Assassins Screenplay

SCENE 1: oddly lit room, Nathaniel seated, Documentary style

Nathaniel: I just killed my best friend.
(slow tracking shot into Best friends face, close extreme close)
Cut to intense scene of Nathaniel pointing gun at best friends head (ambiguous that its
a water gun until last moment) and best friend protesting, Tom watching, very worried.
Very last second we see friend get squirted in the face. Freeze frame of best friend
making a really awkward face with water on it.
(interview setup, then narrating over scene of opening ceremony)
Nathaniel: I should explain. It all started three days ago. President Kirkham announced a
classwide competition, called Assassins (Nathaniel standing with Tom, clearly friends). There
were 200 freshman, and 200 waterguns; that makes 199 targets and one survivor, me. By the
end of this, everybody would know my name.
Nathaniel (Day 1): (Approaches registration desk confidently) Nathaniel Parker Hayes III (lady
checks off his name, hands him the water gun, squirts it like a heroin needle, eyes gleam)
Opening Credits - Montage of credits/short clips of factions starting to form
Nathaniel: talks about each group, shows group on screen with sounds (acapella group singing,
beekeepers - bee noises, debate team yelling and gavels, mime club - total silence)
Nathaniel: (VO) Traditionally, friends and club members sort themselves into various factions.
Theres the mime club - no, they dont paint themselves, they consider themselves part of a
newer movement, its about the art. Course, they never told me that ha mime club The
Whingledubs, an all-male acapella group - not too worried about them, theyre just too nice to
win. Then theres club track track club? club track club Im gonna figure that out at some
point. Rebecca Flints unforgettable performance on TLCs Teen Swap won her an entire
campus entourage. Huge advantage for her, they not only watch her eat breakfast - they guard
her door at night, watch her sleep. Try slipping past that security. Theres the beekeepers.
Theyre uhhhh- (trying to find the word) obsessed with bees. The debate team shouldnt be a
problem, theyve historically killed each other before agreeing on any strategies. And then
theres the rest of us - the kids who dont belong anywhere. Or - didnt, until I brought us
together to make the most powerful faction of all. (closes book, smiles smugly)

SCENE 2: In A Cappella groups rehearsal room, guys finish singing some sad ballad as fallen
member lies down as if dead. Once finished, guy gets up and members act like everything is

normal
Group President: alright, lets start rehearsal!
(Interview of group president): The Whingledubs have been around since 1943. Were really just
a bunch of friends who love to sing together. Weve been participating in The Game every year
since it began eleven years ago, and its been our tradition to give every member who gets
killed a proper funeral. Wed have it no other way, cause we just love each other so much.
(voice has gotten higher and choked up)
(another student walks by): Hey Nick!
Group President (in deep voice): Scott, congratulations on the bake sale competition. Those
beignets youve got a gift! (looks to camera, charming smile) Great guy.
SCENE 3: A lot of students sitting around conference table, casually chatting. Nathaniel and
Tom walk in, Nathaniel mumbling something to Tom, smirk on his face and Tom calmly smiling.
Nathaniel (to students): Welcome to the first meeting of (group name). Youre here because you
value loyalty, victory, and, you know, fun or whatever. Right now we are passing around the pin
that you will wear for the remainder of the game. You will also receive one slip of paper with
your targets name on it. Once you eliminate your target - and you will eliminate your target they will give you their slip of paper, and so forth, and so on. If youve never done this before, I
suggest you bring someone who has. We wont be losing anyone in the first round.
(FRIEND looks at Tom, signaling his request for help. Tom nods)
(pan to Amanda fastening pin on her shirt)
Nathaniel (narrating first, then cut to interview): have I ever considered planting a double
agent? (shifts weight in seat, face turns red) its crossed my mind
(cut to close up Amanda walking briskly, removing pin, putting on sweatbands, symbols of the
track team, then dropping bag and beginning to jog. Camera pans out as we see her join the
rest of the track team running laps with guns in their hands.)
(pan to Susan sitting at periphery)
Susan: (intense, wide-eyed) I ran out of soap I cant risk going to the store (runs off)
SCENE 4: Nathaniel, Tom, and Jeff just finishing lunch at dining hall, exiting dining hall
Jeff: I dont really think thats the best strategy. We should be focusing on the long term, playing
defensively with minimal kills. Let everyone else do the work for us. In any case (Nathaniel points gun at best friend)
Jeff: Whoa, what are you doing??
Nathaniel: Sorry, bud. Nothing I can do.
(Tom watching, paralyzed, worried)
Jeff: No, dont do this! Dont (Nathaniel shoots Jeff, Tom flinches, wipes off water, storms off)
(Nathaniel and Tom walking away)

Nathaniel: I know its tough, but what was I supposed to do? I mean, eventually I would have to
do it, right? Besides, playing defensively? Thats the worst idea ever! This is about eliminating
targets, if were not eliminating, were being eliminated! Right now, friends are just names on a
list.
(maybe cut to Tom looking at camera, baffled, doesnt say anything)
SCENE 5: A Cappella group in rehearsal, mid-song (The Moment I Knew - Taylor Swift) random
kid bursts through door, visibly panicking/upset.
Group President: Hey James, whats going on?
(Rando raises gun, slowly points at one of the members)
Rando (very upset): Im so sorry, Ben! I dont know what to do! I got your name - I- I have to!
Group President: Someone get James a cup of water. (member exits to get water). James, we
get it. Youve been such a good friend of The Whingledubs, we wont hold this against you.
(member returns with water, James takes a sip). Do what you need to do.
(Ben approaches James, puts arm on Jamess shoulder, gives reassuring smile. James
raises gun slowly)
Ben: Its alright.
James (quietly, apologetically): Im sorry. (Shoots ben in chest, runs away still upset)
SCENE 6: Tom and FRIEND from SCENE 3 walking toward dorm
Tom: Whos the target, again?
Friend: Girl named Juliet Benson. Part of the Beekeepers. (they exchange a look) Should be
simple enough.
(they enter building)
Friend: You know what I heard this morning? Did you know lobsters dont get older, they just get
bigger and hornier! Can you imagine? (Tom sees Juliet in a towel, catches her eye and theyre
both embarrassed). Some ten-ton lobster trolling the ocean for hundreds of years, just screwing
stuff? Man, lobsters have it good. (approach room) (quieter) Hold on, we passed it.
(Friend knocks on door, Juliet opens it. Pan to Tom, whose eyes widen. Friend raises gun to
shoot Juliet)
Tom: Wait - dont.
Friend: What? Why?
Tom: She uh you cant (under breath) aw crap. (blushes, visibly embarrassed; Juliet
quickly shuts door)
Friend: What the heck man? Nathaniel is not gonna like this.
(Juliet is leaning against back of door, taking in the situation)
SCENE 7: Meeting of Nathaniels group - same room, same conference table. Tom at far end of
table away from Nathaniel.

(Nathaniel slams palm on table)

Nathaniel: If you are going to wear this button (eyes dart to Tom), then you are going to work for
this team. Its simple. If you work for the team, you get the teams protection. If, for example, you
are given an assignment and you dont follow through, who are you? What value do you have??
This faction is a machine and you are a broken floppy disk player. Sum of the whole is bigger
than the parts; sums; sum of the - do you get it??
(everybody nods, scared)
Nathaniel: That is why we are attacking the beekeepers. (Toms eyes dart to Nathaniel) Do we
have informationTom: No! No, why are you doing this! Its not fair!
Nathaniel: Damnit, Tom! Who do you think you are? Does the world revolve around your silly
little crush?? (points at Tom, speaks to rest of group, calmly) This, this is what a traitor looks
like. I can smell your duplicitous stench from here. (Susan walks by, looks through window of
door)
Tom: I thought we were friends. Im never speaking to you again.
(Tom stares at Nathaniel hatefully)
Nathaniel: Do we have any intelligence on the beekeepers?
(pan to Amanda)
Amanda: They have a 10-minute break before replenishing the bees water source at 15:45 on
Thursday. Belle Field.
Nathaniel:Thursday it is. Be there five minutes early. No earlier, no later.Meeting adjourned.
(the meeting breaks and we see Amanda out in the hall on the phone)
Amanda: Ambush, 15:45, Thursday, Belle Field, Beekeepers. Do I have your protection?
Voice: Yes.
SCENE 8: Nathaniels faction is pacing quickly to the beekeepers honey site. (all in one shot
-->) The beekeepers go on break, so Nathaniels faction rushes into place in the treeline. The
beekeepers come back to move the bee-thing and then they are surrounded by Nathaniels
faction. Nathaniel points to Juliet and says, her!. They drag her out.

(new closer shot)

Nathaniel: Tom. (indicating him to shoot Juliet)
Tom: Hi. Im Tom.
Juliet: Oh. Hi. (blushes, smiling)
(Tom smiles, newly validated and confident)
Nathaniel: Tom! (indicates again)
(Tom looks at Nathaniel, looks at Juliet, shoots himself)
Nathaniel: Ugh... (he shoots Juliet as he walks away)
As Tom and Juliet walk away together they are trying to look at one another, while avoiding eye
contact, we see the massacre of the beekeepers, who are on their knees surrounding the water
barrel thing with Nathaniels faction shooting them all in the back of the head.
(Close up on Nathaniels smug face) Nathaniel sees a track runner in full uniform out of the
corner of his eye. He cocks his head and realizes that they are being ambushed.
Nathaniel: RUN!!!
(wide shot) The full track team comes into frame in the distance and Nathaniels faction narrowly
escapes.
SCENE 9: Presidents office, all the faction leaders are sitting around a table. Nathaniel is out of
breath from running, even though it is a new day.
President: Do you know what Im thinking right now? Ill tell you. Theres a freshman girl, her
name is Sally. Her college essay was about bees. In fact, it was about how much she loves
bees. She comes to school and joins the beekeeping club. And then without a blink, she is
stripped of her innocence as she is slaughtered in front of the only thing she loves. I mean for
Gods sake, what the hell was that?
(Nathaniel is looking off, bleary eyed)
President: Nathaniel! (he turns, jolted back to reality) This is not how the game is played. There
will be severe consequences for any further actions deemed to be outside of proper conduct.
(Nathaniel is unfazed)

SCENE 10: Nathaniels Faction meeting, same room, considerably fewer members.
Nathaniel: How did we get discovered?? How on earth would club track know about our plan?
Is it Club track? Track club
Amanda: Club track. Listen, none of us know how it happened, but something we do know is
that youve gotten out of control. For all we know, you set up that ambush yourself as a ploy to
get rid of some of us! I think we need a leader who is more concerned about the faction at this
point.
Nathaniel: You think I did it!? Fine. You can believe what you want, but let me tell you something
about this faction. You see this pin? Each one of you are wearing this same pin, because it
means something. (brainfart cant think of a good pin emblem right now)
Nathaniel: All I know is theres a rat. TS TS TS TS (rat noises and face, looking at each person).
(Eyes fixed on Amanda, waves hand dismissively at rest of the group, signaling them to leave).
(everybody leaves quickly, but Nathaniel grabs Amanda, pins her against wall points gun at her
neck)
Nathaniel: Tell me why I shouldnt do it!
Amanda: You dont want to (Susan is seen through the open door)
Nathaniel: Oh my god what is that smell?
Amanda: (puke face) ohmygod.
(Susan darts off, unaware of these comments. Amanda takes this moment to dip)

SCENE 11: Nathaniels room. He is studying alone, but cant stay focused. He grabs his
notebook with all the names of targets left (names and campus addresses are crossed out all
over the place, indicating that there are only a few targets left). He picks Harvey Squib and
grabs his gun.
SCENE 12: Nathaniel enters a study room in slow motion and everybody turns around, initially
angry about all the noise, but then terrified. Harvey mouths, Oh no and slips on his backpack
and tries to sneak out. Nathaniel runs after him, grabbing him by the backpack and tossing him
to the ground. We see two of Nathaniels faction pals that were studying by each other get up
and try to hold Nathaniel back as he shoots Harvey in the face until his gun is totally out of
water.

Nathaniel: You lose Harvey. You lose.

SCENE 13: Nathaniels faction without Nathaniel, same room as always. No audio. Two kids
from previous scene explain, there is a map of Nathaniels room. Somebody points at an entry
point. They all look at each other in agreement.
SCENE 14: Nathaniel is suddenly surrounded by his faction in his room.
Nathaniel: I knew you would come for me.
(zoom in, he is shot in the face; zoom out, he is at the final ceremony for the winner)
SCENE 15: FINAL CEREMONY. President Fackman is talking on the microphone, but we can
barely hear it. Tom comes and sits next to Nathaniel.
Tom: Hey.
Nathaniel: Oh. Hey. (pause). Look, I got carried away
Tom: Yeah (awkward pause) Do you know who won?
Nathaniel: Well the Mime Club all (fades out)
The mime club all walking, hit an invisible wall, pan to gun of Amanda.
Amanda drops her mime club handkerchief.
Club track running, Amanda shoots each person in the back stealthily, they tumble off the track
one by one.
Amanda takes off her sweatbands as she walks towards the camera.
Famous girl and entourage go to her dorm room, entourage wait outside and hear noise, they
burst in and see famous girl with water on her shirt, dumbfounded. Amanda steps out behind
the door and raises her gun.
Amanda takes off her famous girl pin.
Amanda swaps an envelope under the Whingledubs door with her own counterfeit envelope of
targets, the group president takes the envelope while talking to somebody inside, not noticing
that the envelopes are being switched under his nose. Their target slips all say, fire and they
are confused. They hear the alarm, look up at the sprinkler head, start singing funeral song.
CUT TO Amanda walking away with the sound of the sprinkler going off.
Amanda walks out of Nathaniels meeting room, having shot all of the faction at a meeting. They
are sitting in dead poses around the table. She turns around and leaves the room with a smile.

As she walks, she smells something terrible. A hand comes up behind her head, she freezes.
Tom: Who? (informational)
Nathaniel: Yeah, I cant believe it either.
Tom: No, who did it?
Nathaniel: Her stench was her shield Tom. Thats smart.
Tom: Oh. (she walks on stage) huh.

Assassins Outline (working title)

Characters: (working names)
Nathaniel Parker Hayes III:
Nathaniel is incredibly ambitious and is determined to win this game by
any means necessary. He is good at organizing large groups of people, making
connections, and generally getting people motivated. His downfall is that he let the
games get to his head and ultimately lost a part of who he was in his attempt to win it
all.
Similar to: Alex from Nathaniel, Dwight from The Office
Tom Montague:
Tom is Nathaniels second set of ears. He is a great listener and generally

refrains from talking, relying on body language and eye movements. He is very loyal
until he falls in love, at which point he makes the biggest sacrifice of all, he gives up his
life in the game.
Similar to: Michael Cera in every freaking role he plays
Amanda Dorsey:
Amanda is an ostensibly sweet person, with minimal interactions with
members of either of the factions that she is part of. We know she is sweet because
her general tendency is to smile, unless she is alone or scheming. Although she is
sneaking around and manipulating everybody, it would be impossible to know unless
you saw her in her full Birder uniform. Shes got everybody on puppet strings, which we
find out when she ambushes Nathaniels faction with the Birders. Her ultimate demise
is that she stuck her fingers in too many pies and got caught with dirty fingers.
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