ZOO

Creator: Andrew Weissman
Age rating: 13 and older
Ben, a reckless adventurer-wannabe, and his dad, daughter & zoo trainer, must battle the world’s most dangerous animals & rescue Ben’s wife when they get locked inside a zoo with opening enclosures, by its over-the-top CEO turned eco-terrorist. Jurassic Park meets Saw.
Project collaboration: Open
Full synopsis
Discussions (3)
Synopsis: - Ben (Protagonist) works as an agent on an undercover animal rights mission on an abusive pig farm. It is obvious that he does his work for the excitement and adventure, and not for the animals. Ben makes it clear to his dad that he does not want to take over for his dad in running the famous family animal rights organization because it is too much responsibility.
- Ben reluctantly takes over the CEO position of the Bronx Zoo after Ben's dad, a famous animal rights leader, informs the zoo's board that the CEO, Sebastian (Antagonist), has been in talks with a known eco-terrorist group. Ben and Sebastian are old college friends who have lost touch.
- Sebastian is as an eccentric, over-the-top, criminal-minded, rebellious animal rights extremist activist. Angered, Sebastian meets with the eco-terrorist group to plan a subversive action against Ben's family. Sebastian becomes unhinged.
- On the night of Ben's first day running the zoo, Ben goes to leave the zoo when he comes across five big jungle cats chained to the exit: a panther, a leopard, a snow leopard, a jaguar, and a mountain lion. They try to attack Ben but he avoids them. Then Sebastian's voice comes over the zoo's speakers. Sebastian has just kidnapped Ben's wife from the small party he just left. Ben must find and save his wife, Rebecca. If he calls the police, Sebastian will throw her in with one of the animals. Ben wants to get back to the Main Office where he left the rest of his family.
- Ben reconnects with his dad, Miles and young daughter, Abel. Miles wants to call the police on Ben's cell phone but Ben doesn't allow it.
- They run into Wyatt, the zoo's head animal trainer. He is introduced while trying to shoot Ben with a tranquilizer gun, claiming that in the dark, he thought Ben was the polar bear. Wyatt wants to go to his Trainers Shed where he has a gun. Ben and family want to go to Security Tower where they assume Sebastian and Rebecca must be.
- Wyatt has controversial abusive animal handling equipment that he uses on the animals. Wyatt is an abusive animal trainer and has been for very long time. These animals hate Wyatt and want to kill him. Miles and Wyatt are in great conflict as Miles is the heart and soul of the animals.
- The group runs from, hides from, fights off, outsmarts, and has to kill many of the world's most dangerous predators including an elephant, capybaras, a pride of African lions, Siberian tigers -- including one in an exciting fight on a chairlift, bears in the Monkey Nets Building, an alligator farm, a trap with one angry alpha male lion, a vulture, Silverback gorillas, and more.

Latest Work

  • Script 15 - Andrew's 18th Draft
    01/28/11
    Main1296266097._sx304_sy171_
    Creative Notes:
    This is my most changed and revised screenplay to date. I had a produced studio executive read my last draft and we made many large changes to the screenplay. We made some unrealistic parts more realistic. We made some characters more consistent and realistic. Made antagonist more of the bad guy. Many other changes. I hope the Amazon judges read this draft.
    RTF

All Work