Embedded Files
A Sci-Fi Feature Film
"No rescue. No escape. No surrender."
Artist: TX 狗
-IN DEVELOPMENT-
Artist: Geoffroy Thoorens
- THE STORY -
- THE STORY -
The year 2609 A.D.
The year 2609 A.D.
Above a distant planet a decades-long war rages in the vacuum of space.
Above a distant planet a decades-long war rages in the vacuum of space.
When Sphinx, a hotshot mech pilot, is shot down, she and her injured co-pilot find themselves stranded in the forests of a hostile world. With no hope for rescue the only chance for survival is for Sphinx to find a way to repair the damaged mech and get them back to their forces in orbit above.
When Sphinx, a hotshot mech pilot, is shot down, she and her injured co-pilot find themselves stranded in the forests of a hostile world. With no hope for rescue the only chance for survival is for Sphinx to find a way to repair the damaged mech and get them back to their forces in orbit above.
But a weapon as powerful as a mech is not something that goes unnoticed and gangs of local scavengers are on the move to capture such a prize for themselves. One ruthless gang, led by the metal-masked leader Silverbeard, will stop at nothing to harness the mech's power for themselves and they have the people and weapons to do it.
But a weapon as powerful as a mech is not something that goes unnoticed and gangs of local scavengers are on the move to capture such a prize for themselves. One ruthless gang, led by the metal-masked leader Silverbeard, will stop at nothing to harness the mech's power for themselves and they have the people and weapons to do it.
With little time and the odds against her Sphinx finds herself in a no-win scenario until she meets a local hunter named Ry-al who just might be the unlikely ally she needs to pull off the impossible...
With little time and the odds against her Sphinx finds herself in a no-win scenario until she meets a local hunter named Ry-al who just might be the unlikely ally she needs to pull off the impossible...
- THE SOLDIER -
- THE SOLDIER -
Our hero Sphinx has only ever known war as an Alliance mech pilot. Now she finds herself cut off from her fellow soldiers & stranded on a world she doesn't know with threats in all directions.
- THE SCAVENGERS -
- THE SCAVENGERS -
The war has stripped the planet of resources & turned the inhabitants into pirates, scavengers, & warlords. Most are ruthless but one hunter just might be the only hope Sphinx has.
- THE FOREST WORLD -
- THE FOREST WORLD -
The story unfolds on a beautiful yet harsh forest world at the edge of human exploration where the war has turned the planet's inhabitants into predators of the worst kind.
- THE MECH -
- THE MECH -
The most powerful and devastating weapon in the galaxy, the 30 foot tall Gun Golem represents absolute power on the planet's surface.
Artist: Matt Olsen
- DREAM CAST -
- DREAM CAST -
- SPHINX -
- SPHINX -
Katy O'Brian
Katy O'Brian
(Love Lies Bleeding, The Mandalorian, Ant-Man & the Wasp: Quantumania)
- RY-AL -
- RY-AL -
Quannah Chasinghorse
Quannah Chasinghorse
(Reservation Dogs, International Model)
- SILVERBEARD -
- SILVERBEARD -
Benicio del Toro
Benicio del Toro
(Sicario, Guardians of the Galaxy, Traffic)
- SURGEON MOTHER -
- SURGEON MOTHER -
Morena Baccarin
Morena Baccarin
(Deadpool, Firefly, Gotham)
- KANIN -
- KANIN -
Garrett Hedlund
Garrett Hedlund
(Tron: Legacy, Tulsa King, Country Strong)
- MS FYRE -
- MS FYRE -
Billie Eilish
Billie Eilish
(Platinum selling music artist)
- PROJECT OVERVIEW -
- PROJECT OVERVIEW -
Writer + Director:
Michael Winingham
Producers:
Michael Winingham - Victoria Main - Habeeb Ali Khan
Budget:
$3mm - $6mm
Filming Location:
Minnesota, USA
Shooting Days:
25 - 40
Notes:
-Screenplay was a 2nd Rounder at the Austin Film Festival 2023 and a 2nd Rounder for the Screencraft Film Fund 2023-
-Heavy use of practical FX including construction of a full scale, 30 foot mech-
-Diverse cast & crew with large representation of women, BIPOC & LGBTQIA2S+ identifying members-
-Will be working & consulting with Indigenous tribes & peoples in Minnesota-
Concept Poster (credit: MegglesArt)
- FILM COMPS -
- FILM COMPS -
Monsters (2010)
Monsters (2010)
BUDGET:
$706k*
GROSS:
$7.2mm*
ROTTEN TOMATOES:
74%
First-Time Director Gareth Edwards
Science Fiction
Original IP/Non-sequel
Produced one sequel
*adjusted for inflation
Mad Max (1979)
Mad Max (1979)
BUDGET:
$1.7mm*
GROSS:
$37.3mm*
ROTTEN TOMATOES:
89%
First-Time Director George Miller
Science Fiction
Original IP/Non-sequel
Launched a 5 film franchise
*adjusted for inflation
Upgrade (2018)
Upgrade (2018)
BUDGET:
$6.1mm*
GROSS:
$20.8mm*
ROTTEN TOMATOES:
88%
Second-time director Leigh Whannell
Science Fiction
Original IP/Non-sequel
Sequel TV series in development
*adjusted for inflation
- THE IDEA -
- WHAT MAKES GUN GOLEM SPECIAL? -
- WHAT MAKES GUN GOLEM SPECIAL? -
Artist: Hardy Fowler
Gun Golem is a science fiction film that uses well-crafted characters to tell an exciting and universal tale of survival, friendship, and giant robots. There are heroes to root for, villains you love to hate, and stunning visuals that will blow audiences away.
People love Science Fiction and humans have flocked to the genre for over 200 years! It started with Mary Shelley's Frankenstein in 1818 and continues its popularity to this day with Star Wars, Avatar, Mad Max, and it can even be seen in much of the Superhero Genre.
The audience is there, the market is there, and the data is there...
Sci-Fi film is a huge global market!
$8.251+ billion - 2022 + 2023 sci-fi genre combined Worldwide Film Gross
3 of the 5 highest grossing films of all-time are Sci-Fi (Avatar, Avatar: The Way of Water, Star Wars: The Force Awakens)
The Biggest Franchises: Planet of the Apes, Star Trek, Star Wars, Alien, Mad Max, The Terminator, Tron, Back to the Future, Predator, Robocop, Jurassic Park, Men in Black, The Matrix, Pitch Black, Transformers, Avatar, Pacific Rim, Dune, and more!
$976+ million - 2022 Gundam (mech franchise) annual revenue
The Rise of Indigenous Stories!
Lilly Gladstone - First indigenous Best Actor Golden Globe win for her work in "Killers of the Flower Moon".
True Detective: Night Country - 92% on Rotten Tomatoes. Set in Alaska and utilizing indigenous characters & culture.
The Woman King - 94% on Rotten Tomatoes. Powerful story about fierce female warriors led by an African-American cast.
Marvel's Echo - Celebrated for its authentic use of Choctaw characters, culture, and language including a Choctaw language dub.
Prey - 94% on Rotten Tomatoes. Praised for its cultural inclusion. A sequel is in active development.
Dark Winds - 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. Set on an indigenous reservation with majority indigenous cast.
Reservation Dogs - 99% on Rotten Tomatoes. Nearly total indigenous cast.
Characters that make a mark!
Gun Golem is filled with new and memorable heroes and villains that will have people talking...
Badass Women: The film follows a pair of protagonists in our stranded mech-pilot Sphinx and her reluctant ally, the indigenous hunter, Ry-al. Both women are survivors who have honed their skills by way of adversity and drive who unexpectedly discover a partnership they never knew was possible.
But though our heroes Sphinx and Ry-al are two women who can take on the world and then some they are not the only notable women in Gun Golem. The villainous scavenger gang's matriarch Surgeon Mother and the gang leader's heir apparent Ms Fyre are both women who know their worth and forge their own destinies.
An Indigenous Hero: Ry-al's story is a tragic one based on the horrific reality which is the indigenous peoples' experiences all around the world. She is a child of her ancestors, her culture, and, though she has known unimaginable suffering, has retained her mindfulness and humanity.
Ry-al is a character who stands as an example to the power of empathy, love, and embracing one's connection to the natural world and each other.
A villain with purpose: The film's main antagonists are a scavenger gang led by the ruthless, metal-masked Silverbeard. Silverbeard has has one goal; to become the most powerful entity on the planet so that he and his "family" will never suffer again. Though his desire may be relatable his tactics and brutality are a testament to how warped his obsession has made him.
Now, for the first time, Silverbeard has the key to his salvation within reach. Securing the Gun Golem, an unequaled tool of war on the planet, would allow him to finally take any and everything he wants with no one able to stop him.
Storyboards: Opening Sequence
Storyboards: Opening Sequence
- BUDGET OVERVIEW -
- BUDGET OVERVIEW -
Total Budget: $3,684,320
Above the Line
Above the Line
Screenplay: $17,750
Producers: $544,400
Director: $57,400
Development: $2,500
Total: $622,050
Production
Production
Cast: $639,624
Production Staff: $147,750
Set (Design + Construction): $277,690
Hair + Makeup: $153,412.50
Camera + Electrical: $197,883
Production Sound: $24,399
Production Office: $115,470
Equipment: $218,300
Transportation: $101,801.50
Travel + Living: $180,000
Fringe Benefits: $80,000
Total: $2,136,270
Post-Production
Post-Production
Editing: $639,624
Sound (Edit + Mix): $147,750
VFX: $277,690
Music: $55,000
General Expenses: $361,000
Total: $826,000
Other
Other
Contingency: $100,000
Total: $100,000
Total Budget
Total Budget
$3,684,320
-Full line budget available at request-
- FILM INCENTIVES -
- FILM INCENTIVES -
Minnesota Loves Film
Minnesota Loves Film
Minnesota is home to a number of statewide and regional film incentives. These include cash rebates as well as tax rebates. These rebates are cumulative and stackable. Gun Golem is prepared to utilize as many of these incentives as possible.
Production will take place in the Duluth and North Shore areas (including St Louis County, Iron Range, & City of Duluth) which gives the film a powerful overlap of incentives.
Our experienced Minnesota based Line Producer has put together a detailed "Incentive Projection" which estimates total rebates of $1,379,558.
- LOCATIONS -
- LOCATIONS -
Gun Golem will be shot entirely in Minnesota, USA. The wonderful state of Minnesota is filled with beautiful and varied outdoor locations of which the film will take full advantage of. Michael Winingham wrote the screenplay while living in Minnesota and incorporated many real locations into the fabric of the epic story. The film will primarily be shot in the Duluth and North Shore areas of Minnesota where some of the most amazing locations in the state are located.
Storyboard
DWP Railroad Tunnel - Duluth, Minnesota
DWP Railroad Tunnel - Duluth, Minnesota
Palisade Head, MN
Chester Creek, Duluth, MN
White River State Park, MN
Superior National Forest, MN
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse