Watch the Screenplay Reading:
A worldwide disaster is created when a cloud of dark matter, a mysterious and powerful relic from the Big Bang, collides with modern day planet Earth.
CAST LIST:
Narrator: Sean Ballantyne
Woman/Karla: Julie Sheppard
Richard: Geoff Mays
Writer Statement
With Dark Arrival we hope to deliver a shockingly believable chain of events that could easily happen tomorrow. The science is there, so we developed characters to create the sci-fi drama. We want these characters to speak, walk, live, love, laugh and cry for the first time. To then connect with an audience member’s soul, giving them a type of strength, a sense of immortality, a peace, having them speak up once or twice, and be heard.
Get to know the writer:
1. What is your screenplay about?
JOHN: Dark Arrival creates building tension that starts when a duo of astronomers discover an interstellar cloud of dark matter that is on course to impact the Earth. As the mysterious cloud approaches, technology fails, natural disasters occur and worldwide panic rules society. Key characters find themselves trapped within the impending maelstrom’s first point of contact as they pursue the archeological discovery of a lifetime; the ancient tomb of Akhenaton – a third dynasty Egyptian ruler. A last-ditch effort to stabilize the dark matter cloud with a free hydrogen missile launched from ground zero represents mankind’s only hope for survival.
KEN: John didn’t mention that this script is an adaptation of his hit novel, DARK ARRIVAL. A worldwide disaster is created when a cloud of dark matter, a mysterious and powerful relic from the Big Bang, collides with modern day planet Earth.
2.What genres does your screenplay fall under?
Science Thriller/Science Fiction Drama
3. Why should this screenplay be made into a movie?
JOHN: The unique blend of captivating characters, intertwined with a threat to mankind’s existence from a nemesis with limitless power, and the rapidly escalating tension until impact create a compelling panorama of worldwide drama which is underscored by mankind’s will to survive – true movie making at its finest.
KEN: Because this shockingly believable chain of events could easily happen tomorrow, so people watching this film might begin really appreciate our Earth and the life on it… just a little more!
4. How would you describe this script in two words?
JOHN: Believable. Compelling
KEN: Fast-Paced and Thrilling
5. What movie have you seen the most times in your life?
JOHN: “CONTACT”
KEN: “THE GODFATHER”
6. How long have you been working on this screenplay?
We’ve been working on this screenplay for about 1 ½ years.
7. How many stories have you written?
JOHN: Two novels and beginning a third
KEN: 6 Screenplays, 12 Teleplays and 30 Stage plays/musicals (Most proud that my most recent play BILLY AND GEORGE just received a Pulitzer Prize nomination for Drama.)
8. What is your favorite song? (Or what song have you listened to the most times in your life?)
JOHN: Don Mclean – “Vincent”
KEN: Garth Brooks- “The River”
9. What obstacles did you face to finish this screenplay?
JOHN: Dealing with a complex array of captivating characters who are impacted by the impending disaster in uniquely different ways.
KEN: Trying to capture the energy and magnitude of the original novel by John, all the while making sure, that as a film, the story would unfold quickly and efficiently.
10. Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about?
JOHN: Classic Cars, Treasure Hunting, Astronomy.
KEN: Treasure Hunting with John, Archaeology, and my family.
Matthew Toffolo's Summary 