X-Men: Redemption
A screenplay
By Randirogue
Prologue
EXT. SEATTLE THEATER -- NIGHT
Establishing location shot: Upper class patrons mingle as they enter the elegant theater (Opera House?).
INT. SEATTLE THEATER -- NIGHT
Pan through EXTRAS (Audience, employees, etc.) who are mingling and finding their seats. It seems to be intermission, and the show is about to reconvene. House lights go down as camera pans up to one of the balcony seats holding a lone couple. A suave and devilishly handsome man (REMY LEBEAU, a.k.a. GAMBIT) trails an enticing caress across the WOMAN'S (young, beautiful, and obviously very wealthy) shoulder and arm. She giggles and draws away demurely.
REMY sweeps up her hand, which is adorned with extravagant jewelry. Remy caresses a finger over one of her rings.
(Winks and kisses her hand)
Close up on WOMAN: she blushes and giggles, then is suddenly frightened.
Close-up on REMY: his eyes are glowing, red irises on black sclera. Off camera, we hear the WOMAN GASP. Medium shot on WOMAN staring at her hand. Her rings are glowing like REMY'S eyes. REMY snatched the rings off her hand and tosses them out over the audience. Follow glowing rings through the air. They collide with a structure support of the theater, exploding on contact. BOOM! Debris falls. AUDIENCE freaks out and scatter for safety. WOMAN SCREAMS. AUDIENCE Point of view (POV): their attention is drawn to the WOMAN, scrambling back, and REMY, leaning forward on the balcony railing. The balcony railing is glowing now too. REMY, confused and scared, backs away from the railing, pushing the WOMAN towards the balcony exit.
REMY POV: fluttering debris falls to the glowing railing. Contact. BOOM!
INT. SEATTLE THEATER -- HALL OUTSIDE BALCONY -- NIGHT
Smoke and debris clear to let us see Gambit protectively on top of the WOMAN. WOMAN coughs and REMY wipes dust from her face.
(Eyes wide)
WOMAN scrambles out from under REMY, yanking her glowing wrap off of her and runs. REMY runs the other direction. FOLLOW wrap fluttering to the ground. Contact. BOOM!
INT. CEREBRO - NIGHT
XAVIER, donning Cerebro headgear, randomly searching for mutants. Muted images of people (special effects from first few movies) are the displays of XAVIER'S search. A large spike occurs on the map, in Seattle, Washington.
INT. SEATTLE THEATER -- NIGHT
REMY runs through the hall and reaches a dead-end.
INT. CEREBRO -- NIGHT
XAVIER watches the Cerebro's display: muted image of REMY climbing onto the balcony railing and jumping off, towards the stage. The wall, railing, and overhang where he touched glows-waiting for some contact to set off another explosion.
INT. SEATTLE THEATER -- NIGHT
Angle on stage: AUDIENCE, PERFORMERS, EMPLOYEES scatter in panic. REMY, mid leap, enters frame, catching hold of the curtain, which swings with his momentum. It starts to glow, spreading more and more on the curtain and all it touches with every moment he's holding onto it.
INT. CEREBRO -- NIGHT
XAVIER watches the Cerebro display: muted image of REMY swinging on the curtain, crashing into sets, lights. The glowing curtain is nearly blinding bright when REMY lets go and rolls across the stage floor.
INT. LOGAN'S BEDROOM -- NIGHT
LOGAN rolls over and groans.
Angle on door, held open by SCOTT.
LOGAN throws the pillow at him and gets up.
INT. SEATTLE THEATER -- NIGHT
REMY scrambles off the stage, hopping over seats, trying not to touch people as he heads for the exit. He leaves a trail of glowing spots where he touched seats and brushed clothing items. Angle on the glowing curtain, swinging towards the proscenium arch wall. Contact. BOOM!
INT. INSTITUTE ELEVATOR -- NIGHT
STORM presses a button and the doors start to close. ROGUE, in pink sleep-wear, enters frame as she catches the door and joins STORM inside.
Elevator doors close and it descends.
(Hesitant)
A long pause, then...
(Smiling)
ROGUE laughs. Elevator doors open.
INT. SEATTLE THEATER -- NIGHT
Off camera: BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Angle on REMY, fleeing out back/side door (exit sign glows, reminiscent of REMY'S powers). BOOM!
INT. BLACKBIRD JET -- NIGHT
STORM is doing pre-flight operations. SCOTT is in the co-pilot seat, briefing the team of the mission as they enter the jet and strap in. BAMF and smoke signals NIGHTCRAWLER'S entrance. WOLVERINE, grumbling, enters, then BOBBY (ICEMAN)...
...Then Rogue enters and straps in. WOLVERINE grimaces at her, sort of like 'I don't want you coming.' ROGUE rolls her eyes and ignores him.
Our purpose is to find him--
COLLOSSUS (Piotr Rasputin, skin turns to organic metal-from X2) and JONO (Jonothon Starsmore, British, lower half of face and chest covered in leather protective straps) enter and strap in.
(After seeing the 'kids')
(Clears throat)
our enemy. He needs our help.
(Calling back from pilot's seat)
The boarding ramp closes.
EXT. SEATTLE THEATER -- NIGHT
The theater is burning. Small explosions--BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!--continue to resound. This is a left over chain reaction to debris landing on 'charged' areas inside. Several fire rescue trucks, police cars, and ambulances are parked. EMERGENCY PERSONELL attend to the fire and injured. Pull back to see this was from REMY'S POV (point of view). Angle on REMY, leaning against a parked car watching, horrified at his handiwork. He looks to his hands, keeping them from touching anything.
(Off camera, telepathy)
His voice should be very sterile, articulate, educated sounding with almost a proper or English accent. The effect is so the audience at first thinks that it is Xavier speaking telepathically to REMY.
REMY looks around frantically, not seeing anyone near him, then flees.
INT. BLACKBIRD JET -- NIGHT
(Telepathic, Off camera)
(Telepathically)
(Telepathically)
Angle on others. Their reactions show they heard.
EXT. SEATTLE STREETS -- NIGHT
Angle on REMY, ducking from one object of cover to another as he flees.
(Off camera, telepathy)
REMY stops.
(Off camera)
INT. BLACKBIRD JET -- NIGHT.
Angle on ROGUE and BOBBY, who are flirting. SKINT! LOGAN'S claws pop in front of them. ROGUE GASPS, then rolls her eyes.
burning up. Don't let him distract you.
EXT. SEATTLE STREETS -- NIGHT
REMY continues fleeing.
(Off camera, telepathy)
(Cocky grin)
yet.
(Off camera)
Close up on REMY: shocked. Angle on CALIBAN (tall, lanky, muscled, with gray skin) standing before REMY. Close up on REMY. His expression turns back to his cocky grin.
me.
CALIBAN raises his arm. REMY readies for a blow while reaching in his soot covered brown duster. CAIBAN merely points to REMY. Something about CALIBAN'S demeanor seems sad, lonely, and docile now.
(Off camera, from behind Remy)
REMY spins around, pulling out a rod-like metal object from his duster. WHAM! An unrecognizable blow to the head knocks him out. Stay on REMY as he collapses on the ground. The rod-like object, still in his half-opened hand is glowing. Angle on CALIBAN, confused and a little sad.
Angle on unconscious REMY and the rod-like object. The glow is fading.
(Off camera)
(Off camera)
Stay on glow as it dissipates to nothing. Once it's gone completely, a liquid like metal enters frame as it continues its encasement of Remy down his arm, his fingertips and the rod-like object. REMY'S hand hardens like a shiny chrome statue. That was CHROME'S power.
EXT. SEATTLE THEATER -- NIGHT.
The emergency scene is nearly wrapped up. The last fire truck and ambulance leave. A few officers linger, readying to depart. A series of cuts establish the X-Men watching the near completed emergency scene outside the theater from various hidden locations. SCOTT talks into a communicator.
Continuing series of cuts: ROGUE and COLLOSSUS are across the street, watching from around the corner of a building. ROGUE answers via a similar communicator.
(Off camera, via communicator)
much.
here, remember?
Continuing series of cuts: NIGHTCRAWLER watches from a perch on top a tall building.
LAUGHTER over the communicator cuts him off. NIGHTCRAWLER chuckles amicably.
(Via communicator, sighs)
Continuing series of cuts: LOGAN is closer to the theater, around the back of it.
(Communicator)
his I'm tracing. Don't have anything to match it to.
Continuing series of cuts: STORM and BOBBY positioned opposite LOGAN, also around the back.
(Communicator)
(Communicator)
Back on SCOTT.
(Communicator)
(Communicator)
(Communicator)
tomorrow.
(Telepathically)
back now.
INT. CEREBRO -- NIGHT
XAVIER still wears the device. He is looking to his side, though. Dialogue from end of previous scene blends over into this one.
(Telepathically, to Scott, & aloud)
Open view to see CALLISTO (abrasive unattractive woman in threadbare clothing, wearing an eye patch), looming at XAVIER's side.
(telepathically, to Scott, and aloud)
Open view to see three other mutants (MORLOCKS): MARROW (aggressive young mutant girl with bones sticking out all over her), MASQUE (deformed male who has the ability to mold living tissue like clay), and PLAGUE (an old mutant woman who can infect people with horrific diseases). MARROW has one of her old removed bones brandished as a weapon.
(RMKS, May 18, 2003)