THE STAGE 32 LOGLINES

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THAT-MAN AND ROB N. VS. THE HUNTER OF HUNTERS
By Lee Eide

GENRE: Thriller / Suspense, Comedy
LOGLINE: Two Batman devotees from the frozen tundra of North Dakota morph into the Precocious Pair in an attempt to rescue the remaining nine hunters (the tenth is mauled to death by a brown bear as shown on a YouTube video) abducted by a sociopathic conservationist.

SYNOPSIS:

Frozen Balls, ND, ten hunters are abducted on the first day of deer hunting season. Farley Fundingsland, a staunch believer in MAGA and devotee of Donald Trump, is among them. He's also the first victim of The Hunter of Hunters. A video posted on YouTube shows Farley trapped in a steel cage with a pissed off, hungry brown bear. Despite the prey's pleas for mercy to the unseen villain, Farley is mauled by the bear, his spine crushed and neck snapped. Video ends with The Hunter of Hunters promising to do the same to the remaining nine captives. Among those watching the video are Richard (Dick) Johnson and Robert Nyugen, best friends, roommates and dangerously obsessed with Batman. Seeing that Sheriff Withers, Deputy Zach and the FBI are clearly overwhelmed by the killer's sick, diabolical, meticulously-crafted plan and execution, Dick hatches idea of them morphing into the Batman-like duo of That-Man and Rob N. After Daisy Chain from Etsy.com hand-delivers their custom costumes, the planet's newest, ballsiest, and heartiest superhero team steps into action. That-Man recognizes graffiti in the background of the killer's YouTube video that he wrote on the wall of the Brown Hills Forest Caves just after he reached puberty: Mrs. Olson has big boobs. While Sheriff Withers and company investigate an abandoned nuclear missile site several miles outside town, the site where they think the abducted hunters are being held, That-Man and Rob N. rush to the Brown Hills Forest Caves. While Rob N. uses tough love, and hatchet, to free seven of the captive hunters, That-Man saves Sal Bronkhurst, the eighth and final hostage (a second abducted hunter was mauled to death, also shown on YouTube) by stealing the villain’s shotgun and forcing the Hunter of Hunters to open the steel cage door so the victim can escape from the brown bear. By the time Withers and his posse of FBi agents and Deputy Roberts arrive at the crime scene, The Hunter of Hunters slipped away in the chaos. That-Man saves everyone at the caves from grisly (or should it be unbearable?) deaths by shooting the rampaging brown bear. Withers thanks That-Man and Rob N. for all they’ve done but turns down their offer to help track down the perp, which That-Man has figured out is Ben N. Deforest, new owner of the Shoot to Thrill Outdoor Store. The posse led by Withers is wiped out in gruesome fashion by an array of Vietcong-like booby traps at Ben’s house. Using the Bat Sled, the two heroes take over pursuit of the villain. After a near death experience from being crushed by a fully loaded Walmart semi, That-Man and his Asian foodie sidekick catch up with Ben. The Hunter of Hunters tells That-Man he won't use the shotgun to shoot him because that would violate Batman’s credo. The new superhero laughs and says, “I’m not Batman” and then blows Ben away with one shot. He declares, “I’m That-Man “

Marcos Fizzotti

Rated this logline

Ashley Renee Smith

Rated this logline

Ashley Renee Smith

Lee Eide, this definitely has a bold and unusual voice, which could make for a standout tone if the story leans into dark comedy or satirical thriller territory. The setup is wildly original and there’s a clear clash of ideologies and a lot of room for quirky or intense action. However, the logline could use a bit more clarity and cohesion. Right now, the pacing feels rushed, and the phrase “as shown on a YouTube video” may be more effective if reworded or reframed to better reflect the tone of the piece. It’s also worth expanding slightly on the stakes or emotional core: what drives these characters beyond their Batman fandom, and what’s truly at risk if they fail?

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