CON
TENTS
VOGuE
15 THE DUDES 17 THE “SMHs” 4 INTRODUCTION 7 THE WALL:
WHAT HAPPENS AFTER 40?
8-9 STORY 11 TONE AND STYLE 12 THE CHICKS
19 THE WILDCARD... 21
ROMANTIC COMEDY
22-23 24
STRUCTURE AND EPISODES
FRANCHISE POTENTIAL
INTRODUCTION Let’s discover what love is together... The Wall is a 30 min sweeping, dramatic rom-comedy. Set in New York and considered an ANTI-Sex in the City/Swingers with 40-year-old
women: a multi-cultural John Hughes TV show for grown-ups. We explore the crossroads of romance and real love for women and men, 40 plus. This show is about stomping a stiletto on the decades of film and TV romances we will never have, the joy of finding freedom in our actual selves, the shopping, restaurants, fun, and friendships of Carrie Bradshaw and the girls…on a mean budget; like no money. The type of love triangle between “Mr. Big”, Adain, and Carrie but spread over an entire series. This is Sex and the City without the sex, but trying hard as heck to have it. AND focusing now on the men’s POV as well. Heart-felt, loud, displaying the depth of humans in their love/hate relationship with the institution of marriage, The Wall is a goodbye letter to false ideals and expectations of women, men, and love. The Wall is the child of Sofia Coppola and Jon Favreau raised by Cameron Crowe –our hopes and fears about love alive and explored.
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VOGUE 5
THE WALL: WHAT HAPPENS AFTER 40?
There’s a theory in the socio-sexual community called The Wall, which is once a woman reaches 40, she’s hit an invisible socio-sexual barrier and is no longer desirable for marriage despite her life experience, success, and emotional maturity. We do see evidence of this in our modern-day society where more and more women past a certain age find it frighteningly difficult to find “the one”. Huffington and The Cut both have done multiple pieces proving this subject isn’t some sweeping generalization. The “you can have it all” idea needs some tweaking. And it’s time for a new option. So, is it possible for the 40+ year-old woman to find a quality lifelong partner in a world that idolizes youth and superwoman expectations? That’s what we address in the The Wall. The anti-Sex in the City, a dramedy that analyzes and answers how a woman finds and attracts real love after her so-called “prime”. It’s a show that will inspire authentic discussions about the realities of love, marriage, and our culture.
The Wall is a tongue-in-cheek, humorous “how to” if you will, for generations of
women; and men for that matter, watch together and learn what “real” love is.
*This show is based on decades of investigative research on dating, love, marriage and years of counseling single and divorced women and men of all backgrounds. VOGUE 7
STORY We begin with best-selling sex and lifestyle author KARA KLEIN’S 40th birthday. Kara’s life once filled with promise, shoes and men, now has to be forced to drag herself out of bed to celebrate. On this night her best friend and unrequited love, LACHLAN tells Kara about The Wall. That if a woman hasn’t found love and marriage by 40, IT AIN’T GONNA HAPPEN…EVER. Shortly after rebuffing Lachlan’s theory, Kara soon finds The Wall to be strikingly true, also Kara’s once loyal fans are catching on that they have waited too long for “Mr. Perfect” and are now on the verge of never meeting “the one”. Or Anyone… Kara goes to work: renounces her own books, theories and rules she lived and died by and will about-face with a new plan: A marriage school that will teach women how to get hitched. She will be the President and Client and use KENYA and BETH as control experiments (they were the only ones willing to pay for the class). But Kara and the girls quickly realize… They have no idea what to do and no one does. So Kara will write a new book, a magnum opus on how to find real love and get married and have a kid after 40. But she has no advance, no publisher. Oh yeah, and she’s dead broke.
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Over the course of the series, repair, healing and mending of all the wounds that Disney, Hallmark, sweeping romantic movies, and books have caused will take place with bittersweet joy of love in the real world. Dating theories and motherly advice will be questioned and debunked; new theories and paradigms will be tried. The history of courtship, marriage, and dating will be uncovered. Life-like romantic scenarios will happen, “oh no” and “I’ve done that” moments will occur, an entire NeoFeminism and Neo-Masculinity movement will be suggested. All to answer the question: Can we find real love anymore…. For the remaining women on the planet to be saved, our heroines will have to change their old ways, and Kara will have to trust a misunderstood HIGHER POWER who knows everything about love. A gap between the old and the new, right and wrong, and the kinda grey areas of life and love will be bridged as our women and men will face the abyss of “I don’t know what comes next”, and just maybe find that special someone all in the name of love.
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TONE AND STYLE The Wall will look like a movie. The framing will be bold with massively wide shots
and hyper personal close ups. It will look like a big city musical that will never happen. Cinematography romantically lit even at Walmart. Textures palpable, skin touchable. Constantly a “realistic” homage to Sex in the City, we will be slapped in the face with we aren’t Carrie and the girls, BUT we can be ourselves. This is shoes in storage units, finding bargain high fashion, flying to Paris on coach and only able to afford McDonald’s and wine while there. Scrounging and mooching off rich friends. This show also is where White, Black, Asian, Latin and all cultures meet and meld: shared slang, cultural education and jokes. This is Sofia Coppola and Darren Star hanging out at a Black nightclub. This is Tiffany Haddish, Busy Philipps crying together at Arby’s over Olivia Munn’s breakup with her short-term boyfriend and hitting on 19-year-olds to make themselves feel better. The soundtrack will be bananas: all 90’s with modern-day R&B, alternative rock, Madonna, Mariah, TLC, mixed in with modern worship music, and classic gospel: Mahalia Jackson, Lauren Daigle. Music you can sing along to and remember when and music that you can have a good sniffle to as well. Featuring original music from 90’s acts and current stylings too.
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THE CHICKS KARA KLEIN just turned forty. (Madonna, Mariah, N.W.A.) Single as a dollar bill.
Thug fashionista. Loud and lovable. Materialistic as heck. You DO NOT want her to babysit, ever. The friend you want to break up with but keep telling all your secrets to. You will have to strangle her to admit she’s wrong. Nothing terrible she does will make you stop loving her. During the series she will become your best friend even while you are shaking your head. We will watch her grow up, even at forty. She will learn what love and caring for others really is, and through her so will we.
KENYA MARROW approaching forty. (Prince, Mary J Blige, Elton John) She
doesn’t want to hit “the wall”. Wise but cannot follow her own advice. If she didn’t have two kids she’d probably be married. Loyal to a fault. Cannot believe she’s beautiful no matter how many times you tell her. Will go back to her terrible baby daddy in a heartbeat. We will see Kenya deny and shed African-American female stereotypes that have been pounded into our psyche and emerge into a queen.
BETH LOPEZ past forty. (Green Day, No Doubt, Marc Anthony) Pretends not to
care about love and marriage. Nothing but painful, hurtful accurate truth comes out of her mouth. Just don’t tell her the truth about herself. She’s a Rock and Roll, Punk Rock Latina. Really needs a makeover. In Beth we will uncover the pains women can hide so well as we peel back layer after painful layer that has happened in her
life, but can she accept love? She will test the girls’ friendship as some wounds don’t want to heal.
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THE DUDES LACHLAN ALLEN forty, (Aerosmith, Prince, D’Angelo) a real-life rock star,
you’ve heard a few of his songs. He is burdened by his rocker persona and if he will ever find that something or some “one” missing in his life. The weight of aging isn’t above men either. He loves Kara with all his heart but somehow keeps her inescapably in the friend zone. Over the course of the series, he will have to face real manhood, mortality, and if Kara really is the one for him before it’s too late.
ROB WARREN early forties, (Pat Benatar, Al Green, Lauren Daigle) low key, the
hottest man in New York, straight-up biker, tats, all man… But he’s a Pastor. Yep, a full-on celibate, Bible loving man of God but won’t force it on you. He is an expert “Shadchan”, Hebrew term for matchmaker. He has over 100 successful matches under his belt… but none for him. Kara comes to him for advice for her book and herself. Rob is hiding something, a dark side and it has to do with why he isn’t married. He struggles with his attraction toward Kara who is the polar opposite of him. He will have to come to terms if Kara is a perfectly imperfect match.
CORY ROWE approaching forty, (2Pac, 90’s Jay Z, Chaka Khan) a low down, no good, dog, but charming as heck… and Kenya children’s father. We won’t see Cory a lot but he will have to man up, grow up and step up if he truly wants Kenya and the kids to be a family, and that’s a big “IF”.
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THE “SMHs” DARIA (Taylor Swift, Lil Baby, Moody Blues), Twenties. The hottest 20 something
alive. Lachlan’s girlfriend and Kara’s rival. Kara used to babysit Daria, now Daria wants to show Kara all the tricks she’s learned. Funny enough this rivalry may become heartfelt even as they struggle to win Lachlan.
MOM (Billy Joel, Patti La Belle, Barbara Streisand), Nearing Seventy, still attractive,
an emotionally absentee mom. Kara will beg for her mother’s support and help but comes up short. Their dynamic will prove burdensome but Kara won’t give up until she gets her mother’s love.
BERTRAND HOLLOWAY (Stevie Nicks, Lady Gaga, Chris Brown) Early sixties,
“The Boss”, Anna Wintour on steroids. She is the Billionaire Media Mogul that Kara idolizes. When Kara turns down a job to run a magazine for her, Bertrand pops in from time to time to make sure Kara is reminded what a bad mistake that was. Bertrand represents feminism now: adaptable, strong, ready to take equal and possibly greater position among men. Kara will fight for her ideals but still be very tempted to come over to Bertrand’s way. And maybe she will.
ANGELA (Sleigh Bells, Too Short, Celine Dion) Forty, She is Kara’s best friend and
voice of reason. And the reason is “don’t get married”. She is married with a kid living the American Nightmare; she lives vicariously through Kara and doesn’t want Kara joining the diaper changing and breastfeeding moms’ nights. Being a wife and mom isn’t at all what it’s cracked up to be…. Or is it?
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THE WILDCARD… GOD. Yep. Love cannot be defined apart from God. The ancient Greeks and
Romans called it Eros, the Hebrew Song of Songs called it Ahaba; we simply call it love. The tingle, the heart palpations, the burning flame of romantic passion BUT it’s all missing one ingredient AGAPE: unconditional love, love without pretense. Agape makes all other areas of love work. Kara will learn and hopefully find this is what she’s always needed to give and receive.
The great 17th century French courtesan Ninon De Lincois showed what we in modern times consider dating was in her time called affairs and romances meaning they were never meant to last. That the people you marry was an entirely different ballgame than the people you date. Yet we often incorrectly use the institution of dating to determine whom we are going to marry.
God will be the Father figure Kara never had; there won’t be any quirkiness or big booming voice but instead: signs, very coincidental circumstances, a nudge here or there, and pain to get Kara to see it’s all about love, real love.
Controversy is needed to make art stand out. Instead of following the tropes and overused controversy of hypersexuality and increasing vulgarity this series will be ahead of the curve by turning around going the opposite way and asking if good is actually good…and it may not be. Should the nuclear housewife be revisited with a few tweaks? Or in this day and age, should a woman take the initiative and lead in a relationship? What if a woman actually waited until marriage for sex, or is love a numbers game? Is marriage outdated? And what is manhood now? Not to beat people over the head or preach at all, but sort through the chaos, offer real conversations, seek out real solutions to real problems we face. VOGUE 19
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ROMANTIC COMEDY In these days and times, we all need a good laugh and a good love. The Wall will definitely provide both. As we laugh at why life and love are so hard and cry at why pain and defeat come so easy, the drama and comedy of life will be on full display.
The show will feature what romantic comedies often miss: realism. This is no Hallmark bundle up with your blanket show nor is it a show where the characters are having amazing sex and carving out a piece of the world for themselves each episode. The Wall will focus on the joy and pain of reality and that all people from the highest to the lowest experience it and deal with it differently.
The characteristics of real love, post-divorce, extended and unwanted singleness, depression, pee your pants laughter with friends, and enjoying the simplicities of life will be touched on as these characters hopefully find someone to spend their life with.
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STRUCTURE A
The structure of The Wall will take us thro until the day she achieves her dream of ma deep and filled with angst, some a day in
HOME DEPOT Kara meets Pastor Rob for the first time at his church and reluctantly makes a celibacy pack with the teenage girls’ purity group. Soon after Kara meets a hot Australian doctor whom she wants to take to Home Depot: to nail, screw and hammer. Will she be able to keep her vow to the girls and for how long?
FRIENDS Kara dead broke has to hang out with her wealthy married friend, Amber in hopes of securing a personal loan. But Amber wants Kara to relive their coke-filled, obnoxiously rude, sex-charged glory days before they talk money
HALLMARK IS THE DEVIL Kara and the girls take a trip to Maine to try to conjure up a Hallmark- type romance with the men at a ski resort using all the Hallmark tropes. It doesn’t go well…
NO MAN LEFT BEHIND A popular theory is most people have already met the person they are going to or should marry by the time they are 35. Kara and the girls hunt down their remaining unwed exes to see if any of them could still be the one. 22 VOGUE
AND EPISODES
ough a woman from the day of turning 40 arriage and a kid… or not. Episodes will be n a life and some just flat out for laughs.
ALPHA AND THE BEE Lachlan learns in every friendship circle there is an Alpha male and a Queen Bee. Now insecure about his own standing, Lachlan hangs out with his guy friends to take the position of Alpha male.
PEACE TREAT Y The girls have to make peace with their past baggage that may hinder them from finding love. Kenya has to make peace with her black male friends about dating outside their race and Beth runs around the city chasing down the woman who stole her husband who doesn’t want to make peace with her
SETTLE Angela sets up Kara with an absolutely perfect guy, but Kara’s not attracted to him. Can, should Kara find love with a man she’s not totally into? Later episodes deal with love triangles, to freeze eggs or not, the process of having kids after 40, Kara struggling to make ends meet while working on her book, and dating experiences.
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FRANCHISE POTENTIAL The Wall can be an 8 episode one-off series that happens over great gaps of time or as
a 5 season franchise. Either way, we’ll see if Kara finds love, gets married, and goes through the process of having kids. We will learn the fates of Kenya and Beth. We will follow who won Kara: Lachlan or Rob, or neither. The goal is to create a new franchise with its own loyal band of followers.
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Contributors
MARLON CHAPMAN – Writer and producer for 10 years under Method Man’s production banner SGP and a 2020 Final Draft screenplay contest quarter-finalist. Marlon’s current project Fangs is apart of the “Shady Tales” scripted podcast and
interview series produced by horror channel CRYPT TV backed by Jason Blum of
Blumhouse. The Shady Tales and Fangs podcast will be released in 2021 and features actor/comedian Marlon Wayans attached in its celebrity interview portion.
Marlon did ministry counseling for single men and women of all ages and backgrounds in Las Vegas. mchap006@gmail.com - 310-926-9526
Other Contributors
Marlon will have friends and colleagues from the worlds of entertainment, music professional athletics, and business to contribute story ideas. The Graduate © Embassy Pictures Jerry Maguire © Tri Star
Pretty Woman © Buena Vista Pictures Bridesmaids © Universal Pictures La La Land © Lionsgate How Stella Got Her Groove Back © 20th Century Fox Grease © Paramount Pictures Lost In Translation © Focus Features 500 Days of Summer © Fox Searchlight Sex in the City © WB Domestic/ HBO Enterprises Philadelphia Story © MGM Beginners © Focus Features Swingers © Miramax Tiffany & Co. LVMH Vogue Magazine Conde Nast
VOGUE 25
Put a ring on it. Cause she’s not some car that you are leasing and riding around in and showing to your friends and then trading in for a newer model when you’re done. I mean like what are you so afraid of, people get married every day. Is commitment that scary? You’re a real man right? So be a grown up, man up, and say how you really feel and stop making everything so vague and cryptic unless you’re actually trying to play games. Cause her friends are starting to think so; not like you’re the main topic of conversation or anything. Text her tonight. Actually text her right now, just say hi. Tiffany & Co.
