Screenplay Preview
Seed: Judgment Screenplay
PAGE 1
EXT. MOUNTAINS - NIGHT.
Vast mountain peaks piercing the Milky Way like black fangs.
We GLIDE over them in silence.
DISTANT GUNFIRE and RUMBLING ARTILLERY crack peaceful
darkness.
Flashes of fire paint the shadows below. A mechanized column
led by tanks tears into an ocean of chaos.
ROARS and SCREAMS chase us after we pass the violence.
EXT. NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE - NIGHT.
We drift over a wall bristling with advanced weapons. Inside,
rattled inhabitants rush for safety.
A SOLDIER, towering in a mechanized battle suit, waves a
group of children through a slowly closing, armored doorway.
Mary (40s) ushers the children. She moves with quiet purpose,
a calm soul in the storm.
INT. NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE - HALLWAY - NIGHT.
Mary leads the kids into an empty conference room.
Distant explosions shake the walls and flicker the lights.
Myriad concerns beckon beyond the room, but the children are
frightened, some in tears.
The lonely chamber is safe but not comforting. Mary chooses
to stay.
MARY
It's a scary night, I know.
EXT. VALLEY - NIGHT
A .50 CAL atop a tank pours hot lead into a rushing mass of
enemy.
The big gun thunders beneath, rocking the armor.
A raging combatant leaps through the fire with otherworldly
speed and strength.
PAGE 2
2.
Before the feral monster claws into the soldier manning the
gun, a mechanized warrior intercedes with a blazing sword.
INT. NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE - CONFERENCE ROOM - NIGHT
MARY
Great change always is. But my
daughter, Jess, is out there.
The children are less than impressed, yearning for comfort
more than aloof wisdom.
Mary smiles and sighs. Leaving other tasks behind, she sits,
focusing on a teary-eyed girl.
MARY (CONT'D)
Would you like to hear a story that
might help you see the good news
hiding in this darkness?
A little nod.
MARY (CONT'D)
You're likely too little to
remember, but not so long ago, the
world was a more beautiful place,
then something fell from the
heavens.
EXT. HIGH ATMOSPHERE OVER EARTH - DAY
A silver orb from deep space crashes into the atmosphere.
Friction lights it ablaze.
We chase it as it fights to puncture the air, slows, and
cools.
A wide, blue ocean awaits beneath the intruder. The orb
careens towards the sea.
Far below, ships drift in its path - unaware. It plummets on
a collision course.
EXT. AMERICAN AIRCRAFT CARRIER - FLIGHT DECK - DAY
A tiny, silver ball bounces harmlessly along the runway of
the floating fortress.
MARY(V.O.)
That's how all this really started.
Just a tiny seed from beyond.
PAGE 3
3.
Seamen jog past, waving glowing wands to guide a takeoff.
MARY (V.O.)
But destiny wasn't meant to sprout
on such an irregular island, one so
apart from the rest of humanity.
A fighter jet rolls into position. Its fiery engines roar,
blasting the tumbling seed overboard.
We follow it through a faint splash in the churning water,
then sink along its quiet descent into darkening depths.
EXT. - DEEP OCEAN
In the inky abyss, STREAKING SHIMMERS of bioluminescence
scratch the void.
A school of LANTERNFISH glimmer as they glide - a weaving,
shifting mass.
The SEED drops silently into their midst.
It glances against OBLIVIOUS SCALES, then clings to one
slippery racer.
A NEEDLE emerges - microscopic, twisting with vile intent. It
PLUNGES into flesh.
BENEATH SKIN, we witness innocent biology IMPALED, RIPPED,
VIOLATED.
The weapon snakes through every organ - voracious, curios.
ELECTRICAL SPARKS erupt as it devours life.
The creature's PUPILS fill with metal while it spasms,
listing on its side in a cloud of blood.
Death rests in quiet darkness...
until SPARKS reignite its bioluminescence.
Convulsions, then motion.
The deceased creature JOLTS TO LIFE and races from view.
MARY (V.O.)
But Seed wasn't yet what it would
become. That bastard spawned later.
PAGE 4
4.
EXT. SUNLIT OCEAN - DAY
Warm LIGHT dances through rolling waves above.
The ZOMBIE LANTERNFISH frolics through warm rays illuminating
a vast world to explore.
It dashes through a crashing wall of water - briefly rising
above the surface, tasting sunlight.
A SHADOW awaits below.
A DORADO'S JAWS flash from beneath - SNAPPING the lanternfish
in a clean gulp. Its sleek iridescence vanishes as quickly as
it arrived.
EXT. OCEAN - DAY
We chase the HUNTER through cool flows until...
CONVULSIONS, SPARKS.
It rolls lifelessly upside down. Its pupils flare to silver.
DORADO'S jaws slowly open, releasing the lanternfish
unharmed.
Two infected satellites dart in different directions.
EXT. GRIMY CITY STREET - DAY
A BARBED-WIRE GATE grinds open, metal on metal shrieking.
A DISHEVELED MAN stands in the gap. He clutches a clear
plastic sack filled with sad scraps - socks, smokes,
toothpaste.
Behind him, A HEFTY JAIL GUARD looms stone-faced.
The inmate turns to spew venom, but is met with a HARD SHOVE
through the opening.
GUARD
Until next time, Jude.
The man flares with rage.
INMATE
El Jefe!
GUARD
Whatever.
PAGE 5
5.
The gate grinds closed.
EL JEFE shuffles along a sidewalk - filthy, twitchy -
muttering curses between sharp bursts of pained laughter.
PASSERSBY give him a wide berth. Unease and apathy never meet
his eyes.
EXT. BEACH - DUSK
A storm brews in the sea. Wind lashes the shoreline.
The farthest reaches of rain whip a PATCH OF SAND and a CLEAR
PLASTIC BAG swaying over TATTERED SHOES.
Bare, crusted toes shiver into wet grit.
Cold FOAM laps over Jude's feet, startling him from madness.
He lifts his face, eyes closed, letting bleak nature wash
away pain.
A CRAB - small, fast - darts toward exposed skin.
Jude's eyes snap open before a PIERCING SCREAM.
A SILVERY TENDRIL snakes under his skin, ripping through
flesh and bone.
Jude claws at his torso, howling in agony.
His VEINS BULGE.
His BODY contorts.
METAL claims his pupils.
A weak SCREECH -half human, half static- chokes his throat.
Jude collapses into the sand.
The darkening storm swallows the corpse.
EXT. CITY STREET - NIGHT
BLINDING POLICE LIGHTS cut through driving rain.
SIRENS SCREAM.
The squad car races past us - chased by others.
PAGE 6
6.
EXT. PIER - NIGHT
A STORM POUNDS the boardwalk.
TERRIFIED WORKERS flee from abandoned carnival attractions,
dodging squad cars that slide to a stop on the pier. POLICE
leap out - GUNS DRAWN.
Their radios crackle - barely audible through the wind and
chaos.
DISPATCH (O.S.)
Take caution. Suspect extremely...
A CIVILIAN dashes across the drenched pier.
She SLIPS HARD, crashing to the boards.
From behind a darkened FOOD STAND -
A FIGURE LEAPS.
It POUNCES in a single bound like a jungle cat.
Jude claws his victim with vicious strength, shredding flesh,
forcing submission.
POLICE
Get back!
Hands in the air!
JUDE pauses -soaked in streams of blood and rain- to SNEER.
From his chest, a TWISTING METAL SPIKE EMERGES.
It launches, impaling the woman beneath.
A DEAFENING VOLLEY of gunfire rips through Jude's body. His
riddled husk is flung into the night.
The cops RUSH IN.
COPS
We need medical, NOW!
They press on GAPING WOUNDS.
The VICTIM CONVULSES.
After a final, shuddering breath, her EYES are CONSUMED BY
METAL.
JUDE silently RISES in the shadows.
PAGE 7
7.
His WOUNDS HEAL as he stands.
In a blur of FERAL FORCE, Jude and his victim strike in
unison.
The unsuspecting officers are gouged and bitten, screams cut
short.
New twisted vessels of SEED rise in the downpour.
One unholsters the OFFICER'S WEAPON. Tendrils snake from its
hand, exploring the gun's mechanisms as easily as biology.
It FIRES.
Distant sirens wail against crashing thunder as the
burgeoning army marches toward the city.
EXT. PACIFIC COAST - DAY
WAVES OF HEAT distort the wake of an A-10 WARTHOG.
Its engines ROAR as it glides low along the rocky coastline
cliffs.
The view is serene until -
The jet crests shoreline hills, revealing a METROPOLIS IN
FLAMES.
Burning CRATERS pock the devastated landscape.
Countless divots smolder, while fresh explosions erupt.
The WARTHOG banks, scraping treetops along a makeshift
MILITARY PERIMETER.
The defensive line is drawn through LEVELED BUILDINGS and
ash.
TANKS, ARTILLERY, HUMVEES, and SOLDIERS in formation FIRE at
will - keeping enemies at bay.
DRONES and HELICOPTERS crisscross battlefield.
The constant BARRAGE holds back HORDES OF SEED.
Devastating firepower shreds Seed, but it REGENERATES every
mortal wound, clawing forward with unrelenting will.
The jet BANKS HARD - lining up on a burning CITY STREET
below.
PAGE 8
8.
A SCHOOL BUS swerves through debris.
MISSILES streak toward the bus, then DETONATE behind a CONVOY
under siege.
A young, exhausted SOLDIER drives, white-knuckled. TERRIFIED
CIVILIANS packed to overflow cling to their seats.
A HUMVEE follows close behind.
SOLDIERS fire from open windows.
The mounted .50 CAL blazes.
A TANK brings up the rear -
THUNDERING toward a CHASING MASS OF HOSTS.
The convoy RACES toward the perimeter.
The waiting line of defense OPENS FIRE.
Punishing strings of bullets cut down SEED as it claws the
vehicles.
The battered BUS SKIDS across the finish line.
SOLDIERS rush to block the breach.
SOLDIER
Frag out!
He hurls a GRENADE into a pack of twitching, bullet-riddled
hosts.
He and his squad sprint away.
SOLDIER (CONT'D)
Don't let any get on you!
The grenade tumbles along wreckage, rolling to a stop among
WRITHING BODIES, then EXPLODES.
INT. OVAL OFFICE - DAY
Hands clasp in silent prayer.
Knees crease plush carpet.
A quiet circle of SUITS waits beyond the Resolute Desk.
PRESIDENT
Absolutely minimal yield?
PAGE 9
9.
ADVISOR
Least possible for the requisite
surface area, sir.
PRESIDENT
Authorize every contingency.
(beat)
God help us.
EXT. HIGHWAY - DAY
A MASSIVE CONVOY of MILITARY HARDWARE races from the burning
ruins of the METROPOLIS.
Behind them, A NUKE DETONATES.
The world flashes white, then boils red.
A MUSHROOM CLOUD climbs toward the heavens.
MARY (V.O.)
Jess saw that it would happen, so
some were prepared for the fallout.
(beat)
And she knew fire couldn't douse
flame.
We drift up the MUSHROOM CLOUD.
Far above the chaos, stillness blossoms in the stratosphere.
Tiny spheres GLIMMER like stars in the swirl in the storm.
SPARKS dance across the looming infection.
Rain begins to fall under dark clouds.
EXT. - APARTMENT BUILDING - NIGHT
FEINT METAL TINKS echo on roof shingles and car hoods.
CUT TO BLACK.
EXT. RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOOD - NIGHT
A YOUNG BOY (11), strong and handsome, looks back at the only
home he's ever known.
His MOTHER (30s, lovely but panicked) yanks his hand.
They run.
PAGE 10
10.
The boy stumbles - haunted by his blissful childhood fading
behind blurring tears.
They pass other homes - some abandoned, others glowing with
screens of madness. Families trapped in flickering denial.
In the shadows of a wall, they stop - gasping.
A HOST BLURS past behind them.
GLASS SHATTERS. A SCREAM haunts the picturesque neighborhood.
Mom and son sprint hard toward a wider road.
A skidding HUMVEE nearly runs them down.
The GUNNER FIRES wildly.
The barrel swings toward the fleeing pair -
Hesitates.
The HUMVEE screeches away, unleashing hell in another
direction.
EXT. CITY HILL - NIGHT
A TACTICAL SQUAD crawls into an overwatch position on a ridge
above shattered city.
The LEAD SOLDIER scans with night-vision binoculars.
SOLDIER
Clear ahead. Three klicks to the
next checkpoint.
(beat)
Wait... We got runners.
He zooms in on -
The MOTHER and BOY sprint between buildings.
SOLDIER (CONT'D)
They got a tail. Clipped in thirty
seconds.
We can pass behind...
The COMMANDER (Battle-hardened, stoic) snatches the
binoculars to assess the scene.
COMMANDER
We can take it.
PAGE 11
11.
The soldier opens his mouth-
But one look shuts him up.
He rolls and signals.
SOLDIER
Tango oscar mic. We're in pursuit.
They rise as one - guns sweeping, formation tight.
EXT. DARK HOUSE - NIGHT
The mother pulls her son to a door.
MOTHER
We'll be safe inside until we find
a way out.
She smashes decorative glass and reaches inside.
They disappear into darkness.
Footsteps approach.
A BLOODY HAND claws the doorframe. Nails torn - growing metal
claws curl in their place.
INT. DARK HOUSE - FOYER - NIGHT
The DOOR EXPLODES open.
The feral HOST RUSHES IN.
The mother and boy quietly flee upstairs.
A bedroom door slowly shuts. The lock CLICKS.
The mother drags her son behind her.
He resists her encircling arms and cries.
BOY
No.
SEED SMASHES through the door.
Its cold METAL PUPILS stalk its next kill.
It raises its CLAWS to strike.
FLASHBANGS roll into the room.
PAGE 12
12.
The claws slash.
Blinding light explodes.
GUNSHOTS, GRUNTS, and METALLIC SCREECHES.
An CAMOUFLAGED ARM with DELTA PATCH grabs the child.
SOLDIER
I gotcha, buddy.
The boy is carried from the scene while his vision recovers.
He doesn't see his mom down in a pool of blood.
The COMMANDER draws a glinting TACTICAL AXE.
The HOST'S HEAD rolls.
EXT. CITY - DAWN
Gunshots and explosions echo while DELTA SQUAD jogs in
formation, weapons ready.
They escort a ragged cluster of SURVIVORS - including the
BOY.
He wipes his face, still crusted with his mother's blood.
They approach a LOOMING OFFICE BUILDING.
INT. OFFICE BUILDING - LOBBY - DAY
The squad fans out - clearing corners with silent precision.
The COMMANDER turns to check the group but catches the boy
wiping, twitching, crumbling.
The commander kneels - a wall of scars and weapons wrapping
kind eyes.
He licks a thumb and gently clears the boy's cheek.
COMMANDER
Come here, son.
The boy collapses into his armored chest, tears flowing.
COMMANDER (CONT'D)
There are no words for what you've
lost...
PAGE 13
13.
SOLDIER (O.S.)
Clear!
COMMANDER
(without looking)
Andrew, Peter, recon Alamitos from
the roof.
Two soldiers, one too young to enlist, double-time out.
The commander refocuses on the boy.
COMMANDER (CONT'D)
I didn't know your mom, but I know
she died a hero. You carry her
defiant spirit, now. I suspect you
can feel her telling you to fight
and survive?
The boy nods, holding back sobs.
COMMANDER (CONT'D)
What's your name, son?
BOY
Sal.
COMMANDER
I'm James.
A massive grip shakes a trembling hand.
COMMANDER (CONT'D)
Well, Sal, my profession combat.
That makes us brothers in arms, hu-
ah?
Sal hesitates.
James mouths the words, again, gently: Hu-ah.
SAL
(barely audible)
Hu-ah.
SHARP STATIC crackles on James' radio.
RADIO
...it's gone...
James closes his eyes and exhales, then breathes in resolve.
PAGE 14
14.
JAMES
First lesson, Private Sal: The best
way is always through.
SAL
(trusting, determined)
Hu-ah.
EXT. ABANDONED VEGAS SUBURB - DAY
The DESERT SUN blazes overhead.
A DUSTY ROAD winds through a crumbling neighborhood baking in
desert heat.
We FOLLOW A WOMAN tactically stalking toward the corner of a
building.
She's one of the civilians rescued by James, now hardened by
war. She's lean, sun-worn, and calm. She confidently grips an
AR-15 above a sidearm tucked in her jeans.
She QUICKLY PEEKS around the corner.
A HOST SHAMBLES across the street, close.
She recoils, calculating.
Behind her, James's team flows into position.
Beards and grime reveal a long walk in the wilderness.
SAL brings up the rear - small but deadly. His oversized TAC
VEST is adorned in lethal gear.
JAMES (O.S.)
Hit it.
The woman moves - crouched and quiet.
She crosses behind the host and feigns a limp, dragging a
FOOT to be heard.
The host TURNS.
It launches into chase.
The host ROUNDS THE CORNER at full tilt, missing the WAITING
SOLDIERS.
Two pounce.
PAGE 15
15.
A MACHETE and AXE sing through the air.
Steel and claws CLASH, hunting blood.
One soldier is hit. RIPPING CLAWS across his shoulder send
him reeling.
The second soldier STRUGGLES against alien strength.
SAL (O.S.)
Going loud!
Sal FIRES precise shots.
The YOUNGER SOLDIER, Peter (teenager), appears from a side
street and opens a crossfire.
The HOST crumbles from open wounds.
The WOMAN returns with a scream - axe coiled overhead before
a final blow.
A smoldering CIGAR precedes James as he approaches the scene.
JAMES
Well, that was noisy.
He surveys, checking for threats drawn to commotion.
Sal wipes his face, still stained by memory.
SAL
Bart was in trouble.
Bart, clutching his shoulder, grins.
BART
I had him right where I wanted him.
A growing tribe forged in fire regroups from hidden
positions.
JAMES
Move out while we can.
On the GROUND, the host's LIMBS TWITCH - trying to reattach.
The team double-times down the road.
SAL
Frag out!
An explosion ERUPTS behind the quiet team.
PAGE 16
16.
The CIGAR GLOWS with irritation while James inhales, ready to
chastise his reckless private.
SAL (CONT'D)
What? They already heard us anyway.
James bends to meet Sal's vicious eyes.
JAMES
Move... out.
(beat)
We're almost there, but now we'll
have company.
Dust hounds hustling boots.
Behind them, SEED SLITHERS - reaching for scattered flesh to
reassemble.
EXT. DESERT ROAD - DAY
A LINE OF BOOTS marches across sun-blasted ASPHALT, cracked
and forgotten.
Heat rises. The rhythm slows. They fan out.
One WALKER drops to their knees, then hands - despair finally
buckling a resilient spirit.
Others halt before a jagged, unnatural BORDER burned into the
ground.
They gaze upward, revealing...
A BLACKENED WASTELAND.
Ash stretches to the end of a military installation - an
ocean of onyx ruin.
Hopeful sanctuary annihilated.
In silent grief, a second survivor falls to their knees.
A shaking hand reaches for dark ash - needing to feel the
truth.
James' RIFLE blocks the reach.
JAMES
I wouldn't touch that.
The battered tribe looks to their leader, confusion nearing
panic.
PAGE 17
17.
James grins.
Then LAUGHS.
A scream of triumphant glee.
The rattled group stares. Has the ill-fated march finally
broken the soul holding them together?
James grabs a nearby ROCK.
JAMES (CONT'D)
(giddy)
Check this out.
He CHUCKS the stone into the wasteland.
Two DEFENSIVE TURRETS on a far wall SNAP TO LIFE.
The first UNLEASHES a storm of lead.
The second spins a Gatling barrel to RIP the air with laser
bursts.
James' rolling rock is pulverized by a string of bullets,
then vaporized by searing streaks.
James FIRES into the air, nearly dancing.
JAMES (CONT'D)
We are found.
A HUMVEE bursts through an OPENING GATE.
EXT. CHARRED WASTELAND - DAY
From above, a column of ARMORED VEHICLES slithers along worn
ruts in burned earth.
Ahead looms THE WALL - bristling with twitchy cannons
watching the horizon.
The convoy rumbles through open gates - sanctuary.
EXT. NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE - DAY
MECHANIZED BOOTS drop from the back of an ARMORED PERSONNEL
CARRIER, landing hard with hydraulic THUDS.
More soldiers dismount - their EXOSKELETONS hissing.
PAGE 18
18.
They form a perimeter around the newcomers -armor gleaming,
weapons ready- shielding a battered crowd of NELLIS RESIDENTS
who gather, cautious but curious.
JAMES exits his ride. His gaze finds THREE MEN in fatigues.
Their RANKS catch his focus...
His posture SNAPS TO.
JAMES
(quick salute)
Lieutenant James Hardt, 75th
Airborne, on loan to JSOC for
whatever the hell hit us.
The ELDER OFFICER steps forward, returning the salute with
measured respect.
LT. GENERAL DOUGLAS
Lieutenant General Mark Douglas.
He shakes James' hand - firm, reassuring. The crowd exhales.
LT. GENERAL DOUGLAS (CONT'D)
Reserve Command.
(beat, a wry smile)
But there aren't any reservists
these days. How many in your group,
son?
JAMES
(sadness cracks the stoic
mask)
We're down to twelve.
LT. GENERAL DOUGLAS
On foot?
JAMES
Yessir, since SoCal.
Douglas shakes his head, astonished.
LT. GENERAL DOUGLAS
Do you know what I prayed for last
night?
James studies him, caught off guard.
LT. GENERAL DOUGLAS (CONT'D)
Among the usual, I prayed for
insight. And now someone like you
washes up on my shore. Do you
believe in God, son?
PAGE 19
19.
James grimaces at the stinging question.
JAMES
I can't decide if more or less now.
Douglas nods - not surprised.
LT. GENERAL DOUGLAS
Come inside for one heck of a
debrief. My people will see to
yours.
Behind James, PETE and SAL are led away by friendly BASE
RESIDENTS.
James glimpses a smile as they follow - a lost expression
recovered.
EXT. NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE - DAY
A SMALL, MOTLEY CREW OF YOUTHS tears past military buildings
in a rush.
PETE leads the charge, racing toward the unknown.
They round the corner of a BARRACKS and burst into...
INT. RESIDENTIAL UNIT - DAY
SAL stands alone.
He's startled by the intrusion but rooted in place.
His eyes stay locked on a humble STOVE and MICROWAVE -
miraculous luxuries after life in the wastes.
PETE
(gasping)
Bro, Thad has VIDEO GAMES!
Sal wipes his forehead, still smearing phantom blood.
PETE (CONT'D)
(louder, playful)
Video games, man!
SAL
(hiding red eyes)
That's awesome. I'll be right
there.
PAGE 20
20.
The kids hesitate, unsure how to help their grieving friend,
then shuffle out.
EXT. NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE - DAY
Small SHOES scuff along a dusty base road - aimless.
SAL crosses the yawning mouth of a MASSIVE AIRCRAFT HANGAR
repurposed as a vast TRAINING AREA.
INT. HANGAR - DAY
The unnatural cavern echoes with violence.
ROBOTIC EXOSKELETONS line the walls like armored saints.
Wild GUNS, oversized MACHETES, and brutal TOOLS OF WAR are
scattered everywhere.
We glide toward combat on a mat laid over concrete.
TWO SOLDIERS grapple in a KNIFE FIGHT - stabbing, rolling,
slamming to the ground.
Others ring the fight, SHOUTING and COACHING with feral
excitement.
We sneak through the shadows, watching the show.
The soldiers are JACKED, SCARRED, ELITE.
This is what they do. This is fun.
A SCARRED FACE suddenly fills the frame - snatching Sal by
the arm.
SAMUEL
What are you doing here, kid?
Angels' training is a restricted
area. Go be safe somewhere else.
Sal stares at his captor - unblinking.
A tear falls from a hateful gaze.
SAL
I have to kill them all.
Samuel straightens to his full, towering height - unsettled
by the tiny intruder.
Other ANGELS gather - curious, dangerous.