NEVER (FOREVER)
The world's first real superhero naively demonstrates her powers for the world to see.

Jane is an idealistic if slightly naive young woman with a remarkable gift.  The kind of gift that not so long ago would have been punished as witchcraft and heresy—the consequences fatal.  But to a modern world, steeped in the zeitgeist of comic book lore, Jane is nothing short of superhuman. 

OVER BLACK    

HOST (V.O.)
For the audience, and those viewing
at home, can you give us a demonstration?

INT. TV STUDIO - NIGHT

A standard chat show set up. JANE (30's) in an arm chair, the HOST (50's) behind an adjacent desk.

JANE
Of course. Can I have a volunteer
from the audience?

HOST
Do you mind if... you do me?

JANE
Sure.

They hop up from their seats and bound to the performance part of the stage.

The Host mischievously pulls out a knife. Plays up to the audience, who collectively gasp.

 HOST
Anywhere?

JANE
Yup.

HOST
(to audience)
Kids, look away now.

The Host slashes his hand. Blood drips onto the stage. The audience gasp.

Jane steps forward, holds his injured hand for a moment, and releases.

It's miraculously healed.

The Host flaunts it, presents it to the whole room. The audience applaud.

HOST
Wow. Just wow.
Ladies and gentlemen isn't that incredible?

They applaud even more as the host leads Jane back to their seats.                  

HOST
You must have some stories to tell?

JANE
Yeah, I've been in every conflict
zone around the world, every field hospital.
Every natural disaster in the last ten years.
You name it.

HOST
How many lives have you saved?

JANE
I don't keep count.

HOST
Has anything negative come from this gift?

JANE
Haha, well, I know how rich people
feel when people only date them for their money.

The audience laugh. She's so innocent.

HOST
What I find funny is the worlds first
ever actual super hero... is simply called Jane.

The audience laugh again. Jane looks at the camera and smiles.

The frame freezes. A slick logo and letters fade in, reading: The Jane Facility.

But for all its progress, the modern world is one of contradiction, built upon a singular desire.  And Jane—with all her values and ideals—is not able to foresee the dark machinations of a system dedicated to the pursuit of profit.

From the heights of altruism, she finds herself cast down to the bleakness of The Jane Facility: her spirit broken; her body reduced to servitude, shackled by the chains of corporate greed as her gift is used not for the greater good but the financial gain of a powerful elite.

But what if she found a way to fight back?  To take that gift and turn it into a curse?

What then?

Lewis Eastwood’s Never (Forever) delivers an intriguing take on the superhero genre, pitting a gifted young healer against a society driven by profit.  At a lean 5-pages with minimal locations and characters, this short script would be ideal for a student filmmaker or an experienced director looking to expand their portfolio.