Movie Plot Ideas

 

Drama script ideas. 

• A seasoned airline pilot who miraculously crash lands his plane after a mid-air catastrophe, saving nearly every soul on board, is hailed as a hero. But then questions arise as to who or what was really at fault and what really happened on the plane. (Flight)

• A promising young drummer enrolls at a cut-throat music conservatory where his dreams of greatness are mentored by an instructor who will stop at nothing to realize a student’s potential. (Whiplash)

• After the dissolution of her marriage, death of her mother, and years of destructive behavior, a woman decides—with absolutely no experience—to hike more than a thousand miles of the Pacific Crest Trail, alone. (Wild)

Comedy script ideas.

• In New York in 1928, a struggling playwright is forced to cast a mobster’s talentless girlfriend in his latest drama in order to get it produced. (Bullets Over Broadway)

• A group of friends who meet regularly for game nights find themselves entangled in a real-life mystery when the shady brother of one of them is seemingly kidnapped by dangerous gangsters. (Game Night)

• When a seventy-year-old widower discovers that retirement isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, he seizes an opportunity to get back in the game by becoming a senior intern at an online fashion site. (The Intern)

Action movie ideas.

• A talented, young getaway driver relies on the beat of his personal soundtrack to be the best in the game. But after being coerced into working for a crime boss, he must face the music when a doomed heist threatens his life, love and freedom. (Baby Driver)

• An ex-con reunites with his estranged wayward 17-year old daughter to protect her from drug dealers who are trying to kill her. (Blood Father)

• A homicide investigator digs deeper into a case involving a trained military sniper who shot five random victims. (Jack Reacher)

Thriller movie ideas. 

• After getting in a car accident, a woman is held in a shelter with two men, who claim the outside world is affected by a widespread chemical attack. (10 Cloverfield Lane)

• A mysterious outsider’s quiet life is turned upside down when he returns to his childhood home to carry out an act of vengeance. Proving himself an amateur assassin, he winds up in a brutal fight to protect his estranged family. (Blue Ruin)

• A young African-American visits his white girlfriend’s parents for the weekend, where a series of increasingly disturbing discoveries lead him to a truth that he could have never imagined. (Get Out)

Horror movie ideas.

• Three film students vanish after traveling into a Maryland forest to film a documentary on the local Blair Witch legend, leaving only their footage behind. (The Blair Witch Project)

• Hoping to walk away with a massive fortune, a trio of young thieves break into the house of an old blind man who isn’t as helpless as he seems. (Don’t Breathe)

• A woman tries to exonerate her brother, who was convicted of murder, by proving that the crime was committed by a supernatural phenomenon. (Oculus)

As in the previous section, reading other people’s loglines should inspire you to come up with better film ideas yourself.

10 Writing Prompts for Developing a New Script Idea

Updated 20 Apr 2022

In order to take advantage of these prompts, all you need is a character. Use one you’ve been developing recently. If you don’t have one of your own, feel free to use one of these:

KATIE BOLEYN: Caucasian, mid 30s, lives in Washington, D.C. She works for a Congresswoman.

BILLY NILES: African-American, late 70s, lives in San Francisco. He’s played the trumpet at the KitKat Club for over 40 years.

ANDREA LOPEZ: Latina, early 20s, lives in Dallas. She’s gay and comes from a religious family.

STEVE SIMMONS: Asian, late 20s, lives in Atlanta. He’s a kindergarten teacher.

THE WORST DAY

Imagine the worst day in your character’s life. Write for ten minutes about the day this event occurred. If the juices are flowing, write about the day after the event.

THE BIG SECRET

Imagine your character is hiding a secret that no one knows. Perhaps they accidentally killed someone. Perhaps they are in love with their boss. Perhaps they stole money from their church’s collection plate. Who is the one person they definitely wouldn’t want to find out? Write for ten minutes about the secret and its discovery.

THE MYSTERIOUS STRANGER

Imagine a mysterious stranger suddenly appears in your character’s life that seems to know things about them that no one else does. Write about the moment the stranger appears and exactly what they know.

THE GHOST

Imagine someone from your character’s past suddenly shows up. Their appearance is upsetting to your character. Write about why your character never wanted to see this person again.

THE BIG RISK

Imagine your character decides to take the biggest risk of their life. What would that risk be? How would they go about executing it? Write for ten minutes about this.

THE RUNAWAY

Imagine your character must suddenly leave their life and run away. What caused this? What will they do? What are they leaving behind? What will they make an attempt to take with them?

THE WITNESS

Imagine your character witnesses something no one else was supposed to see. What will they do with this information? Did anyone see them witness the situation? Write for ten minutes, describing everything that would go through your character’s head.

THE DESCENDANT

Imagine your character is the son or daughter of someone famous. Do they embrace this fact or reject it? Does it help them in life or hurt them? Write a page of biographical information about your character.

THE COLLECTOR

Imagine your character collects something very odd – something they would rather no one knew about. Write for ten minutes about what they collect, how they got into this hobby, and the implications of others knowing about it.

THE ABSURDIST

Imagine your character wakes up and finds a clown hiding in the corner of their room. Write for ten minutes about what happens next. Is this a comedy or a thriller? A horror or a drama?