Descendancy

Media mogul Morgan Turner, the wealthiest African American in the world, arrives in L.A. and begins negotiations with Orson Brantley to acquire Brantley Aerospace, a major defense contractor. SentryForce, a private security subsidiary of Brantley, run by Orson's pampered sons, Clive and Hunter, is at the center of a firestorm of protests in the wake of the shooting death of Jesse Stillwell, a black youth, by a SentryForce officer. When Morgan's rebellious son Nate is arrested at the protest, it causes a public relations nightmare sending stock prices tumbling. Despite his success in the business world, Morgan envies the Brantleys, old moneyed blue bloods who flaunt their heritage, even basing their corporate logo on the family crest. Hungry for validation of his own family lineage, and at the behest of his colleague, fellow African American businessman Lionel Preston, he enlists the genealogical services of one Tatiana Forrestal-Vance, the best in the world at connecting black Americans with their African ancestors. While navigating the pitfalls of an increasingly hostile takeover, Morgan receives word from Tatiana of a major breakthrough with her research, placing Morgan's direct line of paternal ancestors within Bodo, a small Nigerian fishing community. Morgan wastes no time in arranging a trip, enticing Tatiana to accompany him. No sooner does Morgan's private jet touch down in Nigeria, he is under attack, the victim of a saboteur who blows up his plane on the runway. Morgan and Tatiana barely escape, thanks to Morgan's pilot and loyal friend, Sal. Morgan arrives in Bodo, welcomed as a potential savior by the villagers. Meeting with Barnabas, the village spokesman, he learns of their many problems, including lack of supplies and environmental devastation. Morgan pledges to help in any way he can, but when a vicious warlord attacks, Tatiana is kidnapped. Morgan must wire millions to secure her release, but when the money is transferred, Morgan is arrested, charged with aiding terrorist organizations. Back in America, the merger deal collapses with Morgan's reputation in tatters. But Nate digs deeper into Jesse Stillwell's final days, unraveling the conspiracy at the heart of his shooting, putting both him and his father on a collision course with the plotters of a shadowy agenda that runs from the Dark Continent to the dark corners of South-Central L.A. Freed from captivity in a daring escape led by Sal and Barnabas, Morgan must go on the run as an international fugitive, track down Tatiana, and discover who has set him up, and why. Morgan Turner's search for his roots is about to test him in a way that no DNA result or family tree will, and what will be revealed does not show up on any coat of arms, but is all that matters about family, honor, and country. DESCENDANCY From the deepest descent, a new nobility will rise. *******************The REVIEWS are in on DESCENDANCY********************************** A great premise, hook, and a terrific central character make for a compelling reading experience in this high-octane, international adventure. I really enjoyed this screenplay... Strong opening scene. Excellent writing. The sharp detail and powerful visuals bring the words on the page to life. Really like how you tied in the teaser to the introduction of our protagonist, Morgan Turner. That such a high-profile individual (Orson) would be blamed for a heinous act committed by one of his employees, (triggering riots) is totally believable given the media's thirst for blood, circuses, distractions, and click-bait... It was a sincere privilege to read your work. You’re a terrific writer, and I really hope you achieve success with this screenplay, and in your future work.” ********** “All the scenes in Nigeria are fantastic. From the point we arrive there, the script is excellent. The pacing is great, the action is really fun and your villains are excellent. It has everything a good movie needs... Special shoutouts to Whitlock and Tatiana. Both of them are just really well-crafted characters. I like that they're both competent. It just makes everything feel more believable... This is a good movie. There's so much to like here that it seems obvious to me.” ********** “Your narration is very rich, descriptive, and detailed. Does a great job of setting the mood and develops a distinctive voice. It has a wealth of good word choices and often makes the scenes very easy to visualize. Often uses poetic and very satisfying phrases. You often have good instincts when it comes to showing something visually rather than 'telling' it. Especially in examples like Morgan hugging his son at the end. That wraps their conflict up nicely, and it does it with a simple visual image, rather than a bunch of hackneyed dialog. There are good twists and turns to the plot. I knew pretty much all along that Lionel was in on it, but Tatiana's betrayal caught me by surprise and was really quite well done. It also usually didn't feel forced... The themes explored are relevant and important. Coming to terms with African heritage, racism and infiltration of white supremacists in police/security, resource extraction in the 3rd world ... all handled pretty well. Nothing strikes me as an "uh-oh, *that's* going to be problematic" kind of way, all while dealing with pretty heavy, difficult, political themes. And, of course, the theme of father/son relationships, while not like the others, is a classic and was also handled quite well, with Orson's sons providing a good counterpoint to Morgan's son. Also, of course, it's going to have some *great* roles for black actors, which is always nice to see. It did have its moments of really intense tension and thrill, even reading it in script form. Especially the lead-up to the Jacob vs. Nate fight. Maybe sometimes too much endless tension, such that we'd need some relief between? But that's a matter of taste more than anything. And if you were going for steadily ramping tension that doesn't ease up, you did a pretty good job of it. Despite a lot of complicated things going on at multiple times and in different locations, I was generally quite clear on what was going on, who was doing it, where and why it was being done. A script like this could easily lead to a lot of confusion, but... I found it quite clear and easy to understand what's going on.” *************************************************************************************************