CHAMPIONS BREAKDOWN
By Curtis C. Chen
"Apartment of Champions" is an original TV comedy pilot about young people with not-so-great powers doing their best to avoid any responsibility, in a city full of super-heroes. It won the SIE Script Competition in 2011. This is the casting sheet from last year's table read.
MEN:
CHARLIE - (early 20s) Clean-cut, medical school student, total square. Follows the rules, and thinks everyone else should, too. Bit of a busybody. NO SUPERPOWERS.
MARCUS, a.k.a. STORM FRONT - (20s) African-American, athletic, not as cool as he thinks he is. Collects action figures of more successful super-heroes. Hangs out at comic book stores to impress little kids. SUPERPOWER: can shoot electricity from his hands, but only when it's raining out.
JEFF, a.k.a. NEO-LAD - (20s) Tall, square-jawed, all-American football type. Knows he's hot as hell and thinks that's awesome. Catnip to the ladies; loves 'em and leaves 'em. SUPERPOWERS: pretty much anything Superman can do, but only when he feels like it—and he's a lazy bastard.
MR. E - (60ish) Ethnic, older gentleman, with gravitas but quirky. Think Edward James Olmos or George Takei. A mysterious presence who may intervene with advice but will never takes action.
WOMEN:
SELINA, a.k.a. MOONCHYLDE - (20s) Sarcastic, apathetic epitome of Generation Y. Dyed black hair, chunky hipster eyeglasses; never goes anywhere without her laptop computer. SUPERPOWER: can cast two magic spells a day by chanting backwards words (e.g., "tell the truth" becomes "llet eht hturt"), but her spells often cause their targets and bystanders to become nauseous.
KATE, a.k.a. KATE THE GREAT - (20s) Eastern European, tall, statuesque, muscular. Speaks with an accent and misuses English words a lot. Clueless on many aspects of American culture. SUPERPOWER: super-strength, which she can't control very well; crushes or breaks things accidentally all the time.
HALEY, a.k.a. FIRECRACKER - (early 20s) Pretty, girl-next-door blonde. New arrival from the Midwest; still getting used to life in the big city. SUPERPOWER: can create brilliant, light-based illusions—think fireworks or holograms—but keeps this a secret from everyone except her immediate family.
"Apartment of Champions" is an unproduced half-hour script which I hope to expand into a stage play at some point. Also, my wife still hates the title.
Image: gleaming by Kaila Montanna, March, 2010
