"FREE GUY" (2021)

FREE GUY

Written by

Matt Lieberman

A BONA FIDE SQUARE-JAWED ACTION STAR -- Cool haircut. Cooler sunglasses. Leather jacket. -- runs down a city street with a sly smirk and a briefcase stuffed with money.

He slides across the hood into a MUSCLE CAR and speeds off.

A COP chases after him, a BEAUTIFUL WOMAN swoons.

We RACK FOCUS behind the swooning woman to settle on --

-- A RANDOM BYSTANDER walking through the background.This is GUY (30’s). Well-kept. Blue button-up shirt. Clean cut. Just an average, nothing spectacular kind of guy.

A Northern metropolis hums with life -- a small cluster of skyscrapers, old and new, surrounded by urban sprawl. Bridges extend over rivers that stream out to a busy harbor. Highways are jammed with rush hour traffic.

There’s a big city park with a small zoo and a sizable lake. A theater district with a flashy city square. Elevated trains and subway stations. Doormen stand outside million dollar condos and bodegas sell lottery scratchers.

An ALARM CLOCK goes off. Guy wakes up. Goes through his well-worn routine. Showers. Brushes his teeth.

Makes a muscle in the mirror - tries to make it look bigger. Stares at the two suits and three blue oxfords in his closet.

Guy exercises along with A CHEESY WORKOUT WEB VIDEO on his laptop to a DUMB POP SONG. Going through the motions.

Guy eats a bowl of cereal. Plays a dumb game on his phone.

Guy stands in line for coffee. The BARISTA is ready for him.

Guy smiles, trying to mask the shame of predictability.

Guy window shops. Admires a RED SPORTS CAR in a showroom. Gawks at COOL SNEAKERS on sale for “$200” at “SOONAMI SHOES.”

Guy checks the ATM Machine. His balance is “$197.03”.

Guy walks to work in a CROWD OF COMMUTERS with his best friend, BUDDY -- sweet, oafy and nervous. Always distracted.

Buddy thinks about it.

They watch a STREET KID breakdancing on the sidewalk for tips. A GIRL RIDES BY on a cool skateboard.

BLAM-BLAM! GUN SHOTS. They whip around to see a THIEF tear out of a CONVENIENCE STORE.

The criminal pulls AN OLD LADY out of her car and drives off. Throws a 40oz out the window. It explodes at Guy’s feet.

He looks up at an “FCPD” CHOPPER backlit by the SUN.

Buddy points to the newspaper headline on the STAND: “POLICE IN POCKET OF CRIMINALS.”

Guy waits for the punchline.

LONG PAUSE. Buddy clearly has no details beyond that.

Guy concedes and follows Buddy into work.

Guy works as a bank teller. Cranks through the routine of stamping the deposit slip.

He helps a slick DOUCHEBAG make a transaction. A BEAUTY hanging on his shoulder. Guy sees on his receipt that the Douche has hundreds of thousands of dollars in his account.

She bites his ear, playful. Guy watches, jealous.

Guy passes him a WAD OF CASH and receipt through the window. Buddy works at the next station over.

Buddy looks at his friend, annoyed.

BLAM! BLAM!

A BANK ROBBER wearing COOL SUNGLASSES and a leather jacket fires a shotgun into the ceiling. The OLD SECURITY GUARD lays down like a submissive puppy.

Guy and Buddy SIGH, roll their eyes, and get down on the ground.

BEHIND THE COUNTER

The Robber leads the MANAGER around with a shotgun in her back as he empties the cash drawers.

Guy and Buddy lay on the ground.

The Robber steps on Buddy’s head and clears out his drawer.

CRACK! Buddy hits a grounder. Gets to first. They’re playing in a local softball league with a bunch of out-of- shape, NORMAL DUDES.

Guy is up to bat. He’s playing for the “SOONAMI CORP BLUES”. Looks at the score. Top of the ninth. Two outs. The Blues are down a point to The Reds.

WHIFF! Strike one. Guy tries to loosen up.

While Guy psyches himself up, he notices:

A MYSTERIOUS GIRL WATCHING HIM.

She wears a tank top with a MOLOTOV COCKTAIL graphic. Leather pants. Badass boots. Sunglasses. Stands out in a crowd.

He’s transfixed. Seems like she’s looking right at him and --

-- STRIKE TWO! Guy collects himself, embarrassed. This is it. His team watches on from the dugout, nervous.

The pitcher throws a fast ball.

CRACK! Guy blasts it out over center field. Home run! Guy can’t believe it. Starts to run the bases.

MOLOTOV GIRL seems impressed. Guy pumps his fist.

WHONK! The ball hits a flagpole and bounces back into the OUTFIELDER’s glove.

The team can’t believe it. A crushing defeat. He looks and --

-- Molotov Girl is gone.

Guy sits at the bar with the team, nursing their wounds.

He eyes the BEAUTY from the bank in a booth. Her DOUCHEBAG BOYFRIEND parks his EXPENSIVE SPORTS CAR outside and sits down next to her. Buys everyone drinks.

Guy sighs. He’ll never get a girl like that. Frustrated.

A CRAZED HOMELESS MAN walks into the bar. Everyone rolls their eyes -- this happens all the time. We’ll call himMAC.

The Bartender yells at him from behind the bar.

Guy finds a dollar in his pocket for Mac.

Guy walks Mac out of the bar and gives him the money.

When Guy notices:

MOLOTOV GIRL --

-- walking down the other side of the street. Guy thinks about it for a second. Looks back at his friends having drinks. Tries to build the nerve. What’s he gonna do?

She’s just about to disappear down A SUBWAY STATION and Guy thinks better of it. Turns back to the bar.

But Mac has seen the whole thing. Stares at Guy through a pair of BROKEN SUNGLASSES, as if casting a spell.

And with that, MAC SHOVES GUY into the street.

HONNNNNK! A truck slams on the brakes to avoid hitting him.

Guy scurries to the other side of the street just missing the truck and tumbles backwards DOWN THE SUBWAY STAIRS.

Buddy comes to the door, looking for him. Mac slips away.

BASH! ANOTHER CAR slams into the back of the stopped truck.

The motorcycle behind it veers to avoid the accident and SMACKS into a POWER CONVERTER which SPARKS WITH ELECTRICITY.

ALL POWER on the block shuts down. The patrons of Timmy’s sit in the darkness, puzzled.

Guy rubs his head, woozy, and realizes he’s on the wrong side of the turnstile. He could just hop it, but Guy looks up at THE SECURITY CAMERAS and thinks better of it.

The EXIT is all the way on the other side of the station.

He heads for the exit when he walks past MOLOTOV GIRL, waiting for a TRAIN pulling into the station. Guy struggles to build the nerve to talk to her. Slows to a stop.

The DOOR WARNING CHIMES and Molotov hops on the SUBWAY CAR.

Guy makes a quick decision. Runs through the closing doors only to realize:

THE INSIDE OF THE TRAIN CAR IS A VOID. Total nothingness.

Guy shirks back and THE DOORS SHUT ON HIM. Now he’s trapped half in, half out of the train.

He pounds on the side of the door as the train pulls out of the station. Looking into the train through the outside window, it seems normal inside.

He uses all of his strength to push the door open when --

-- HIS HAND PASSESTHROUGH THE METAL.

Like it’s fused intothe door. Now the DOOR AND HIS ARM VIBRATE AND TWITCH, almost like they’re GLITCHING OUT.

And the side of his body hanging out of the train is heading STRAIGHT FOR A COLUMN. He’ll be crushed in seconds.

He pushes as hard as he can and at the last second --

-- TUMBLES OUT OF THE TRAIN.

Rolls across the platform and slams against the column that almost killed him.

His arm TWITCHES and VIBRATES with electricity for a second until everything goes back to normal. Everything is quiet.

Guy lies there and catches his breath, rattled but relieved.

Guy wakes up. Morning routine. But can’t shake last night’s events out of his mind. He examines a BUMP ON HIS HEAD from falling down the subway stairs.

Guy does exercises in front of the computer.

Eats breakfast. Stares at the cereal floating in his spoon. Pokes at one as if something would happen.

Gets his coffee. They have his order waiting for him.

The Barista freezes as if this were the craziest thing that’s ever been suggested.

Guy feels bad.

She’s relieved. He pays and takes his coffee.

Guy walks to work with Buddy.

Buddy charges ahead. Guy relents.

Guy is at his station, a little distracted.

And just like last time, everyone just lays down.

The Bank Robber brushes past Guy right to Buddy. Buddy looks at the ground, shaking like a leaf.

THUMP! The Bank Robber knocks Buddy off his chair and starts beating him up. Guy runs to his aid.

The Robber points the shotgun. Guy holds up A BAG OF MONEY.

POLICE SIRENS sound outside.

The Robber thinks better of it and grabs the bag. Kicks an already limp Buddy hard in the stomach and leaves.

Buddy doesn’t get up. He’s hurt. Guy tends to his friend.

Buddy is wheeled into the emergency room on a gurney.

They roll him into an emergency room and Guy is left behind.

Guy paces in front of the hospital, really worried.

Looks around at everyone - just going about their routines. Angry that his friend is hurt and they don’t even care.

And that’s when, out of the corner of his eye, he sees --

-- THE BANK ROBBER. Walking down the street. Guy blanches like he’s just seen a ghost.

He’s in shock. Looks around for help.

The Bank Robber doesn’t notice. Guy fills with resolve.

The Bank Robber shoulders a PEDESTRIAN and sends her running. Pump fakes AN OLD MAN. This is a bad dude.

Guy cuts him off at the pass. Puts a hand up.

BLAP! The Robber pops him in the face with a quick jab.Guy drops like a sack of potatoes and The Robber takes off.

Guy shakes off the punch, woozy, and gets to his feet.

Nobody listens. Guy takes off after him. People look at him like he’s got twelve heads.

PEDESTRIAN #2 Just let him go.

PEDESTRIAN #3 Don’t be a hero!

Guy’s too slow. He’s breathing heavy. He watches as The Robber jumps down some stairs to a lower walkway.

This is Guy’s chance. If he wants to get ballsy.

Guy veers off the trail, through the park and LEAPS OFF A TWENTY FOOT WALL.

Landing on the robber but hitting the ground awkward.

THE ROBBER’S COOL SUNGLASSES FLY OFF.

The Robber is disoriented. Guy grabs him by the collar.

THWAP! The robber cracks Guy across the jaw. WHACK! WHACK! THUD! He thumps him with a few sloppy punches and runs off, disoriented and confused.

Everything happens quickly, but to us it almost looks like The Robber disappearsbehind the trees. Guy yells after him.

He rights himself. His eye is raw and banged up. Cut upper lip. But he notices:

THE ROBBER’S SUNGLASSES.

Guy picks them up. Gets his bearings. The Robber is gone. PEDESTRIANS walk past as if nothing happened.

Guy rides the bus home. Nurses his wounds. The other PASSENGERS don’t seem to care.

Guy fidgets with the sunglasses. Sun cuts through the window and shines in his eyes. Without giving it too much thought he puts the sunglasses on and:

FROM GUY’S POV:

HE CAN SEE FULL LED READOUTS ON THE LENSES.

UPPER LEFT CORNER: Has a “HEALTH STATUS” bar that’s dwindling in the mid-yellow range.

UPPER RIGHT CORNER: Has a picture of a FIST. $197.03 in cash with a green status bar next to it. And a timer.

LOWER RIGHT CORNER has a GPS MAP of the ten block radius around his location.

OBJECTIVE POV:

Guy reacts. Rips off the glasses, shocked.

He looks around to see if anyone noticed. Pockets the glasses. Feels guilty for some reason. Nobody cares.

Settles into the idea and takes the sunglasses back out. From all appearances, they just look like normal sunglasses.

He puts them back on and looks around.

Besides the readouts, there’s nothing exceptional about them until he glances DOWN THE AISLE and notices:

A FIRST AID KIT --

-- floating two feet off the ground at the back of the bus. Slowly spinning. A small spotlight on it.

Guy reacts. Looks around. Is this some kind of joke? What should he do?

He casually stands up and makes his way towards the kit. Looks at a BUSINESSMAN sitting next to it, oblivious.

Guy points to what looks like nothing. The Businessman looks at him like he’s crazy and Guy smiles it off, embarrassed.

Guy takes off the sunglasses and the kit isn’t there.Puts them back on and there it is, clear as day.

He takes a breath and builds some nerve. Reaches out and touches the first aid kit and --

-- BRRRRRRRUP! The kit disappears and a glowing light floats up his body. He jumps back, trying to brush it off until it’s gone. What just happened?

He looks at his reflection in the window and watches as --

-- HIS WOUNDS DISAPPEAR. His eye, his lip. All healed.

DING! The bus stops and Guy runs off, freaking out.

He thinks about it and puts the sunglasses back on. It looks like just a normal day except for:

A WAD OF CRISP $100 BILLS --

-- floating two feet off the ground by the newsstand.A little spotlight makes it stand out.

A PEDESTRIAN passes right through it, buys some gum and leaves, without noticing the money.

Guy rubs his mouth. Approaches the stack of money. Looks at it, just floating there.

Guy reaches out and touches the stack of money and --

-- BRRRRRUP! The MONEY STATUS BAR on his glasses jumps by TWO THOUSAND DOLLARS. Guy rips the glasses off. Can’t believe it.

Guy punches his code into the ATM and checks his balance. Sure enough -- he has TWO THOUSAND MORE DOLLARS in his account than he did a few minutes ago.

He puts a fist to his mouth. This can’t be real.

Reaches out, hits the ‘withdrawal’ button and --

-- CH-CH-CH-CH! The machine spits out hundreds of dollars. He stuffs his pockets, guilty, and gets out of there fast.

RUNS DOWN THE STREET and sees:

”SOONAMI SHOES” from earlier. The pair of sneakers he was admiring are still in the window. Guy raises an eyebrow.

A modern loft-like office space with a different color palate then anything we’ve seen so far. Clearly a tech company of some sort. ”SOONAMI CORP”.

Dozens of cubicles are filled with busy PROGRAMMERS.Some work on monitors, some use VR headsets. The bulk of them are Millennials and dressed casually.

A twenty-something programmer,PUNIT, sits in front of a computer, on his phone. Reclining.

BEEP! Something on his monitor requires his attention.

He hangs up and opens:

“USER COMPLAINT #4521.” He clicks on it and reads the complaint. Routine. Clicks to another screen and we see:

FREE CITY. Surveillance video of the whole city.

He scans the view from different angles. Can’t seem to find anything wrong until -- something catches his attention.

THE SHOE STORE. Punit zooms in and reacts, surprised.

A pudgy, disheveled programmer sitting next to him rolls his chair over. This isGARETH. He glances at Punit’s monitor.

He points and they watch as a REALISTIC ANIMATED VERSION OF GUY is buying the pair of sneakers he likes. Gareth reacts.

Punit hits a button that turns the feed of Guy shoe shopping into PROGRAMMING CODE. Hits it again to switch it back.

Gareth takes a closer look. Reacts.

Punit checks it out and confirms. Whoa. The guys are shocked by this revelation.

CLOSE ON:

THE NEW SNEAKERS, walking down the street. A little CODE SYMBOL “</>” is on the back label. PAN UP to see:

Guy strutting around town in a new outfit. Sunglasses on. He’s got a few shopping bags under his arms and a big smile. Looks around like the cat who ate the canary.

But he doesn’t notice:

A POLICE CAR --

-- stalking him from behind. He finally gets the sense that something’s wrong and turns around.

FROM GUY’S POV: A SHERIFF’S BADGE ICON starts blinking in the upper right corner.

OBJECTIVE POV: Guy notices. Uh-oh. Picks up the pace and --

-- WHOOP-WHOOP! Lights and sirens. TWO BADGE ICONS in his glasses. Crap!

Guy slows to a stop. Turns around with his hands up.

SCREECH! THE POLICE CAR GUNS FOR HIM.

It’s headed straight for him.

At the last second, Guy jumps out of the way and --

-- SMASH! The cop car takes down a light pole.

Guy takes off down the street.

ANOTHER COP CAR cuts him off at the pass. Tries to mow him down with more intent than the first one. Hops up on the sidewalk. Takes out trash cans and a mailbox.

As it closes in, Guy ducks into an empty construction site and the cop car SCREECHES to a halt. Reverses.

Guy runs deep into the construction site and hides. The cops get out of their car and look around. Take out their guns.

PUNIT/COP Come out, come out wherever you are. We won’t hurt you.

The cop sounds exactly like Punit, though he looks nothing like him. And the other cop sounds like Gareth.

GARETH/COP Much.

The cops LAUGH.

IN THE SKELETON OF A BUILDING

Guy curls up, trying to hide.

The cops move in, looking for him.

PUNIT/COP C’mon, Blue Shirt. We know you’re around here somewhere.

They narrow down his whereabouts. Motion to each other.

GARETH/COP (into walkie) Shut down quadrant Thirty-Seven ‘A’ Four.

BACK WITH GUY

Guy hears them say that and looks up at a number spray- painted on the building. “37-A-4”. Reacts and --

-- THE WALL BEHIND HIM DISAPPEARS,

Causing him to tumble backwards over a ledge. He grabs an exposed beam and realizes:

A RECTANGULAR BLOCK OF REALITY --

-- has been cleanly lifted from the fabric of the Universe.

Part of the building behind him is completely missing, half- exposed pipes leading to nowhere. A BULLDOZER parked besides the building is perfectly cut in half, totally intact.A CLOUD above has A PERFECT CORNER removed.

And Guy dangles over a PERFECTLY SQUARE SINK HOLE.

Filled with adrenaline, he pulls himself back up onto solid ground. But he’s trapped. Nowhere to run.

Guy is freaking out, cornered behind a stack of wood.The cops move in. Guy can’t figure out what to do when he sees:

A GLOCK.

Floating two feet off the ground a few yards away from him. Slowly spinning. Small spotlight. He can’t believe it.

Guy reaches for the gun, amazed and CH-CHK! It falls into his hand. Whoa. His POV READOUT shows:

The cops are closing in. It’s now or never.

Guy holds up the gun but can he really shoot a cop? His hand shakes like a leaf. He can’t do it. But he gets an idea.

WITH THE COPS

They have him cornered and move in for the kill.

PUNIT/COP You’re just prolonging the inevitable. We can fix everything.

THUNK! Something knocks a trash can and they whip around. BAM! BA-BLAM! BLAM! FIRE FULL ROUNDS INTO THE AREA. The cops move towards the trash can, kick it away and see --

-- A PILE OF GARBAGE. No sign of Guy anywhere.

GARETH/COP Dude. Look.

He finds Guy’s gun, surprised.

GARETH/COP (CONT’D) He threw it.

Guy runs away from the site and down the street, knocking into pedestrians.

Guy HEARS SIRENS in the distance when he notices:

“THE MULTIPLAYER LOUNGE.”

An internet cafe on the corner in an iconic building. He looks around, orienting himself, confused, and pulls down his sunglasses seeing --

-- The entire building isn’t actually there.

He puts the glasses back on andit reappears again.

The SIRENS get closer. He takes a deep breath and heads towards the door.

Guy steps into a cafe JAM-PACKED WITH PEOPLE. Only this is not your typical coffee house crowd.

CYBER PUNKS with crazy hair, HOT GIRLS with spiked jackets, GANGBANGERS covered with tattoos.

Everyone has their NAMES floating above their head. Well, not so much names asusernames. “FLAILINGMAGE2342”, “THEGODFATHER2pt0”, “VIXEN5232”.

And that’s when he sees a familiar face:

MOLOTOV GIRL.

Leather pants, form-fitting attire. Twirling a ninja star between her fingers while she talks to A FEW CYBER-PUNKS. Her username and level float above her head, “MOLOTOVGIRL4482. Level 125.” She seems disappointed.

Catlover69 is a jacked with a big afro the voice of a prepubescent boy. Zelig2693 shoves him.

They fawn over her like a celebrity.

MolotovGirl turns and bumps into Guy. No recollection of him.

She tries to get past and he stops her.

She GROANS, annoyed and pushes past him. Guy stumbles into one of the desktop computers. He’s amazed by what he sees --

-- it’s A MENU SCREEN FOR “FREE CITY.”

It’s got a Map of Free City. Video of people engaged in different types of criminal activities. Guy goes wide-eyed.

Guy shirks back and fumbles through the cafe, dizzy.

He walks outside, hyperventilating. He looks up into the sky and around the city. It will never look the same to him again. His entire world is rocked.

Mac, the homeless man, yells at people on the street.

Guy starts to put it all together, floored and --

-- WHAM! A POLICE CAR mows him down. Lights out.

The ALARM CLOCK goes off and Guy snaps out of bed as if from a nightmare.

He feels his body, frantic. He’s in one piece. Whew. Runs to the mirror. He’s fine. But remembers.

Guy jogs through the neighborhood the cops chased him through yesterday. Ends up at the same corner where the Multiplayer Lounge should be but now:

THE LOT IS EMPTY. Exactly what it looked like with the glasses off yesterday.

Guy sees THE TOP OF THE BRIDGE in the background.

Guy walks out of the city across the bridge, determined.

Guy makes a beeline away through brownstone suburbs.

He pushes through dense marshland but always comes out of the weeds staring at the same view of the Free City skyline.

Guy jumps in a small motorboat. Drives it away from the city. He moves past buoys and boats until he’s out in open water.

Looks back at the skyline. He realizes --

-- he’s inexplicably treadmilling in place. A BUOY besides him stays in place. His boat isn’t caught on anything.

He throws the engine in reverse and the boat glides again back towards the city.

Guy sits on a bench, watching the city with new eyes.He realizes that there are ONLY A DOZEN DIFFERENT TYPES OF PEDESTRIANS walking around the area at any one point.

They all say ONE PHRASE to each other as Guy walks past.

A GANGBANGER pushes past and they REPEAT THE SAME LINES.

Guy clocks that The Gangbanger is wearing --

The same kind that he had. The Gangbanger pulls A MAN out of his car, screaming, and drives off, BLASTING THE RADIO.

Guy watches a robbery in progress. A GUY IN A MASK is holding up a convenience store. He’s wearing the same exact --

A JAPANESE SCHOOL GIRL steps out of a car with a MISSILE LAUNCHER and BLOWS UP A FALAFEL STAND. She too wears --

Guy runs into the bar and finds HIS SOFTBALL TEAM, drinking after their game. Everybody is in their same seats. Even Buddy, a little banged up, but fine.

Guy climbs up on a stool. Announces to the entire bar.

Guy looks outside the window and Mac, the Homeless Man, walks by, spitting craziness at anyone he passes.

Guy reacts. Realizes how crazy he looks. Everyone is staring at him, confused and weirded out.

Guy leaves the bar, embarrassed. SMASH! (PRELAP)

MONTAGE: GUY TRIES DIFFERENT WAYS TO GET THE GLASSES

A DREADLOCKED WOMAN wearing SUNGLASSES throws a brick through a Jewelry Store window. An ALARM SOUNDS. She grabs a handful of diamond necklaces and startles to see:

Guy, blocking her way.

Guy reaches for her sunglasses andWHACK! WHAP! THWIP! She grabs his arm, flips him over and heels his Adam’s apple.

A different THUG WEARING SUNGLASSES walks through Free City’s small Chinatown district.

Guy tails him from behind, hood pulled over his head. Follows him through the city until the thug turns down --

An empty turnout. The thug stands in front of a garage door and it opens. Enters and it closes behind him.

Guy watches, curious, when THE GARAGE DOOR OPENS and --

-- A DIFFERENT THUG EXITS, wearing the same sunglasses.He pulls out in a Tesla and drives past Guy.

OVER THE COURSE OF A DAY - MONTAGE

Guy watches DOZENS OF PLAYERS leave the garage - ALL WEARING THE SAME SUNGLASSES. All driving different cars.

Guy gets an idea.

The garage opens and a JACKED HIPSTER walks out wearing the glasses. He looks around, not noticing:

UP ABOVE

Guy is carefully lowering a makeshift hook. He’s just about to hook the glasses when the jacked hipster notices.Pulls out a GUN and OPENS FIRE. Guy runs away.

Guy charges players from behind, throwing things, tripping them, timing it wrong, missing entirely.

He hits a player on the back of the head with a TWO-BY-FOUR.

TINK! The glasses bounce across the pavement, unscathed.

Guy can’t believe it. While the player runs around, disoriented, Guy puts them on and sure enough:

THE READOUTS APPEAR. Yes!

A mousy secretary sits behind a desk. Her hair covers half her face. Librarian glasses. She clutches the top of her blouse, protective. Mid-twenties. This is MILLIE.

Millie tries to make copies and the machine craps out on her. She opens a side door, frustrated and PLOOF! A cloud of black ink sprays all over her.

Millie picks out A TECH MAGAZINE and pays for it. The CLERK leers at her and she clutches her blouse. Avoids eye contact.

HONK! A terrible traffic jam. Millie sits in her tiny Honda. She’s about to move forward when someone cuts her off and gives her the finger. She quietly takes it.

Millie runs into a house and darts directly upstairs.

SLAM! Millie locks herself in her room and takes a DEEP BREATH, finally safe.

She takes out the Tech Magazine she bought earlier and leafs through a profile on:

“SOONAMI’S ILLUSIVE CEO,ANTWAN HOVACHELIK, HIS UNSTOPPABLE GAMING EMPIRE AND THE LAUNCH OF THE LONG-AWAITED SEQUEL, FREE CITY 2.” It features a skinny, young guy in his mid-twenties.

She sticks a tack right into his foreheadon:

A CORKBOARD FILLED WITH CLIPPINGS ABOUT ANTWAN and FREE CITY. We see words like: “CHEAT CODES” and “UNHACKABLE PLATFORM”.

She sits down at her desk, sets up her takeout food, ritualistically, and puts on A VIRTUAL REALITY HEADSET.

Millie appears in the Multiplayer Lounge as MOLOTOVGIRL4482 -- the kickass avatar she uses in Free City. A tall, confident version of Millie with a few cosmetic enhancements.

[Note: Millie and her avatar are played by the same actress, so we’ll just call her Millie from now on.]

She turns heads here. She’s in her element.

ANONAMOU$E Hey... MolotovGirl.

She sits down at a corner table withANONAMOU$E - a shady dude who wears a trenchcoat and motorcycle face mask.Talks with a MODULATED VOICE.

ANONAMOU$E It’s in a briefcase on this shipping container.

He slips a “SHIPPING MANIFEST” across the table. She reaches for it and he grabs her wrist.

ANONAMOU$E (CONT’D) This thing is strong enough to take down the whole game. I’d like to know what it’s gonna be used for.

She JAMS A KNIFE INTO HIS HAND and kicks the table over. Tosses a wad of cash onto his lap as he tries to get unstuck.

ANONAMOU$E You know they’re about to release the sequel! In a few days it’s all gonna be gone anyway.

She gets up to leave when GUY RUNS INTO HER.

She walks away and he scurries after her.

She looks at his username. “GUY (NPC) Level 1”.

She’s already out the door.

Millie struts down the street. Guy follows her.

She spots an ARMORED TRUCK up ahead.

She’s captivating and graceful as SHE PULLS THE PIN OFF A GRENADE and tosses it underneath a parked car.

KABOOM! The parked car launches off the ground from the explosion and everyone runs off, screaming.

Millie uses this moment as a distraction to jump into the driver’s seat of the armored truck.

Annoyed, she leans in towards him, seductive. He reacts as she reaches into his front pocket and pulls out:

A NOTEBOOK. Tosses it at him and jump starts the truck.

He thumbs through the book.

She looks at him like he’s nuts.

WHUNK! She kicks him square in the chest and slams the door.

Guy watches her drive away in the truck, uncorking a FIRE HYDRANT in the process. He’s amazed and intimidated.

He picks up his mission log. Knows what he has to do.

A few CUSTOMERS wait to buy things from the CASHIER.

Guy mills about behind a shelf, pretending to pick out an item. He keeps glancing up at the counter, nervous.

Guy checks his notebook and finds an item on the checklist. “ROB A STORE.”

Opens his jacket and HE’S GOT A GUN tucked in his belt.

THE LAST CUSTOMER clears out and the store is empty.

He’s super nervous. DEEP BREATH and he approaches --

THE FRONT COUNTER

Puts down his bag of chips. The CASHIER looks bored.

Guy is having trouble hiding his nerves.

Guy fumbles to take out his gun. Drops it on the floor. Holds it up, shaking like a leaf.

The cashier nonchalantly reaches under the counter and suddenly Guy is staring down the barrel of a SHOTGUN.

BLAM!

Guy snaps awake in bed as if from a nightmare.

Realizes what’s happened. Checks his face. No sunglasses.

A TALL GANGBANGER exits the garage and turns, only to see:

A ROLLING DUMPSTER speeding towards him. WHUMP! His sunglasses skid along the ground and SOMEONE WEARING COOL SNEAKERS wanders up to it.

PAN UP TO REVEAL: It’s Guy! He picks the glasses up and puts them on. He’s trying his best to look like a criminal.

The bassline of DOWN FOR WHATEVER BY ICE CUBE kicks in for a:

GUY COMMITS CRIME - MONTAGE

Guy walks the streets in SLOW MO. Shoves A PEDESTRIAN and a WAD OF CASH falls onto the ground. BLOOP! He picks it up.

Guy fidgets with a jimmy in a window and STEALS A CAR.

Guy fires an AK-47 at cans in a dump. Big smile as his body pulsates with the shots in SLOW-MO.

Guy shuffles around a corner with a wounded arm and a bloody shirt. Sees a FIRST AID KIT floating in the air and touches it. His wounds heal.

Guy tosses a mailbox through a department store window and steals watches.

Guy slams into people and WADS OF MONEY fall out of their pockets. He scoops them up.

Guy runs from the POLICE.

Guy crosses missions off his list. The LEVEL over his head goes up.

Guy covers his ears and walks down a dock when -- A YACHT BEHIND HIM blows up.

Guy touches a FLOATING PROTEIN POWDER in the gym and gains muscle mass.

Guy chases down GANG MEMBERS in a truck.

He checks in a bathroom mirror and the “Level” above his head keeps getting higher and higher.

Guy wanders out into the street, cool and collected.Reaches out for a SLOW-MOVING CAR’s door -- perfectly timed.The WOMAN DRIVER reacts, surprised.

Guy points a gun at her sideways. Looks tough.

The Driver is scared and hits the gas. Guy’s sleeve gets caught on the door handle and pulls him along. The COOL MUSIC STOPS and it all gets very real.

He whacks the roof, pleading.

His sleeve rips, he trips and --

-- WHUNK! WHUNK! He falls under the back wheel (OFF CAMERA).

CUT TO BLACK:

For a beat.

GUY COMMITS CRIME - MONTAGE

MUSIC KICKS BACK IN.

Guy is back at it. Steals car after car. Handles bigger and bigger weapons. SUBMACHINE GUNS, ROCKET LAUNCHERS. Collects money. Destroys property. Gets fitted for suits at A HIGH END CLOTHING STORE.

MEANWHILE:

The Barista holds up a coffee BUT NOBODY’S THERE.

Buddy waits for Guy where they meet for work, staring at his watch. Nervous.

A LINE OF PEOPLE at the bank wait at his empty window.

The line extends out the door and into the street where:

TRAFFIC IS BACKED UP FOREVER. Total gridlock. Accidents happen as a result. Fires break out.

The DOUCHEBAG in a FERRARI is stuck in the traffic. HONKS.

Distracted, The Douche doesn’t see Guy stroll up to his door. Guy pulls him out of the car in SLOW MO, climbs in, drives up onto the sidewalk and speeds out of traffic.

MUSIC STOPS. SEQUENCE ENDS.

Guy’s softball team stand on the field. Silent. Waiting. Totally confused. It’s an eerie scene.

All heads turns as --

-- Guy drives up alongside the field in the Ferrari.

Everybody watches him, stunned speechless. Guy saunters over and grabs the baseball bat. Reacts.

The Green Hat’s Pitcher shrugs and gets ready to pitch.Guy points a finger out towards center field, calling the shot.

The Pitcher is caught off guard. Hunkers down. Pitches the ball and just before it leaves his hand --

The Blue Team CELEBRATES. Guy is the center of attention.

Buddy looks him up and down as if he were an alien. Afraid.

GUY PULLS BUDDY ASIDE

Buddy is practically in tears. Guy feels bad for him.

Guy takes off his sunglasses and hands them to Buddy.

Buddy is having a hard time with it.

Guy pounds the bar.

He tries to force the glasses on Buddy. Buddy struggles to push him away.

BUDDY GUY

No! Stop it! Would you just! Hold still!

Guy relents. Backs off.

Guy looks around the room and spots THE HOT GIRLFRIEND OF THE DOUCHEBAG in the corner booth. Guy opens his notebook and eyes an empty box on his list, “GET LUCKY.”

BOOTH

Guy wanders over to the booth and approaches The Beauty he’d seen previously with The Douche.

She sips her cocktail, flirtatious.

Guy speeds down the highway with Beauty.

He shifts gears and SHE SCREAMS, like she’s on a roller coaster as they drive towards THE FREE CITY HOTEL. Beauty puts a hand on his knee and gives him ‘the look’.

Guy reacts. Eyebrow raise.

The lights from the city twinkle outside the sickest penthouse view. Guy and Beauty are making out.

He tries to undo her bra but can’t find the latch.

Now Guy’s a little annoyed.

She nods and they get back into it.

Guy undoes her bra latch and --

-- DING! The Level above his head jumps to “49”.

Guy strolls into the bank next day with an ear-to-ear grin. Dressed in an expensive suit. Rocks a Rolex and nice shoes.

They all stare like he has nine heads as he takes his place behind the counter. Buddy just can’t understand.

Guy checks the computer. Looks at his own account screen: He has over TWENTY MILLION DOLLARS. He chokes on his coffee.

BLAM-BLAM! A new BANK ROBBER strolls through the doors. Everyone gets down on the ground. Guy just smirks.

The Robber notices Guy.

The Robber reacts, puzzled.

WHUNK! Guy grabs the gun by the barrel, jams the robber in the face with the stock and knocks him out.

The robber’s duffle bag hits the ground and...

THROUGH GUY’S POV: DOZENS OF CASH WADS fly across the floor. He walks through them and BLOOP-BLOOP-BLOOP! His money count jumps through the roof.

Guy glances in an ORNATE DECORATIVE MIRROR and the Level number above his head ticks up to:

“LEVEL 50”.

He reacts and BA-WONGGGG! A SHIP’S HORN SOUNDS (PRELAP).

A JAPANESE CARGO SHIP is docked, stacked with containers. YAKUZA GANGSTERS stand guard around the ship with UZIs.

TWO ARMED YAKUZA stand along the railing, stoic, when --

-- FFT-FFT! They’re hit with ninja stars and silently tumble over the rail into the water. After a beat --

-- Millie climbs on board and moves through the ship.

BETWEEN THE CONTAINERS

She takes ANOTHER GUARD out with a swift kick, only to be surrounded by TWO OTHER GANGSTERS. She smiles, seductive, and takes them out with a fluid martial arts maneuver.

She pulls a SHIPPING MANIFEST from her pocket and looks around, checking container numbers, until she spots:

A SHIPPING CONTAINER.

She approaches it, excited, and pulls down the locking bar. The door falls open and WHU-BUM!

It’s empty. She reacts, puzzled, when --

-- CHK-CHK-CHK! She turns to see that she’s surrounded by a DOZEN YAKUZA GUARDS. They YELL AT HER IN JAPANESE.

She whips two pistols out and fires.

CLICK-CLICK! EMPTY CHAMBERS.

They smile and raise their weapons when --

-- RRRRNNN! A MOTORCYCLE ENGINE revs and VRN!!!! A MAN ON A SUZUKI HAYABUSA plows through the group, causing them all to dive overboard.

A FALLEN YAKUZA reaches for his weapon and the RIDER slides it away and kicks the guard, knocking him out. The rider takes off his helmet, revealing:

GUY! Cool, unshaven. He looks like an action star.

Guy offers her a hand. Millie recoils, stunned.

He points to his level over his head. They hear YELLING IN JAPANESE and a new GROUP OF GUARDS run across the ship.

She realizes she doesn’t have a choice. Jumps on just as the guards catch up to them and Guy takes off. Weaves through guards and bullets like a pro.

Millie reacts and looks up ahead at:

A MAKESHIFT RAMP, with a plank resting on the side of a container. Aiming right off the side of the boat. As the guards close in, Guy guns it and heads for the ramp.

TWO GUARDS scramble in front of it, blocking their way.

Before Guy can react, Millie grabs a gun out of his pocket and SHOOTS at them.

They leap out of the way just in time for Guy to hit the ramp and jump the cycle off the boat.

As they fly through the air, Millie fires behind them.Guy has a moment of doubt seconds before they hit THE DOCK.

The motorcycle wobbles as he fights to maintain control until he regains his balance and speeds away under GUNFIRE.Guy relaxes and Millie looks at him, amazed.

The gaming company is abuzz with activity. Punit walks through the hallway, casually texting, when Gareth spots him down from a doorway.

Gareth ushers him into a recently assembled war room where WIDE SCREENS monitor chaotic scenes all around Free City.

Punit watches a feed taken earlier from a SURVEILLANCE CAMERA of Guy blow-torching a MARSHMALLOW DISPLAY in a SUPERMARKET.

Gareth pulls up the game’s programming on a monitor. HIGHLIGHTS a certain line of code. Punit is amazed.

Punit reacts. Perplexed.

RING! The conference phone RINGS. He checks the caller ID.

RING! They both react. This is a big deal.

RING! Punit is paralyzed with fear.

GARETH PANIT

Hey, this is your I can’t speak to it like you jurisdiction! I was just can. I’ve been off the grid! covering for your lazy ass.

Punit picks it up.

Gareth and OTHER PROGRAMMERS gather around to listen in.The caller YELLS on the other side.

Punit hangs up and takes it in. Turns to the office.

Guy pulls the motorcycle into a dark, seemingly empty parking garage with Millie on the back. Millie jumps off, frustrated.

She crinkles up the manifest and tosses it.

She glances at him, suspicious.

He flicks a switch on a GENERATOR LIGHT revealing:

DOZENS UPON DOZENS OF CARS, all shapes and sizes. Millie is taken aback. Walks down the row, amazed.

Millie about-faces and walks away, super weirded out.

She slows down. He got through to her.

She softens. Turns.

Record scratch. Guy’s heart sinks into his stomach.

ADVERTISEMENT FOR FREE CITY TWO

A commercial for the sequel.

Millie shows Guy the commercial on a SMARTPHONE. The graphics are better, the city is bigger. He even spots a BETTER LOOKING VERSION OF HIMSELF in the background.

Guy is freaking out. Looks out at the city.

WHUKKA-WHUKKA-WHUKKA! The ground starts to RUMBLE and:

A CHINOOK HELICOPTER lowers down to their level. Guy and Millie stumble backwards, caught off guard.

They scramble down to the next level only to see:

A CAVALRY OF POLICE CARS heading towards the parking garage. Millie turns to Guy, even more puzzled.

RAT-AT-AT! The chopper fires and Guy dives behind a HUMVEE.

KABOOOM! The chopper launches a missile and blows up the HUMMER. Millie is visibly shaken and scrambles away.

IN THE CHOPPPER

Punit and Gareth’s COP AVATARS pilot the helicopter.

PUNIT/COP I can’t tell if we got him.

GARETH/COP Well, you just blew the entire second floor to kingdom come.

Gareth/Cop pulls up computer code on a touch-screen monitor.

GARETH/COP (CONT’D) His permissions are ‘blocked’. He’s still playing.

PUNIT/COP Then we need to smoke him out.

The helicopter starts firing on Guy’s arsenal of cars. Blowing them up one by one down the line. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Punit/Cop smiles gleefully at the controls.

PUNIT/COP (CONT’D) I’ve worked here so long I forget how fun this game is sometimes.

GARETH/COP Uh, Punit?

Gareth/Cop points --

IN THE GARAGE

Out of the cloud of smoke --

-- A TANK appears. Its canon aimed at their chopper.

PUNIT/COP Oh, crap --

KABOOM! The tank blows the helicopter out of the sky and plows through the garage’s upper level wall. The tank speeds away, BLASTING HEAVY METAL MUSIC.

IN THE TANK

Guy is at the helm. Croons along with the METAL SONG. He plows right through a line of POLICE CARS.

The city hums with rush hour traffic.

THE TANK barrels down the street, trailed by a parade of cop cars. One pulls out in front and the tank mows it down. Pedestrians run out of the way, yelling their reaction lines.

Buddy waits on the street corner where he usually meets Guy to walk to work. Checks his watch, concerned.

Perfectly timed, the tank cruises down the street. Guy pops out of the HATCH on the roof of the tank and waves.

Guy turns down main street leaving Buddy in the dust.The idea is even more jarring than the sight of Guy in the tank.

A POLICE BATTERING TRUCK emerges out of thin air and plows through the carnage of twisted metal, tailing the tank.

INSIDE THE BATTERING TRUCK

Punit and Gareth’s COP AVATARS are at the wheel.

PUNIT/COP Dude. We just got owned by an NPC.

GARETH/COP Where’s he going, anyway?

PUNIT/COP I don’t know, but let’s make sure he doesn’t get there.

Gareth/Cop takes the tablet and gets to work.

Guy drives the tank and looks out ahead at:

THE FREE CITY TOWER, a signature skyscraper in the center of the city’s downtown district.

FWOOOOSH! His pathway is suddenly blocked by...

A WALL OF FIRE!

IN THE BATTERING TRUCK

PUNIT/COP Eat my firewall, bitch!

SHHHOM! The tank flies right through it unscathed.

IN THE TANK

Guy pats the dash! Yells back at the cops.

GWONG! THE BLOCK AHEAD INSTANTLY DISAPPEARS. Just like earlier, a chunk of reality is gone. And it’s too late to avoid it. Guy reacts.

Guy’s tank sails over the cliff, into the void.

But Guy sees that he’s heading for AN EXPOSED SUBWAY TUNNEL on the block below.

IN THE BATTERING TRUCK

Punit and Gareth Cops think that they got him when --

-- KU-POSH! The tank speeds up the staircase of the underground subway station on the other side of the void.

Gareth/Cop is pissed. Makes the block reappear so that they can drive across it.

PUNIT/COP I don’t understand how he got one of our tanks in the first place. Players don’t have access to police hardware.

GARETH/COP But Non-Playable Characters do. Technically speaking, I guess. (thinking) That gives me an idea.

AROUND THE CORNER

Guy is in the home stretch. The Free City Tower is straight ahead when the tank ripples with electricityand...

TRANSFORMS INTO A HOTDOG-SHAPED FOOD TRUCK.

His HEAVY METAL MUSIC turns into an ICE CREAM TRUCK CHIME. He looks down and the stick shift is shaped like a hamburger.

IN THE BATTERING TRUCK

Punit and Gareth admire their handiwork as Guy is now vulnerable again.

PUNIT/COP Nice touch.

GARETH/COP Now, let’s cook the weenie.

He hits a few commands on his tablet.

A SWAT TEAM appears from around a corner and set up A MISSILE LAUNCHER on a bipod.

One SWAT OFFICER aims the weapon, while another SPOTTER awaits their command. Gets it.

He taps the officer with the launcher, who FIRES.

Guy checks the rear view and sees the MISSILE coming for him.

With only a second to react, he veers the truck towards a LIGHT POLE, takes off his seatbelt and --

-- CRASH! Slams the truck into the pole. Guy flies through the windshield and --

-- KABOOM! The truck EXPLODES behind him from the missile.

Guy sails through the air in a spray of glass in SLOW MOTION from an impact that would kill any normal person.

And it has basically done that. Guy is barely alive and in a terrible way.

HIS LEG IS BROKEN in an unnatural position. HIS NECK IS TWISTED. HIS NOSE IS SMASHED.

As he flies through the air, he starts to lose consciousness.

When we finally see, STILL IN SLO MO, thatthis was no random crash. He did it deliberately as he is flying directly at --

-- A FIRST AID KIT! His glasses readout shows his “Health” trickle down from:

“4,3,2...” He hits the first aid kit andBRRUUP! his snapped neck is healed in an instant, but he’s still in bad shape.

BACK IN REAL TIME:

He picks himself up but his broken arms dangle to his side and he can barely walk on a TWISTED BROKEN LEG.

UP AHEAD, he sees another FIRST AID KIT.

IN THE BATTERING TRUCK

Punit and Gareth finally catch up and see what he’s doing.

PUNIT/COP Look! Don’t let him get to the --

BACK WITH GUY

BRRUUP! He touches the kit and his arms are healed.Guy pushes through the front doors of the tower, on a broken leg.

IN THE BATTERING TRUCK

Gareth programs something on his tablet.

GARETH/COP It’s okay. We’ve got him now.

PUNIT/COP Hurry.

GARETH/COP It’s gonna take a sec.

Guy limps through the lobby on the twisted leg, which breaks further, and people react, horrified.

He spots another FIRST AID KIT and touches it, BRUUUP! SNAPPING his leg back into place with a CRUNCH.

He walks into an elevator FILLED WITH PEOPLE and composes himself amid looks of terror.

The elevator clears out.

Guy runs out of the elevator on the rooftop deck.

Punit and Gareth Cops are now back IN A HELICOPTER. Other helicopters have joined them and have the tower surrounded.

Guy waves his blue shirt, trying to get their attention.

He pulls back A TARP that’s tied down to the roof.

IN THE HELICOPTER

Gareth is now at the controls.

GARETH/COP Now?

PUNIT/COP No. Wait. Look.

Guy has spelled out something on the ground:

‘GUY IS ALIVE.”

GARETH/COP This is -- They didn’t really teach us how to deal with this at Berkley. There was no chapter for it in Advanced C Plus Plus. Troubleshooting if your three- dimensional model figure suddenly develops feelings.

DING! Gareth/Cop checks A TEXT on his phone.

PUNIT/COP Antwan wants us to end it here.

Guy waves his blue shirt to the sky. Hoping.

FOOM! Guy reacts, horrified, as...

THE ENTIRE FREE CITY TOWER BELOW HIM DISINTEGRATES.

The whole building isdeleted right out of existence in an instant and he’s left floating there until --

-- GUY FREE FALLS BACKWARDS, through thin air, a hundred stories down. The whole city, all the programmers watching, amazed, until he hits the gr--

Guy snaps up in bed without freaking out, fully aware of where he is and what just happened. And he’s pissed.

Back in the Soonami offices, Punit and Gareth work head-to- head on their laptops in the war room. The PROGRAMMERS around them APPLAUD.

Guy runs out of his room to the front door, about to open it.

KNOCK-KNOCK-KNOCK! Someone on the other side pounds and turns the knob.

The pounding stops and then the DOORKNOB starts fidgeting. Someone on the other side is picking the lock.

Guy looks out his window:

A PADDY WAGON from the “FREE CITY HOME FOR THE MENTALLY ILL” is parked outside his building. Out the other window:

A SWAT TEAM moves up the alley. Guy is trapped. But he’s not gonna go down like this. Opens his closet and looks around. There’s a small door in the ceiling for the attic.

BACK AT THE FRONT DOOR

BLAM! Punit and Gareth, now using ORDERLY AVATARS, break in.

GARETH/ORDERLY Hello! Anybody home?

They quickly search the tiny apartment and realize he’s gone.

PUNIT/ORDERLY Search the bedroom!

Gareth checks the closet and eyes the attic door. Shoves it open and sticks his head up inside.

GARETH/ORDERLY Set up a perimeter. He couldn’t have gotten far!

A STREET KID waits for the bus, chunky headphones. Black jacket. Hoodie. Guy taps him on the shoulder.

Punit/Cop and Gareth/Cop walk down the street, shoving pedestrians, looking for Guy.

That’s when Punit spots Guy’s signature BLUE SHIRT.

PUNIT/COP There! There he is. Move in.

From behind, Guy walks down the street when THE TROOPS MOVE IN. Within seconds he has a hundred rifles aimed at his face.

The person turns around and reveals thatIT’S NOT GUY. It’s the Street Kid dressed in his clothes.

Punit/Cop reacts, angry.

PUNIT/COP We got the wrong guy.

Guy makes his way down the street in the street kid’s clothes. Keeps his head down. Hood up.

Looks away from CAMERAS on every corner. Avoids eye contact with COPS CANVASSING the neighborhood for him.

TV SHOWS in windows feature video of Guy on News Segments and “WANTED” Posters litter the town. “Reward $100”.

He peeks around into the alley where the players usually come out. It’s now being staked out by UNDERCOVER COPS IN BLACK VANS. He keeps moving.

Guy watches Buddy walk to work from a safe distance.Sees that THE BLACK VAN is stalking him too. Buddy is clearly freaked out -- they’ve gotten to him.

Guy feels the vice closing in on him.

Mac rants and raves on a street corner.

Guy approaches him, pretending to throw out some garbage.

Mac gives him a suspicious glance through the CRACKED LENSES OF AN OLD, BROKEN PAIR OFTHE SUNGLASSES.

Guy looks him in the eyes, desperate.

Mac’s fiery gaze calms. He has been waiting a long time to hear those words.

Guy follows the Mac through a maze of overgrown brambles that line a dried-out riverbed.

Mac finds a BIG PIECE OF PLYWOOD pushed against the concrete wall. He looks around, making sure they weren’t followed.

They push the plywood over, revealing A HOLE IN THE WALL.

Guy follows Mac through the hole to the other side where he sees something incredible...

We now see what they are looking at --

AN EMPTY CITY SUBURBWITH INFERIOR GRAPHICS.

Buildings are digitized and sparse. Blocky around the edges. They are all covered in one of five patterns: Brick, metal, wood, glass and something that vaguely resembles vegetation.

Looks like a game designed twenty years ago. Guy gazes around, stunned. It’s a total ghost town.

BARK-BARK! He startles as a DIGITIZED GERMAN SHEPHERD runs past them until it hits the side of a building. Runs in place, nose against the wall. Mac drags Guy away.

MAC’S ENCAMPMENT

Mac leads Guy to his encampment -- a collection of junk from Free City piled up under a few tattered tents.

He offers Guy a DIGITIZED CAN OF “BEANS”.

Mac forks a SQUARE BEAN and eats it.

Mac plops down on a digitized plastic crate. Sizes Guy up.

Guy sits forward.

Guy goes wide-eyed, realizing.

Mac takes off his broken sunglasses and stares at them.

Mac LAUGHS at him.

Mac reacts.

Guy and Mac move covertly through the crowd. Duck into an alley and look up at the GIANT BILLBOARD in the Square.

Mac puts on his broken glasses and through the spiderweb cracks and holes he sees:

A COMMERCIAL FOR FREE CITY 2.

There’s a literal TICKING CLOCK counting down to the “FREE CITY 2 RELEASE DATE. Mac is awestruck.

Mac pulls him behind a dumpster.

A WEB HOST talks to camera on a Youtube-like site.

He shows A CLIP: OF GUY IN THE TANK, plowing through traffic.

We see some EXAMPLES of FUNNY “FREE GUY” MEMES.

PULL BACK TO REVEAL: This is being watched on a computer.

Millie is watching it, trying to figure everything out. Other avatars are hanging out behind her.

She pulls up a TEXT SCREEN and starts typing.

MOLOTOVGIRL4482: Hey. Who’s Free Guy?

DING! Punit gets a TEXT on his phone. Checks it out, covertly. It’s the text from “MOLOTOVGIRL4482”.

He pumps his fist, excited. Types back.

BIGBURRITO: Yo, girl. Take me up on dinner and I’ll tell you.

MOLOTOVGIRL4482: Is it a hack?

Punit grimaces. Annoyed.

BIGBURRITO: Yours truly is on top of it. Just you watch.

Millie gets another text in the chain from Punit.

BIGBURRITO: Now about that dinner...

She shuts the computer off and thinks. Recalls what Guy said to her in the parking garage.

She looks at images of Guy. One of them has him wearing his BASEBALL HAT. It hits her. She knows where to find him!

Millie walks into the park late at night. The baseball diamond is empty.

She stands at the chain link fence where she first watched Guy playing softball.

She whips around and GUY APPEARS OUT OF THE SHADOWS.

Guy and Millie sit on swings in an empty playground.Guy looks around, nervous. Up in the sky.

She considers if she should tell him.

She looks at Guy, not sure what to make of him.

Millie raises an eyebrow.

Guy stands outside a garage with a box. The door opens and Millie walks out.

Millie takes off her glasses and drops them in the box.Her avatar glitches out and disappears. Seconds later --

-- Millie walks out againwearing a new pair of sunglasses. Looks in the box and her old ones are still there.

Someone on a street corner hands out “FREE SUNGLASSES”.Most people ignore him until a pedestrian takes one, curious and puts them on. Reacts.

“YOU’RE INVITED TO A PRIVATE MISSION TOMORROW NIGHT.” There’s a MAP at the bottom with a BLINKING DOT.

QUICK MONTAGE OF GUY AND FRIENDS PASSING AROUND SUNGLASSES

Mac walks into Timmy’s and hands out glasses.

Millie opens a car door at gunpoint, but instead of stealing the car, she hands the LADY a pair of glasses.

Guy hands sunglasses to Beauty and The Douche.

Buddy sits on his couch, watching television. He hears a TAPPING and ignores it.

Hears it again. It’s coming from the window. He picks up a baseball bat and approaches it cautiously.

Guy is hiding out on the fire escape. Buddy lets him in.

They both look around. Someone might be listening in.

Buddy is about to cry. Guy comforts him.

Guy hands him a pair of sunglasses.

Guy puts a hand on his shoulder. Buddy can see he’s sincere. Guy slips out with a finger to his mouth. Shh!

The team is visibly worn out from pulling all-nighters. Programmers are hunched over their stations, looking for Guy.

Gareth calls up something on his screen.

Punit/Cop and Gareth/Cop stand in the middle of Free City’s largest hub, marveling.

THE CITY IS EMPTY.

Not a person or moving car in sight. A total ghost town.

GARETH/COP Where’d everybody go?

A PEDESTRIAN NPC wearing the sunglasses makes his way through the brambles to the piece of plywood. “FREE GUY” is spray- painted on it.

PLAYER’S POV: Shows he’s arrived at the RED MISSION PIN on the map. The NPC KNOCKS and Millie slides it open.

Betaville is now filled with CITIZENS OF FREE CITY all wearing the sunglasses. Hundreds of them crowded into the primitive space of the Beta Version.

The citizens react to it, unable to believe that it’s real.

AT THE ENTRANCE

Guy waits as Millie lets the last NPC through.

MAKESHIFT STAGE

Guy climbs up on a dumpster, trying to build his nerve.The crowd is restless, confused.

The crowd silences. All eyes are now on Guy.

BEHIND THE CROWD

Millie stands with ANONAMOU$E - the hacker from earlier.

ANONAMOU$E Strangest hack ever.

ANONAMOU$E Yeah, well -- it’s not working.

People are getting restless. It’s going poorly.

MAKESHIFT STAGE

Guy is losing them.

People crowd the stage. Reach for his legs. Guy is about to bail when he sees something at the back of the crowd:

BUDDY.

He enters Betaville, sheepish. Nervous. Guy sees his friend and suddenly all of his anxiety melts away.

He shows them A POSTER FOR FREE CITY 2.

The crowd responds, positive. Millie watches, impressed.

The crowd is sufficiently rallied.

A THUG IN GLASSES strolls into a store with a GUN.

He grabs the cash and turns around only to see:

EVERYONE IN THE STORE STARING AT HIM. Eerie.

He sidesteps outside, creeped out.

People are still staring at him. The tension builds until --

They descend on the thug all at once.

A PLAYER’S POV: As they exit into an alley. They find themselves faced by a group of WOMEN WITH BLOWTORCHES.

They engulf the player in flames.

The quiet bank is interrupted by a BANK ROBBER who charges in with a duffle bag and a shotgun.

BLAM! The SECURITY GUARD shoots him. Everyone reacts, stunned, until the old guard blows the smoke on his barrel.

Everyone in the bank CHEERS.

Everywhere you look, the citizens of Free City fight back against the players.

The Soonami offices seems quiet compared to the chaos happening on the streets of Free City until --

-- A SKY BLUE BUGATTI pulls up in front. The suicide door flips open and someone walks out. All we can see is their WHITE SNEAKERS.

Programmers scramble to fix the game.

WE FOLLOW THE SNEAKERS down the hall and everyone stops in their tracks at the sight of the wearer.

Punit and Gareth work furiously.

They freeze as the sneakers enter the room. PAN UP TO REVEAL:

A scrawny guy in his mid twenties. Not what you were expecting the big boss and CEO of Soonami to look like. Backwards baseball cap. This is ANTWAN and he looks pissed.

The monitors behind Gareth tell a different tale. Fires, angry mobs, it’s a city wide riot.

Antwan stands over Punit who realizes that he wants him to move. Punit scurries away and Antwan sits down at his laptop. Gets right into it.

They react, surprised he would even suggest it.

Antwan points to the chaos on the screens.

Guy and Millie watch the revolution from a rooftop.

Guy pulls out A PIECE OF PAPER and hands it to her. She sees that it has a PARKING SPACE NUMBER scrawled on it.

She considers this. It’s what she’s wanted for so long, but now she has mixed feelings.

KABOOM! Another building in the background goes up in flames.

She looks at him, vulnerable. Really putting herself out there. Guy reacts. He can’t tell her who he really is.

She senses the rejection and backs off. Clutches the top buttons of her shirt like in the real world.

She starts to walk away and he touches her wrist.

They go to kiss. Are just about to connect when --

CUT TO BLACK:

Antwan’s fingers fly across the keys. He gets everything he needs called up, looks it over.

“FULL SYSTEM SHUT DOWN.”

HITS THE ENTER KEY and VROOOOOOooooonnnn. All the monitors go blank. The room gets silent.

Punit, Gareth and the programmers look around, shocked.

Whoa...

Millie takes off her VR Goggles and checks the computer screen. “FREE CITY: EXPERIENCING TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES. TRY AGAIN LATER.” She reacts, taken aback.

AROUND THE WORLD

Players sit strapped into their VR Goggles and sitting in front of televisions, holding their controllers. Looking at the same ‘Error’ screen. Stunned.

CLOSE ON:

A BLANK COMPUTER SCREEN

A NEW PROMPT BLINKS ON as the system reboots.

The SOONAMI LOGO appears and a status bar runs underneath.

“TEN PERCENT RELOADED.” Twenty, forty, seventy, seventy three, all the way up to a full hundred.

Out of TOTAL BLACKNESS --

BROONGGG!!! Sunlight appears behind the Free City Skyline and a LOUD CHIME echoes throughout the city.

All the landmarks we have seen over the course of the story reappear, fresh and new. Not a spot of graffiti in sight.

Guy wakes up in bed. Yawns. But doesn’t seem to have any recollection of anything that happened.

Guy sits at his kitchen table. Eats cereal. Plays a game on his phone, oblivious.

Guy exercises with the web video, enthusiastic.

Guy gets his coffee.

Guy walks to work with Buddy. He also seems to be reset.

Guy and Buddy work at their stations. A ROBBER enters.

Guy and Buddy casually get on the ground.

They knock knuckles as The Robber cleans out the drawers.

Guy hits a ball into center field. It’s fielded and thrown to first. He’s out. He heads back to the dugout. Walks right past:

MILLIE. She’s standing by the fence, watching.

He gives her an empty smile and keeps walking.

She reacts. That was weird.

The team nurses their wounds at the bar.

Beauty is sitting with Douchebag, wrapped up in each other. Guy watches them.

Millie approaches him from behind, timid.

Guy fidgets, awkward. She doesn’t understand what’s going on.

The Team looks at Guy, shocked but impressed.

Guy gets up and follows her.

ACROSS THE BAR

She pulls him to the side.

He’s totally serious. Blank stare.

It starts sinking in.

She can tell by his blank face that he’s serious. She starts to put it together.

She makes a beeline for the door.

Millie runs across the street. A TAXI almost hits her and she looks the driver in the eyes.

IT’S MAC! Only now he’s working his original job and looks clean cut. He’s been reset too.

Millie realizes what must have happened. He HONKS at her. She runs away.

FROM THE WINDOW

Guy thinks about chasing after Mille, but ultimately feels too meek and slinks back to the bar.

A gorgeous view of the bay. Golden Gate Bridge in the background. Very obliviouslynot Free City.

Punit strides down California Street with a spring in his step. Looks around and finds what he’s looking for:

A busy internet cafe.

Punit walks through the coffee house where HIPSTERS work on their laptops. He’s looking for someone. Thinks he spots them, sitting alone. Punit slowly approaches the table.

It’s Millie. As mousy and insecure as ever.

She sits there quiet, awkward.

He course corrects.

She hides behind her hair. Clutches her shirt.

She saves him from his awkward spiral.

He reaches into his bag and gives her A GAME BOX:

“FREE CITY 2.”

She stares at it, concerned.

Punit visibly sags, realizing the real agenda here.

She’s desperate. Touches his hand, pleading.

Punit’s a sucker for personal contact.

Millie reacts. Confused.

Mille goes pale. She can’t believe it. But now so many things make sense.

She stares out into space. Punit tries to break the silence.

She’s in her own world. Barely shakes her head.

He gets up. Goes to the counter. Turns back to ask her something and --

-- MILLIE IS GONE.

Guy walks down the street and suddenly notices something:

THE EMPTY LOT where The Multiplayer Lounge usually is.

Only, without the sunglasses, the building is not there.For a second it seems like he might remember. It might all come back to him...

But he shakes it off. Deja vu. And continues on his way.

Guy works at the bank. Goes through his routine. He seems content. Not thinking about much. BLAM-BLAM!

Guy starts to get down on the ground as The Robber walks over to his station.

Guy finds a shotgun in his face. Looks up and sees --

-- THE ROBBER IS MILLIE!

She wields a shotgun and wears the sunglasses -- only now she looks more like her real self. Shorter. No enhancements.

Guy looks over at Buddy, nervous.

Guy gets up and starts collecting money.

She sticks the shotgun in his neck and he abides.

THE BANK ALARM SOUNDS.

WHUNK! Millie kicks the doors open and leads Guy out of the bank. A COOL MUSCLE CAR is waiting for them out front.She escorts Guy into the passenger seat.

She gives him a look.

She hops in the car. POLICE SIRENS ECHO in the distance.

She holds up a pair of sunglasses for him.

She COCKS THE SHOTGUN and he immediately puts them on.

Guy sees all the STATS. He’s surprised, confused. Takes them back off.

A COP CAR pulls around the corner and she SPEEDS AWAY.Guy tries them on again.

She points at the COUNTDOWN CLOCK: “45 Minutes. 32 Seconds.”

Guy tugs on the locked door handle, frantic.

Antwan is giving an interview to the HOST FROM GAMERZ in front of ROWS OF SERVERS at their facility.

Punit stands off camera, gets his attention. Antwan blanches.

Punit and Gareth walk him through the situation on a laptop.

Antwan squints at Millie driving Guy on the monitor. Wonders. He recognizes her. Couldn’t be.

Millie pulls up to the MAIN GATE of an EXACT REPLICA OF SOONAMI’S OFFICE PARK - on the outskirts of Free City.

Checks the address on the delivery slip Guy gave her earlier.

She steps on the gas and plows through the gates.

They barrel up the driveway as GUARDS descend on them.

She lets go and he grabs the wheel. She takes out two UZIs and blows away a bunch of SECURITY GUARDS.

Within seconds, she’s taken out every last one of them.Guy crashes the car into a BIG FOUNTAIN. Water spews all around.

She hands him a piece of paper. He examines the slip.

She looks for any glimmer of recognition in his eyes.They slow down when they reach the space.

A BLUE BUGATTI. Identical to Antwan’s.

THUNK! She jams a screwdriver in it and Jimmy’s the trunk.

CA-CHUNK! The trunk pops open and there it is:

THE BRIEFCASE.

Made of titanium with A STRANGE LOCK SYSTEM on it. Millie marvels at it. She’s been looking for this for so long.She hands it to Guy.

Millie is crestfallen.

COP CARS burst through the gates. These are the last moments she’s ever gonna have with Guy.

She can’t find the words.

SHE KISSES HIM.

He tries to pull away and she puts a gun in his neck.He relents and lets her kiss him. Then something clicks and --

-- he starts kissing her back! The fountain spews a plume of water over their heads in the background.

BRRRRRRRUP! Everything comes flooding back to Guy at once. Full memory download hits him like a ton of bricks.

He breaks from the kiss and looks at her. She looks back at him, scared. Vulnerable. After a long beat --

The cops are speeding across the parking lot.

She points to THE BIG SCREEN in Free City Square as it ticks down the minutes.

MILLIE’S IMAGE STARTS TO DIGITIZE.

She fades away into thin air. Her name remains for a moment, floating in a red font with the word--

“DISCONNECTED”.

Guy has to think fast. Looks at the briefcase and it has a strange lock system: A BUNCH OF WEIRD BLACK AND RED BUTTONS.

He tries to unlock it to no avail.

Antwan and Gareth watch Guy struggle with the case.

Guy struggles with the briefcase when --

-- AN OLD LADY walks up from around a corner.

When she gets an evil look on her face. Strikes a stance.

SHE ATTACKS GUY like an MMA Fighter. Nails him with a roundhouse kick and beats him up.

He fends her off and runs for his life only to run into:

A MOTHER PUSHING A BABY STROLLER. Guy relaxes until --

-- A TODDLER sits up.

The Toddler pulls out an UZI and FIRES at Guy who dives out of the way, but not before he’s CLIPPED IN THE SHOULDER.

Guy runs for the exit only to see:

HORDES OF COPS.

THOUSANDS UPON THOUSANDS OF THEM climbing the walls and closing in around him like a noose.

Guy doesn’t have many options left. He runs through the rows of cars and scrambles underneath one, trying to hide.

Millie dashes out of her house and hops in her car.

Frazzled, she backs over the mailbox and peels out.

Antwan types furiously on his laptop. Searches for Guy in the parking lot.

Guy hides underneath a car trying to open the briefcase. Mashing buttons randomly.

He smacks the pavement, frustrated and, perfectly timed...

A THUNDERCLAP ECHOES. He looks up at:

FAST-FORMING STORM CLOUDS OVERHEAD.

THUNK! THUNK-THUNK-THUNK! Giant balls pound the cars, smash windshields and cover the parking lot. Guy grabs one and sees what they really are.

IT’S HAILING GRENADES. Before Guy can react --

-- KABOOM! The parking lot is blown to kingdom come.

Antwan sits back. Satisfied. But there is no applause from the programmers. Even Punit and Gareth feel bad for Guy.

The dust settles after the big explosion. The lot is eerily quiet. Until we see --

Guy crawl out from under the car! He pulls himself up into a half-charred convertible and rests. He’s dying. Mangled.

Guy resigns himself to die when he accidentally brushes a button on the steering wheel and --

-- THE RADIO TURNS ON. It’s playing A FAMILIAR SONG.

He reacts. It’s a song we remember from earlier. The song from the FITNESS VIDEO. Guy sings along the way he has a million times.

He laughs to himself but it hurts to move. Suddenly has a thought. Looks at the briefcase’s lock system and realizes:

IT’S A CONTROL PAD.

Antwan realizes what he’s doing.

Guy pushes buttons on the briefcase in the exact sequence of the routine that he has dialed into memory.

And with that --

BAWWWWWWWWWWONGGGGG! Reality freezes.

Guy is instantly healed. Immaculate. Glowing. The sunglasses are gone.

Reborn, he rises up out of the ashes of the wreckage and floats ten feet off the ground.

A CROWD OF NPCS watches him in awe.

Mac is among them, still clean cut -- but he gets a wild gleam in his eye.

Guy motions his hand at the next wave of cops and they all go flying away like rag dolls.

He swipes his hand gently across his field of vision, and all the destruction reverts back to normal. Charred cars return to their original state. The fountain is repaired.

Next Guy looks to the sky and SNAPS HIS FINGERS.

ALL ELECTRICITY at Soonami Headquarters shuts down.

Antwan struggles in vain to turn on his computer.

KABOOM! His computer explodes. He runs over to another and BLAP! The screen cracks and smoke pours from its drive.

Punit watches amazed.

Antwan looks around, stunned.

A SINGLE MONITOR BLINKS ON. Guy is on the screen, looking back -- as if he can see him.

Antwan notices one other light on down the hall...

THE LIGHTS ON THE SERVERS are blinking like crazy. Working overtime. Antwan gets an idea.

He charges out of the office and his cronies follow.

Millie pulls up in her Honda at the Soonami HQ Main Gate. The Guard stops her.

DING! THE GATE RAISES and Millie punches through. The Guard reacts, amazed. Runs after her and -- the gate slams down in his face. Guy is helping her out on the other side.

The offices are dark, but MONITORS BLINK ON with the same image of Guy as Antwan passes each one.

Antwan yells at the screens.

Antwan runs into the warehouse with racks of servers.The programmers close behind. Antwan finds what he’s looking for:

A PLUG that powers the first rack of servers. Punit and Gareth realize what he’s doing and tries to hold him back.

Antwan pulls out a pocketknife, cuts a server cord and --

An entire city block vanishes out of clean air. NPCs freak out and run SCREAMING.

Antwan tosses the cut plug and reaches for the next one.

GUY POPS on Antwan’s smart watch.

Antwan cuts the next plug and the block behind Guy disappears. More screams and chaos in Free City.

Antwan cuts another server plug. Another block disappears. People are starting to crowd around Guy.

Antwan cuts another plug and now --

Everyone we have met along the way is crowded around Guy on --

THE LAST REMAINING BLOCK OF FREE CITY.

A CUBED ISLAND floating in a sea of nothingness.

Buddy, Mac, Beauty, the bank employees, the barista, the softball team. They are huddled together and scared.

Guy remains composed. Serene. Accepting his fate.

Antwan looks back at them from the big screen.

Antwan SMASHES his watch. He reaches for the final cord. Holds a blade to it and --

-- Antwan freezes. Turns around and sees Millie.

She walks up to him, but she isn’t sheepish. She’s filled with clarity and confidence.

A tear rolls down her cheek. Antwan is conflicted.

She HOLDS UP HER PHONE.

Guy is there with the other remaining NPCs in Free City.On the final floating block of land left in their dimension.

Millie, Punit, Gareth and all the programmers are now in the Server Warehouse, looking at Antwan like he’s crazy.

Antwan catches a reflection of himself in the broken screen and after a tense moment --

-- Antwan drops the plug. Takes her phone and talks to Guy.

Antwan looks around and sees every programmer watching him. Some of them are filming him. Broadcasting him out to websites around the globe.

As Antwan considers it we PULL BACK and float out of SOONAMI’S OFFICE PARK and TILT UP TOWARDS THE SUN.

THE SUN beams down on Free City. It is now fully formed again and hums with life on a partly cloudy day.

The graphics seem better. Hyper real. People go about their days, peaceful. Without incident.

Guy wakes up in bed, groggy. We’re not sure what happened. If he’s been rebooted. When he looks over and--

Millie is lying in bed next to him. He watches her sleep, entranced, as she slowly wakes up.

He kisses her. They feel like a regular couple in love.

We see that he has a BIGGER, NICER apartment now.

Guy and Millie walk with Frappuccinos. Guy likes his.

BUDDY almost runs them over on a bike. His helmet twisted sideways on his head.

ON THE CORNER

They stop and we see that Mac isn’t homeless, anymore.He’s normally dressed and handing out FLYERS.

He’s handing out FLYERS for a game called “SOVEREIGN CITY.”

They read the flyer, impressed.

Punit and Gareth walk up. Check out his flyers.

A MONSTROUS CRY echoes in the distance.

The ground RUMBLES, people start running for their lives as --

-- A GIANT DRAGON emerges from behind a building. It looks down at them, lurches forward and opens its mouth.

Guy grabs Millie’s hand and they all duck out of the way as the screen is consumed in a PLUME OF FIRE.