Stanley Swanson - Breed of a Werewolf
ACTION ADVENTURE FOLKTALE WAR SUSPENSE/THRILLER OTHER
Contemporary,1980s & '90s
S.K. Ballinger
Logline
The gripping, action-packed story of what happens when a werewolf grants an interview to a human journalist as war breaks out among the creatures of the night. A spellbinding story with in-your-face action: Interview with the Vampire meets American Werewolf in London.
Genre
Action,Adventure,Folktale,War,Suspense/Thriller,Other
Short Summary
A war is coming between the creatures of the night. Werewolf Stanley Swanson believes it will also involve humans, and he needs to know which side they’ll take. He reaches out to retired journalist Kain, hoping that if he shares the secrets of both werewolves and vampires, the mortals will support.
Stanley faces the oldest and most powerful Drackulis, Sirtimi. They fight to the death over the broken treaty. Stanley prevails as then becomes known as a Legend. Kain Edward is presumed dead...but is he? From the shadows of Kain's house, two hand pull his empty wheelchair back into a shadow.
Setting
California, New York
Based on a True Story
No
Plot - Premise
Overcoming Monster/Villain,Quest,Rebellion Against 'The One',Tragedy
Plot - Other Elements
Coming of Age,Twist
Mature Audience Themes
Information not completed
Main Character Details
Name: Stanley Swanson
Age: 26
Gender: Male
Role: Logical
Key Traits: Badass,Aggressive,Charming,Confident,Engaging,Faithful,Heroic,Educated,Honorable,Leader,Masculine,Modest,Outspoken,Skillful,Visionary,Strong Moral Code,Sophisticated
Additional Character Details
Name: Kain Edward
Age: 54
Gender: Male
Role: Protagonist
Key Traits: Adventurous,Desperate,Educated,Insecure,Underdog,Visionary,Lone Wolf
Additional Character Details
Name: Gravakus
Age: Unknown
Gender: Male
Role: protagonist
Key Traits: Aspiring,Badass,Aggressive,Charming,Confident,Engaging,Gracious,Heroic,Villainous,Skillful,Funny,Secretive
Additional Character Details
Name: Julie Swanson
Age: 33
Gender: Female
Role: protagonist
Key Traits: Badass,Aggressive,Confident,Empathetic,Engaging,Faithful,Gracious,Sexy,Outspoken,Romantic,Secretive
Development Pitch
There isn't much not to like with having a werewolf family that live among humans, a handicapped retired journalist that seeks the truth and the powerful Drackulis and their followers 'Vampires' who will go great depths to track down a written journal that shares the secrets of both creatures of the night. In this spellbinding, character-driven story that features werewolves, vampires, and humans. Obsessed with thoughts of an imminent war involving creatures of the night, Stanley Swanson wants to know which side humans will take. The only problem is that the humans know nothing about what he knows, and to get word out about his secrets, he needs one man: retired journalist Kain. But can his plan succeed? It is not long before the vampires become aware of what he is up to and war might be coming sooner than Stanley might have thought, and his family may stand to be the heaviest hit in the duel.
Genre
ACTION, DRAMA, WAR, FANTASY
Brief
Kain is a disabled journalist who always felt that the underworld of vampires and werewolves did exist. He is contacted by Stanley, claiming to be a werewolf, and willing to sit down for an interview. Stanley wants to warn humans about the war brewing between vampires and werewolves.
Overall Rating
FAIR
Narrative Elements
Authors Writing Style: FAIR
Characterization: FAIR
Commerciality: GOOD
Franchise Potential: GOOD
Pace: FAIR
Premise: FAIR
Structure: FAIR
Theme: GOOF
Accuracy of Book Profile
Yes, the book profile accurately reflects the book.
Draw of Story
The focus on werewolves over vampires pulled me in. Most stories place werewolves as secondary characters and it was interesting to see a different perspective.
Possible Drawbacks
The dialogue is very distracting. There are many grammatical errors and unnecessary words. The dialogue can be simplified, which would also condense the story.
Use of Special Effects
THE STORY RELIES A LITTLE BIT ON SPECIAL EFFECTS
Primary Hook of Story
The hook is a werewolf reaches out to a human journalist to tell his story, and warn them about war. It is an interesting story, but it has been done before.
Fanbase Potential
This could have a large fanbase as other franchise like it do. This story deals with a classic battle between underworld creatures that is timeless.
Awards Potential
This does not have award potential. It deals with the classic but overdone stories about werewolves and vampires. This is not an original take but rather a different perspective of the conflict.
Envisioned Budget
LOW BUDGET
Similar Films/TV Series
UNDERWORLD, UNDERWORLD: RISE OF THE LYCANS, INTERVIEW WITH A VAMPIRE
What’s New About the Story
The original aspect of this story is that is from the perspective of werewolves. Many of the stories are from the vampires’ perspective. Besides that the rest of the story is very similar to other creature stories.
Lead Characters
Kain is an interesting character because he has been paralyzed and his lost his zest for life. He is lonely, but has never lost his belief in vampires and werewolves. As he is now, Stanley does not stand out beyond being a werewolf.
Uniqueness of Story
As it stands now, this is an average story. It could be improved by showing werewolves in an equal capacity to the vampires. Vampires are always written with deep history and complex culture. The world that werewolves live can be the same instead of them being former slaves to vampires. They are always scraping by and trying to survive, being outnumbered by the vampires. It would be interesting to see them being formidable opponents in strength and resources instead of just the underdog - no pun intended.
Possible Formats
Film - Indie, Film - Streaming, Film - Studio, TV Series - Streaming
Analyst Recommendation
WORK IN PROGRESS
Justification
While the story has many positive points, it has room for improvement (see possible paths below). If you can't change the story at this point, my suggestion is using your notes as a guide to highlight the best aspects of it when taking the next steps, either putting a pitch page together, a treatment, or a presentation.
Tips for Improvement
This would be a “consider” if the story is condensed and a richer world is created for the werewolves.