The Logline

I’ve mentioned it before, I am a multi-project girlie and after almost four years of creativity, multiple works are coming to a head. So, meet the next project to reach its finale!

For fans of I, Robot and The Matrix, I present, HERCULES.

Matilda Davis lives with a rebel faction who ran from the cities as they adopted the technology provided by Dr. Forge, the creator of the AI, HERCULES. While destroying HERCULES data centers in the wake of HERCULES murdering its creators, she is confronted by Jaxson Hayes, one of the only surviving employees of HERCULES. As Jaxson attempts to hold Matilda prisoner and bring her back to the city, the two end up running into estranged HERCULES supporters and rebel factions that all seem to have hating Matilda in common.

A little darker than my typical fare, HERCULES is a commentary on the forced integration of AI and a dystopian exploration of an extreme example of what happens in a society that is lured by the glamour of innovation without considering the consequences. Nothing in the world is original, so certainly this is no revolutionary statement, but beyond exploring AI takeover, I also explore extremist supporting of innovation and extremist rejection of innovation. I explore the consequences of being led by fear and the consequences of surrendering independence and agency for convenience. Most importantly, I focus on the fact that AI will never be in control, it will only be fulfilling the will of whoever inputs the code.

Aside from the obvious messages about personal responsibility, independent research and thought, and consequences of mob-mentality in the majority, I also explore the theme of domestic abuse and the best and the worst of human nature. Failure to prevent a friend from falling for a domestic abuser in a near-apocalyptic survival scenario is one of the significant factors influencing Matilda’s extremely cheerful demeanor and borderline self-punishing sacrificial behavior. Seeing how some parts humanity takes advantage of fear-inducing scenarios to take advantage of others is one of her greatest motivators to eliminate HERCULES at any cost to herself. Meanwhile, Jaxson holds a misguided belief that because humanity is prone to eating each other alive out of selfishness, HERCULES’ attempt to fulfill the objective of “creating a perfect society for humans” is infallible because an algorithm cannot be biased by emotion or selfishness. Finally leaving his bubble is what forces him to see that algorithmic, statistical perfection is void of human moral limitations.

The most interesting thing about this script is it is a future submission for the Sundance Screenwriting Lab in Utah I will submit post-grad for the 2027 session. Obviously, I wanted to come in with a moral and emotional bang, not to say my other stories are morally shallow. This one I feel communicates very important messages in the context of the struggles of our current world.

Come find me on Instagram or X/Twitter at em.thelogline to stay up to date on my screenwriting journey. Look for the sunset logo. Thanks for reading!

– Eve