A Wannabe

By
Zachary Kingham-Seagle
 FADE IN
1 EXT. SIDEWALK - NIGHT 1
Rain PATTERS on an UMBRELLA.

A child, YOUNG LOUIE, weeps into his MOTHER’s pants and

sirens blink blue and red.
An OFFICER hands Louie a pair of SUNGLASSES. The SOUNDS of
the rain mingle with television STATIC and the SOUNDS of
ENTER THE DRAGON.
2 INT. APARTMENT - NIGHT 2
VOICE OF BRUCE LEE
Don’t think FEEEEEL....

The pair of SUNGLASSES sit on a couch. Louie, in a bladed

kung fu stance, stands in front of his couch mouthing the
sound effects of Bruce Lee in action. Louie’s eyes dance in
the artificial light of the display as he attacks the air.

YOUNG LOUIE
Hiyah!
3 INT./EXT. APARTMENT - EVENING 3
VOICE OF BRUCE LEE
... even when you’re bowing.
The film continues as LOUIE (28), stands posed - ready to
strike.
Little eyes peak thru Louie’s blinds as Louie deftly moves
thru a series of techniques, always making the sound effects
of the martial arts film.
A kid, ALEX, peaks thru Louie’s window watching Louie
practice his art. Louie notices Alex, so Alex runs.

Louie opens his door and steps outside, letting the sounds
of Lee into the open air. He watches as Alex runs along the
jagged corner of the square shaped complex and down to the
floor below into his grandfather’s apartment.

Outside Alex’s apartment, Alex’s grandfather, BAO, argues

with several MEN who disperse when Louie looks towards them.
Louie walks back into his apartment where on the TV Bruce
Lee fights off several men.
 2.

Louie watches out his window as the men walk thru the
concrete center of the apartment complex. Bruce Lee finishes
off several men on the TV behind Louie.
4 EXT. SCHOOL - DAY 4

Alex looks up at several larger kids, BULLIES.

BULLY 1
Alex.

The bully smacks Alex.

BULLY 2
Chubby cheeks, gonna go home to his
mommy?

The bully pinches Alex’s cheek. Alex shoves his hand away,
so the bullies start punching and kicking Alex.
5 INT. CASTING OFFICE - DAY 5

Louie looks around at different martial arts film POSTERS in

a waiting room. A POSTER of Bruce Lee with aviators stands
out. Louie looks down and then puts on his own SUNGLASSES. A
WOMAN walks out a of room.
WOMAN
They’re ready for you.
Louie gets up and goes to a MIRROR, adjusts his glasses and
walks into a room with a sign, which reads: FLYING NINJAS
II.

6 EXT. SIDEWALK - DAY 6

Alex walks home with a busted eye. He sniffles. He goes
inside, the interior of his grandfather’s apartment is
distinguishable by layers of TRADITIONAL CHINESE ART.

7 INT. STUDIO SPACE - DAY 7

Louie and a friend, BRENT, coordinate a fight scene.
BRENT
When do you find out?

LOUIE
They said soon. I guess we’ll have
to see.

They go thru a series of moves before Louie scrunches up his

mouth and makes a sound as he kicks Brent.

(CONTINUED)
 CONTINUED: 3.

LOUIE
Hooo.
BRENT
Dude, dude, dude.

The pair stop for a second.

BRENT
Your white.

LOUIE
It’s more fun if you make the sound
effects.
BRENT
Bro, it’s not cool. If you want
this gig you need to change with
the times. Those kind of sound
effects are antiquated and racially
insensitive.
Everything appears to close in on Louie as Brent speaks and
his voice begins to sound distant.
BRENT CONT’D
Your style is out of date too bro.
You really need to incorporate more
Muay Thai into your style.

Louie is somewhere else as the ECHOS of his favorite films

play in his head. BRUCE LEE’s voice can be heard.
VOICE OF BRUCE LEE
This is what it is okay...

8 EXT. APARTMENT - EVENING 8

VOICE OF BRUCE LEE
... be water my friend.

Louie walks into the apartment complex, headphones in, and

sees Alex looking down at him. They lock eyes, Louie notices
Alex’s busted eye, and Alex flees to his grandfather’s
apartment.

9 INT. APARTMENT - NIGHT 9

Alex sits in his house, but hears a commotion outside. Louie
is practicing his art in the courtyard below. Other
neighbors watch from their apartments above. Bao YELLS on
the phone behind Alex.

(CONTINUED)
 CONTINUED: 4.

BAO
(chinese)
I will not give you that amount of
money.

Bao walks into the room and towards his grandson. He looks
outside and waves Alex towards Louie.
BAO
(chinese)
Go, learn to defend yourself.

ALEX
(chinese)
Why were you yelling?
Bao waves Alex off.

10 EXT. APARTMENT COMPLEX - NIGHT 10

Louie practices his art in the middle of the apartment
complex. Alex comes out of his apartment and down to Louie.

LOUIE
What happened to your eye?
ALEX
I fell.

Louie nods.
LOUIE
Do you want to learn Kung Fu?
Alex nods.

LOUIE
Stand like this.
The pair get into bladed stances.

LOUIE
Good, good.
(beat)
Now.

MONTAGE:
- Louie brings Alex through a sequence of moves. It’s all
very wax on, wax off.
- Alex’s grandfather watches from the balcony above. He
gives Louie a thumbs up.

(CONTINUED)
 CONTINUED: 5.

- Louie hands Alex a copy of ENTER THE DRAGON.

- Alex watches Enter the Dragon, the bright lights filling
his eyes. Alex stands, his face contorts as he makes the
sound effects. He chops the air like Bruce Lee.

- Alex and Louie train day in and day out, we see them with
bandanas around their heads, chopping the air, and it’s
always clear they are making the sound effects.
- Alex eats tons of food.

- Alex trains, does push ups, strikes the air.

- Both watch Bruce Lee films.
- Louie is on set and in the studio battling with Brent.

11 INT. STUDIO SPACE - DAY 11

Louie sits on the phone, breathing heavy after a long
workout with Brent.

LOUIE
Alright will do.
(beat)
I’ll be there.
Louie clicks off the phone. He’s excited and smiles at
Brent.
12 EXT. SCHOOL - DAY 12
Alex sports a pair of sunglasses as several bullies approach
him.

BULLY 1
Hey Alex, my mom wants her glasses
back.
The others snicker along as they massage their knuckles for
combat. Alex adjusts his shades as he preps for battle.
13 FLASHBACK 13
Alex and Louie take a breather in between fighting. Alex
looks at Louie’s sunglasses.
ALEX
Where’d you get them?
Louie adjusts his shades.

(CONTINUED)
 CONTINUED: 6.

LOUIE
Someone close to me.
(beat)
They said they were Bruce Lee’s.
(beat)
One day they’ll be yours.
Back at his apartment Alex picks up a pair of old mom
sunglasses and adjusts them in the mirror. He poses, just
like Bruce Lee and Louie.

Louie stands (slo-mo) shades on, a bad ass, in Alex’s

memory.
14 EXT. SCHOOL - DAY CONTINUOUS 14
Alex finishes off the last of the bullies, his shades askew,
he fixes them and walks on. The bullies grumble in anguish.
15 INT. APARTMENT - DAY 15
Alex sits watching another Bruce Lee film, his grandfather
yelling on the phone in the other room.

16 INT. CASTING OFFICE - DAY 16

Louie adjusts his sunglasses in a mirror before walking into
an executive’s office.

17 INT. EXECUTIVE OFFICE - DAY CONTINUOUS 17

Louie sits in an executive’s office. THE EXECUTIVE walks in.
EXECUTIVE
Thanks for coming today, but I just
wanted to tell you that we were
really impressed by your work, but
we’re going to have to go with
someone else.

The words grow distant as the world closes in on Louie’s

dreams.
18 EXT. EXECUTIVE OFFICE - DAY 18
Louie looks down at his watch, he’s running late for his
daily training with Alex, so he grabs a cab. Off in the
distance storm clouds gather.
 7.

19 INT. APARTMENT - EVENING 19

Alex waits outside his apartment for Louie. The men from
earlier move towards his apartment and Alex tries to stop
them in his bladed stance, but they push him aside. His
glasses shatter. The men break open the apartment door and
go inside. They throw things to the floor and grab Bao.
20 EXT. TRAFFIC - EVENING 20
Louie looks at his watch again and the traffic ahead. He
gets out of the cab and starts walking. A storm closes in on
the apartment complex.
21 EXT. APARTMENT COMPLEX - EVENING 21
Louie enters into the apartment complex and hears YELLING
from Alex’s apartment - the door is wide open and Alex is
lying on the floor.
SERIES OF SHOTS:
- Louie races up the stairs and as he moves towards Alex’s
apartment several men strut out towards Louie.
- Flashes of police lights enter Louie’s vision. He
breathes, pulls off his sunglasses and enters his bladed
stance.

- Louie begins to use his techniques in a drawn out

skirmish. Louie hits one, but is gut checked by another.
- Flashes of Louie as a kid watching police officers outside
his house, him huddled against his mother crying.

- He hits one man away and begins punching another man. They
keep coming and one of them pulls a knife, then stabs Louie.
- He flashes back again. Little Louie is screaming silently
at something. Now Alex is screaming.

- Louie pushes the man back and thus the knife goes with
him. Louie dodges several knife strikes and hits the man
again. It begins to rain.
- The men land more frequently on Louie, who retreats to the
concrete yard. He flashes back and forth between reality and
the past. He’s stabbed several more times as a little Louie
holds his dying father. There’s a flash of his father with
aviators on. Alex climbs down the steps, crying.
- In one final push Louie hits the attackers with a series
of moves and they go fleeing, broken bones and all.

(CONTINUED)
CONTINUED: 8.

Louie looks up at the rain and blood pours out of his sides.
He falls first to his knees and then lays down. Alex runs
over to him, crying.
ALEX
(dubbed)
Why were you late?
LOUIE
(dubbed)
I’m sorry.

Flashing lights of red and blue.

Louie picks up his aviators and hands them to Alex.
LOUIE
(dubbed)
Be water my friend.
FADE OUT