RONIN
Ever since I was young I had an obsession with action movies. It's an obsession that has still persisted to this day, which is why my specialty in writing is action & adventure. What I identify with the most in the action genre is the fight - the never-give-up, never-stay-down, do-what-it-takes-to-live, fight. It's a fight that I've held close in my life as I've fought through obstacles over a series of challenges and traumas. It's through this lense of trauma that I wanted to tell RONIN's story.
RONIN focuses on a female hitman haunted by her violent, traumatic past as a para-military operator. When she unknowingly assassinates a key member of a powerful, secret government organization, she's thrust back into the world of her past and toward uncovering the global conspiracy behind the people who tried to kill her - leading her to not only face the violence in her life but also face the trauma that haunts her.
RONIN shows a protagonist and supporting characters haunted by traumatic pasts - each going through the motions of life but not truly living. I wanted to examine violence as an extension of trauma and how that affects personal pain. Don't get me wrong, at its heart RONIN is a heart-pounding, action-fueled story - John Wick meets Nikita. But, this action story is also about awakening the fight inside for yourself and learning how to become the hero the hard way.
Check out a sizzle reel and a moodboard below for a taste of what the show would be like! For the sizzle reel, I used preview clips from film supply sites for inspirational purposes (so please excuse the watermark).
Find a sample of this pilot script under my Scripts page and links to the full pilot on industry sites The Black List and Coverfly!
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Evaluations by readers from the exalted Black List and ScreenCraft regarded: "From beginning to end, this is a riveting, expertly-written action script. Its pacing and tension are top notch. Every beat of its action reads with the thrill of a fight sequence - the prose in particular crafts each and every punch with thrust. "
"The script’s biggest strength is its suspenseful, borderline intoxicating action sequences. There’s an intimate, rhythmic nature to how Mara operates in combat."
"This project centers on an emotionally complex female protagonist and employs some of the most beloved elements of espionage to deliver an exhilarating action thriller...Mara is a fantastic character."
"As a protagonist, Mara shines. She has an impenetrable exterior with a blazing fire hiding underneath, and she could certainly attract a top tier actress. As we’ve seen with projects like EXTRACTION and JAMES BOND, spy thrillers led by layered, charismatic individuals have broad mass appeal.
"Mara uses her lethal talents to uncover the global conspiracy that almost took her life – and still might – and lays the groundwork for various episodic storylines as she goes further down the rabbit hole."
"With such a great action thrust, there is an absolute market for a show of this nature...it warrants consideration from cable channels and streaming services - especially as a unique action foray when the small screen has yet to fully commit to a pure-blooded, action-fueled show. But even as a writing sample, this script should capture staffing considerations for its scribe."
"With an intriguing backstory fueling the plot, this is a script that allows itself the room to be enigmatic, as well as visceral. With a good balance of both, this story explores themes of conspiracy, violence and the ripple effects of trauma." - GoldenScript Competition
"All of the characters are placed well within the context of the narrative, particularly the character of Mara, who, without question, is the most interesting and compelling of the main characters introduced here. Her motivation, fueled by a need for revenge that lends her a genuinely dangerous edge yet also makes her deserving of our empathy, is riveting." - GoldenScript Competition
"While little is left original within this type of story, the journey of Mara is the real grip of this piece. A strong female character that kicks more than her fair share of the ass within the story, she is the stand-out creation in this thriller."
- GoldenScript Competition
"Set within a genre that is universally popular and promising some high-octane action sequences, this is a pilot that displays the promise of the series that it is starting, and there is a feeling that, if it can maintain this level of pace and intrigue, there is a mass- market appeal for an audience."
- GoldenScript Competition
"With great pace and ambition, this is a script that sets its intentions out clearly, and in doing so, marks itself out as one to watch...There is no doubting the skill and the energy at play in the plot and how the action sequences enforce who the characters are. Action is character here, and this is a piece that should be appealing to producers and directors looking for a series with the potential to run in any number of directions."
- GoldenScript Competition
*I do not own the rights to all of the images, video and music used above. The ownership belongs to their original creators; borrowed by me for creative inspiration only.