DEEP RED PROMO

Written by

Timo Vuorensola
 ON BLACK

NEIL ARMSTRONG (V.O.)

That’s one small step for man...

1 EXT. LUNAR SURFACE - ARCHIVAL FOOTAGE 1

The familiar, flickering footage of Neil Armstrong stepping

down the ladders.

NEIL ARMSTRONG
One giant leap for mankind.

He steps down the ladders. First man ever to tread the

surface of another celestial body.

FADE TO BLACK.

DEEP RED (V.O.)

(Deep, ominous, mechanical
narrator’s voice)
Every match has an opening move...

2 EXT. LUNAR SURFACE - LATER - CAMERA VIEWFINDER 2

A camera is pointed at BUZZ ALDRIN, standing next to the US

flag. We’re watching through the camera viewfinder, as they
are setting the camera in place.

NEIL ARMSTRONG (V.O.)

We’re rolling.

BUZZ ALDRIN
It’s a great honor and privilege
for us to be-- what the hell?

Suddenly, a dark shadow falls over Armstrong, the flag and

the lander. The camera tilts up to reveal...

A massive starship slowly gliding over the sky, a shadow over

the Sun. Written on its belly are the letters C.C.C.P.
(U.S.S.R.) and the famous red Soviet flag with Hammer and
Sickle symbol.

It glides over the sky for a good moment, then disappears in

the horizon. The camera tilts back. Armstrong still standing
there, next to the flagpole that slowly falls over.

ARMSTRONG (V.O.)
(In disbelief)
Houston... We have a big fucking
problem.
 2.

Buzz gestures his fingers furiously across his throat in a

‘cut’ motion.

The image flickers as the recording is cut. Then...

DEEP RED (V.O.)

It determines which one defends,
and which one attacks.

CUT TO BLACK.

TEXT ON SCREEN: 60 YEARS LATER. YEAR 2029. SPIROS

CORPORATION’S MANNED MISSION TO MARS.

7 EXT. MARS ORBIT - DAY 7

The image opens up to a spectacular view over the red planet

Mars. A massive spaceship, bearing USA and SPIROS CORPORATION
symbols is approaching the orbit - but it’s approach is
erratic. The ship is in freefall, crash course to the Red
Planet.

DEEP RED (V.O.)

But the game is not about who
controls the board...

INT. SPACESHIP - DAY

A closeup of an ASTRONAUT who’s feverishly trying to control

the ship. Lights are blinking, ALARMS BLARING.

SHIP COMPUTER
Warning! Warning! Multiple system
failures detected. Hull integrity
critical. Orbit decaying.

DEEP RED (V.O.)

...but who gets to write the rules.

9 EXT. MARS SURFACE - DAY 9

A wide shot over the red surface of Mars. Somewhere far in

the distance, a massive blast of smoke as the ship crashes on
the ground.
 3.

10 EXT. MARS SURFACE - CRASH SITE - DAY 10

A spaceship has crashed on the Martian surface. There’s a

massive crater with smoke billowing out, and tons of pieces
of the ship all over.

We start to see... movement.

From somewhere underneath all the wreckage, a big piece of

metal with huge SPIROS CORPORATION logo on it is moved away,
and an astronaut climbs out. His helmet is cracked, the suit
is in tatters...

The Astronaut climbs out, watching the destruction and then

begins a long journey on the surface.

ASTRONAUT
Descent complete.
(Looking around)
Bit rough on the landing... Let’s
see what’s left working.

A voice of a computer chimes in.

COMPUTER (V.O.)
Hello! I’m your AirMaster 3000™
Mars Surface Suit. Welcome, new
user — and congratulations on
surviving a catastrophic landing!
Current oxygen reserve: fifteen
percent. Have a great day!

The astronaut looks at a smart watch type of an appliance on

his wrist. It confirms this: Oxygen remaining: 15%”

ASTRONAUT
Fifteen percent! That can’t be
right!

COMPUTER (V.O.)
I’m afraid it is. Would you like me
to calculate your chances of
survival given your current
predicament?

ASTRONAUT
Go ahead. Let’s have the number.

COMPUTER (V.O.)
Analysis complete. Chances of
survival on an uninhabited planet
without shelter, oxygen reserves,
or an escape plan: less than zero
percent.
 4.

ASTRONAUT
Less than zero? Copy that...
unclear on the math, though.

COMPUTER (V.O.)
It means you’re already
statistically dead. Would you like
me to suggest a course of action?

ASTRONAUT
All ears.

COMPUTER (V.O.)
Find a nice place to die. I can
recommend scenic options nearby if
you’d like.

ASTRONAUT
Real helpful, pal...

The astronaut looks around. Endless desert, rock formations,

and mountains in the distance. He sighs, and starts walking.

11 EXT. MARS SURFACE - BARREN WASTELANDS - DAY 11

We see the astronaut trudging across the barren red surface —

each step slower, heavier, as if the planet itself is
dragging him down.

ASTRONAUT
(Muttering to himself)
Steady pace. We’ve trained for
this. We’ve come through worse -
Apollo 13, ISS fire, Challenger...

COMPUTER (V.O.)
Incorrect. You didn’t survive
Challenger. No one did. Would you
like me to...

ASTRONAUT
Negative. Point is, I’m a goddamn
American astronaut. I’m gonna make
it!

He glances at his Oxygen meter. 12%.

COMPUTER (V.O.)
That’s the spirit. Statistically
unfounded, but inspiring
nonetheless.
 5.

EXT. MARS SURFACE - JAGGED ROCKS

The environment now consists of jagged rocks, jutting out of

the red sand. The Astronaut stumbles and crashes on the
ground. He falls flat on his face. As he tries to get up, he
flies into a fit of rage.

ASTRONAUT
Goddamn cheap-ass suit! I can’t
even walk in it! My helmet’s
cracked, my O2 is fucked--

COMPUTER (V.O.)
Language, please. Children are
watching.

ASTRONAUT
Children... What children?

COMPUTER (V.O.)
Once they retrieve your body, all
this will go viral. Would you like
me to suggest titles for the video?
Such as: “Astronaut Loses His Shit
On Mars?” or “Guy vs. Gravity: You
Won’t Believe What Happens Next.”

ASTRONAUT
I hate you.

COMPUTER (V.O.)
Acknowledged. Logging emotional
feedback for future updates.

The astronaut gets up, laboriously, and continues his march

across the desert.

EXT. MARS - SURFACE - ROCKY FOOTHILLS

The Astronaut, now dragging himself on, stumbles finally down

on something, rolls on his back and stares into the sky.

ASTRONAUT
(Dramatically)
This is it. Nobody’s gonna remember
me. Just another casualty in
mankind’s reach for the stars...

He turns his head. Sees something in the sand, a glimmer of

sunlight on a piece of glass. Vaguely, he reaches for it...

...It’s a bottle. A Baikonur vodka bottle.

 6.

ASTRONAUT (CONT'D)
What the...?

He picks up the bottle - only to realize it’s being held by

something. A hand. His gaze moves along the arm, and reveals
it belongs to someone, dressed in a robust space suit, helmet
and all. The helmet is broken, only the empty eyes of a skull
stare back. He’s sitting on a seat in an old, modified,
rocket-powered Lada that’s half-buried in the sand.

ASTRONAUT (CONT'D)
Analysis, computer.

COMPUTER (V.O.)
It’s an old Lada, a soviet car that
was mass-produced...

ASTRONAUT
Either you’re hallucinating... Or I
am. What is it doing here?

COMPUTER (V.O.)
My records show the only car ever
sent to Mars was by a billionaire
Elon Musk, who sent his Model Y
Tesla on a trajectory to Mars...

ASTRONAUT
He really cheaped out this...

He looks at the vodka bottle in his hand. There’s still

liquid left there.

ASTRONAUT (CONT'D)
Ah well. Might as well make it a
nice one.

COMPUTER
Look at it from this angle: at
least you completed your mission.

ASTRONAUT
What mission?

COMPUTER
You found water on Mars. Well,
vodka, but close enough. Ha-ha.

The Astronaut sighs.

ASTRONAUT
Kill me now.
 7.

Then, he removes his helmet. He lifts the bottle, nodding his

head to the dead man, and takes a deep sip of the bottle. As
he drinks, his whole face starts to swell, his eyes bulging
out due to hostile exposure to the Martian atmosphere.

But then, his gaze tracks past the car... and spots what
appears to be a road leading up the crater. Next to it, is a
road sign: “New Moscow, 2km”.

Quickly, he puts his helmet back on, and stumbles up.

ASTRONAUT (CONT'D)
What the hell?

COMPUTER
It seems your blood pressure levels
are elevated. Would you like me
to...

ASTRONAUT
Just keep me alive for ten more
minutes! Ten more minutes, you hear
me!

COMPUTER
Rerouting oxygen production from
waste management. Sorry for the
smell.

Gagging and coughing, he tosses the vodka bottle, and starts

staggering onwards, along the road.

EXT. MARS - CRATER SLOPE

The astronaut is now slowly crawling up the side of a crater.

The Oxygen Meter beeps. It’s at 1%.

EXT. CRATER RIM

The astronaut reaches finally the top of the crater rim.

Exhausted, the astronaut slumps down, looking at the
relentless sun in the sky. Checks the oxygen meter on the
suit - 0% remaining. The astronaut, preparing for a dramatic
death, sighs--

But then, something catches the astronaut’s eye. Something

glimmering in the distance.

The astronaut looks... and realizes he’s staring at something

incomprehensible:
 8.

Reflected from his broken visor, we see a massive Soviet

city, covering most of the crater down below, basking under
the Martian sunlight, under a protective dome.

Raised high above the city, in the center, is a massive five-

pointed Red Star.

The astronaut stares at this impossible sight. Lights of the

city reflecting from his helmet. Then, he slowly exhales:

ASTRONAUT
My god... It’s full of Communists!

CUT TO BLACK.

INT. DEEP RED’S COMPOUND

A simple room. A man, dressed in a heavy robe with a hood

over his head, sits on a simple stone chair. In front of him,
is a stone chess board, to which a ray of red sunset hits.

Slowly, the man picks up a chess piece. His hand is a robot’s

hand, and he moves the piece.

DEEP RED (V.O.)

The end game for mankind has begun.

The DEEP RED logo burns in.

Final card:

Make your move at [Link]