The Soul Man

When he's told he's going to be reincarnated whether he likes it or not, a corrupt businessman who committed suicide decides to thwart that plan.

Type:

Short

Status:

For sale

Page Count:

13pp

Genre:

Drama, Fantasy

Budget:

Shoestring

Age Rating:

17+

Based On:

My audio script.

Synopsis/Details:

A man kills himself before he can be convicted of insider trading. In Heaven, he's told that he is going to be reincarnated - like it or not. He tries to tell the attendant that he'll only kill himself again. The attendant sends him back to Earth anyway, and he does just that. He can't get the official to realize that he doesn't want to live at all. . . as anything.

The attendant tries to outwit the man by sending him back to Earth as things that can't act for themselves yet - like a newborn baby or a puppy with his eyes still closed. As soon as he can, the man commits suicide again. The attendant realizes this is fruitless and decides he'll need another soul - the man's wife.

The man pleads to take her place, swearing he'll behave if she is allowed to live. He is sent back to Earth as a newborn field mouse. . . which his old cat promptly kills and drops, as a trophy, near the man's wife.

Story & Logistics

Story Conclusion:

Sad

Linear Structure:

Non-linear

Cast Size:

Several

Locations:

Several

Special Effects:

Blue/green screen

Characters

Lead Role Ages:

Male Middle Aged

Advanced

Time Period:

Contemporary times

Country:

United States of America (USA)

Time of Year:

Spring

Submitted: May 4, 2019

Last Updated: October 16, 2024

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The Writer: Mike Murphy

Mike, a four-time Parsec Awards finalist, has had over 150 audio plays produced in the U.S. and overseas. He’s won a dozen Moondance International Film Festival Awards (winner, finalist, and semi-finalist) in their TV pilot, audio play, short screenplay, and short story categories. A more complete list of awards is presented below by year. In 2025, his TV pilot script Milly Foster, Macabre Investigator was a quarter-finalist in the Filmmatic Horror Screenplay Awards (Season 9). In the same year, Mike's screenplay Die Laughing was a semi-finalist in the 2025 New York International Screenplay Awards. In 2020, his screenplay Die Laughing was a semi-finalist in the Unique Voices Screenplay... Go to bio