Pack duel, while the bone-crunching battle between the SCAMPS and the Soviet forces is a major highlight.  Better yet, the action set-pieces are quite inventive, especially the final Chess Game where the commandos become game pieces themselves. 

The story doesn’t skimp on the twists, either.  The triple-cross of Svetlana  leads the story in new and intriguing directions, and the secret space station  is a nice, unexpected touch. 

© Copyright Tom Wakefield