Knights of Earth Publications

Andrew is sitting in the betting shop, watching greyhound racing. Mark walks in nods at the clerk.

Mark: Andrew?

Andrew turns around and looks strangely at Mark.

Andrew: Mark? What the hell are you doing here?

Mark walks over and takes a seat next to Andrew.

Mark: I went to your house and your girlfriend said you would probably be down here.

Andrew: That doesn’t answer the question.

Mark: I came to see you. What happened last night?

Andrew rubs his head.

Andrew: I got drunk, I upset some police and now I’m going be spending the next three months doing charity events.

Mark: That sucks.

Andrew turns around to look sharply at Mark.

Andrew: Are you sure you really want to be here? You’re not afraid you might get photographed?

Mark: I told you before, the press has ago at me enough.

Andrew nods and smiles.

Andrew: So what do you want?

Mark: I was going to ask why you can’t get on Tv anymore but I think I know that now.

Andrew: Yeah I’m the height of employability.

Mark goes into his bag and pulls out his script.

Mark: I’m working on something.

He hands it to Andrew, who immediately begins to read it.

Andrew: I always thought your book would make a good TV show.

Mark: Just need a good actor to be in it.

Andrew puts the sheets down.

Andrew: Your joking right?

Mark: You’re the perfect age for the lead, you’ve done serious roles like this.

Andrew: In a minor capacity.

Mark: This will be a small production, I can’t get a big name actor but I can get a good one out of the hole he’s dug for himself.

Andrew looks down.

Andrew: You will be dooming it before it even begins.

Mark: I have a plan for all that?

Andrew: What studio is it with?

Mark: None at the moment. In fact I’ve not even shown it to the production team yet.

Andrew: Typical, a role comes around for me and it doesn’t even exist.

Mark: If I can get you a meeting with the Director, would you consider it?

Andrew smiles
Andrew: Sure but after my example yesterday, I wouldn’t hold your breath.

Mark: I have some conditions.

Andrew: I thought as much.

Mark: Kick this habit, it’s no good for you and get yourself to the gym. Can’t have my Tony Lockheart carrying twenty stone can I?

Andrew smiles sarcastically.

Andrew: It’s  a deal.

Mark: Great

Mark stands up sharply and points at his script.

Mark: You can keep that, I’ve got some people to go and see.

Mark leaves the store. Andrew looks down at the script.

Clerk: Fancy anything else Andrew?

Andrew sighs while grabbing the script.

Andrew: No. I think I’m done for the day.

End scene

David and Hugo are sitting in a restaurant looking over some scripts. David places his down.

Hugo: So it’s a no?

David also places it down.

David: It’s a no.

Hugo: Can I ask why?

David: It’s got no drive, no passion and I’ve got to be honest, the final episode twist is just moronic.

Hugo: it subverts expectations.

David: Only because it makes no sense.

The waiter/waitress walks over.

Server: Can I get you some food?

David: I will have a full English, without the beans.

Hugo: Just some fried eggs on toast.

Server: I will bring that over shortly.

Hugo: big breakfast.

David: I won’t eat again until Abi cooks me something

Hugo taps on the script.

Hugo: Sure you don’t want to take another look? We could always amend it.

David: That’s the issue. I don’t want a script that we are constantly having to amend. I want the writers to be good enough to do their job.

Hugo: And I thought we had a winner there with that one. Why not film a pilot, we don’t need to hit it out of the park first show, build up slowly.

David: In this game there are no third chances, I’ve had my first, I need this one. Anyway I’m betting on something else.

Hugo sighs.

Hugo: You still think you can tempt him over don’t you.

David: The kids young, he’s fresh and he’s got more talent than any script writer we could hire.

Hugo: And he’s also making a fortune doing talk shows. He’s hardly going to want to turn that down to come work for us.

David: You don’t know him like I do. He wants to change the world and he will be frustrated to hell that it isn’t happening fast enough. Trust me he will come on board.

Hugo: What do we do about actors then?

David: I’ve hired Beth Powell to start us some work on casting, seeing whose soon going to be leaving contracts, of course we can’t get any actors without the role.

Hugo: I’ve worked with Beth before, she is good.

The waitress comes over with their food and places it down in front of them.

David: Damn I’m going to enjoy this.

Camera fades end scene.  

Mark and Elizabeth are sat at the bar.

Elizabeth: Well I think that’s everything.

Mark: You sure. You don’t want to ask me what I had for breakfast this morning? who my high school crush was? What lurid things I get up to in the darkness of night?

Elizabeth: No I think…

Mark: Its messed up stuff

Elizabeth: My readers are fine just getting hints towards your next book.

Mark: I’m sure they are.

Pause as Elizabeth puts her laptop away. Mark takes a sip out of his drink.

Mark: So you’re a media journalist?

Elizabeth: Yeah, it helps pay the bills.

Mark takes a sip out of his drink.

Mark: Go to university?

Elizabeth: Five years for my sins.

Mark: Five years?

Elizabeth: The first three were just studying journalism but I majored in film and media

Mark: My sisters doing that actually. The film and media part, not so much the journalism.

Elizabeth: Is she good at it?

Mark laughs.

Mark: Not really. Her idea of media journalism is whether an actors hair looks good.

Elizabeth: Sadly that does seem to be what it’s all about.

Mark: So do you read a lot of scripts?

Elizabeth: Mostly pre-views for finales that sort of thing.

Mark reaches into his rucksack and pulls out some sheets.

Mark: This is something I’ve been working on. Would you mind having a read?

Elizabeth: Sure

Elizabeth begins to read the script. Smiling every so often.

Elizabeth: This is incredible. Adapted from your book I’m guessing?

Mark: I’ve found you have a lot more freedom to develop the story on a screen play.

Elizabeth puts it down and looks up at Mark

Elizabeth: How long have you been working on that?

Mark: Since about ten o’clock this morning

Elizabeth looks shocked.

Elizabeth: You are a freak.

Mark: So they tell me.

Elizabeth looks at him and smiles.

Elizabeth: You know I half expected you to be some Eton snob but the whole crazy background is true isn’t it?

Mark: I might have been an Eton snob had my parents lived long enough

Elizabeth: Oh, I’m sorry.

Mark: Liz I’m joking. I don’t even remember them. It’s nice to not need to play the intellectual though. People expect me to behave in a certain way, talk a certain way and if I’m honest that’s not the real me.

Elizabeth picks up her glass and clinks it onto Marks.
Elizabeth: Well here is getting to know the real you.

End scene

Andrew is sat watching the horse racing. His horse loses and he slams his fist into the bar.

Andrew: God dammit.

Andrew turns around and sits back at the bar.

Barman: Betting much?

Andrew gives him a dirty look.

Andrew: More than I care to mention.

Barman: I saw you on the walker show tonight. Sure, betting is the best thing you should be doing?

Andrew: Didn’t know you were paid to give me advice.

Barman smiles.
Barman: No, I’m here to get drinks for washed up actors. So can I get you one?

Andrew: Cheapest whiskey.

Barman: I will make it a double.

Grace walks into the bar and immediately stands next to Andrew.
Grace: Hey sugar.

Andrew turns around and smiles at her. They share a quick kiss.

Andrew: How was your day?

Grace grabs a stool and sits at the bar.

Grace: Nothing sensational. Just doing auditions for a commercial all day. I swear to god, I don’t know where Hollywood finds kids that can act. London is full of prima donna parents with kids that can only speak as though they are asking a question. God child actors make me sick.

Andrew looks up at her.

Andrew: I started as a kid

Grace: And look where that has gotten you.

Barman comes back over with Andrew’s whiskey. Andrew reaches into his pocket and pulls out a handful of change. Grace looks down as Andrew begins to count it out. Andrew hands the barman the money who walks away.

Grace: Andrew what happened to the money you got for Shakespeare last week?

Andrew grabs the glass and empties it.

Grace: You didn’t did you? On the horses?

Grace grabs hops off the stall.

Grace: I’m going to get something to eat.

Grace storms off Andrew signals for another drink.

End scene

Mark walks out of the green room, into a corridor where Elizabeth is waiting.

Elizabeth: Mr Wilson.

Mark stops and smiles at her.
Mark: yeah. You must be the reporter Anni wanted me to speak to.

Elizabeth: I’m Elizabeth Wayne

Mark: Mark Wilson.

Elizabeth blushes.

Elizabeth: yeah I know that.

Mark laughs.

Mark: Of course, sorry.

Slight pause.

Mark: So what do you want to ask me?

Elizabeth: My readers are dying to hear about your next book, I was hoping we could discuss that.

Mark: Sounds good. Let’s go find somewhere to talk. End scene

David walks into his home. Abi is cooking dinner.

Abi: you are home late?

David puts down his briefcase and crashes on the sofa.

David: Just had a meeting with one of my producers.

Abi walks into the room with two glasses of wine, she hands one to David who takes a sip out of it.

Abi: Did he finally have a script worth reading?

David: It was good but nothing that we want to produce. I’m looking for something with a bit of spark a bit of life to it.

Abi: Did you speak to Mark today?

David nods.

Abi: And he turned you down?

David gives Abi a wry smile.

David: That kid has never turnt anything down in his life, I put the seeds in his head and I swear to god he won’t stop now till he writes me something. He’s just that sort of guy, I gave him a challenge and he will want to complete it.

Abi: I better start losing weight then if I’m going to be in a television show again.

David: And here I was thinking you had given up on that game.

David kisses her.

Abi: For Mark I would come back to acting. He is just the best.

David suddenly sits up straighter.
David: Talking of Mark, he is on the Walker Show today.

David gets the remote and changes the channel. Camera focuses on the Tv as it shows Mark sitting on a stage with Walker

Abi: turn it up, I love listening to him.

Scene cuts to Mark on the screen sitting with Walker.

Walker: So, after that exciting start, what do you attribute your success to?

Mark has a slight smile.

Mark: I don’t put it just down to one thing. I was well financed early on which allowed me to get it out there more. I guess the main reason though is the fact that this story has something for everyone. You can relate to nearly every character and that’s important when you want to escape into something. I tried to give people something that they could step into, that they could feed this story into their own world. That they could be the ones fighting for a greater cause.

Walker: Must help when most authors don’t look like you do.

Mark blushes.
Mark: Stop it.

Mark sits up straighter.

Mark: It can’t be denied that my youth has had an effect. Not many authors get welcomed onto shows like this. I just hope that my use of social media and really coming from an ordinary back ground will get young people more involved in literature cause it really is just a pure art, an art that at times can transport you like no television or film ever could. When you read its personal and art should be personal.

Scene cuts back to David and Abi.

David: That’s what I mean Kid.

Abi: he just inspires you doesn’t he?

David: That’s the spark that I am after.

Scene cuts back to Mark again.

Walker: A nice sentiment but it can’t be denied that your story hasn’t caused controversy. Your first novel faced a boycott by some young mental health groups and then there was that…Mark cuts her off.

Mark: if you are going to start about those online forums threatening to kill themselves over my story, then I think we should end the interview now.

Walker: But someone did kill themselves over your story.

Mark: Allegedly he wrote some stuff

Walker: And he killed five other people as well.

Slight pause. Mark’s eyes go cold and a small smile creeps onto his face.

Mark: This is the misconceptions made by the media about this type of incident. To attribute the deaths of those innocent people to myself is disgusting and damn right offensive to them. There is a serious underlying social issue which relates to the isolation and loss of masculinity for a certain group of young people. Instead of trying to solve these issues they decide to blame someone like me because what politician ever got elected saying he wanted to do something to benefit the lives of young men.

Cut to show Anni shaking her head. Cuts back to Mark
Walker: Be that as it may

Mark: Listen. The reason people yelled at me for this thing was because they don’t understand what it means to be a part of the involuntarily celibate movement. It doesn’t make good news unless it’s to demonize someone like me. If my story was about islamists terrorism and shortly after release a bombing happened. Do you honestly believe my name would have been mentioned once?

Walker looks stunned? Cuts back to David.

David: Good answer Kid.

In the background
Walker: I think that’s time for a break.

Abi stands up.

Abi: I’m going to finish dinner

David stands up with her. Abi begins to cough.

David: Still got that cold?

Abi: Struggling to shake it.

David grabs the wine from the table and then hands it over to Abi. She takes a sip out of it. Then she looks at David.
Abi: You look tired.

David: This is it. This is my last chance at getting something out into the world, if it doesn’t happen now, then I may just go back to working in a shop.

Abi: The next thing you work on will change the lives of millions.

Abi puts her fork into the food, blows on it and then feeds it to David. He smiles.

David: OH yeah that’s good.

He turns around.

David: Let me know when it is ready, I’m going to read some more of this script.

End scene