Sons of Darkness: 12 Years Later

Rob Smith

New member
Appreciate all the feedback...

G-man - great thoughts. Thank you.

Agentsands - mate, there's tons of rational reasoning at work here... I think your bias is starting to show.

How many people do you think read that LA times article alone in the last 8 months? What? A few hundred thousand at least. So the title of my script is part of the collective consciousness these days.

I'm not suggesting in anyway that my stunt rocked the world... but it could have easily left an impression on Lucas, as it left an impression on so many others over the years. Look at the view count for this thread alone... 1500 in the last 96 hours. The stunt may not have been all that as you say... but it certainly didn't fall on deaf ears.

I don't think there's anything wrong with your logic. In fact, I appreciate it. But with all due respect... I think your points are moot. Why? Because your underlining argument is "Why on Earth would Lucas have read your script?"

Well, I think I have presented sufficient evidence here to support my argument - that Lucas read my script - and it's no more or no less valid as your opposing viewpoint.
 

Rob Smith

New member
Unclean Son Ressurection scene:

INT. CRYPTIC CHAMBER

VLADIMIROV looks priestly, all decked out in his robe. He
gently lifts out the skull from a cloth shoulder bag and steps
to the upright casket.

VLADIMIROV parts the lid and stares up in reverence at the
headless skeleton.

VLADIMIROV
Behold Abner...

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"SONS OF DARKNESS" 02/04/97 150.



The little boy is pressed into a corner, weeping, scared.

VLADIMIROV (CONT'D)
...a creation 3 millennia in the making.
Comprised of some of the world's most
fearsome men...ruthless...savage
...decadent men.

VLADIMIROV points to areas of the skeleton --

VLADIMIROV (CONT'D)
The feet: Caligula...the legs: Napoleon.
Spine: Genghis Khan. Ribcage: Attila
The Hun. Shoulders: Herod. Arms and
hands: Hitler. And the crowning
glory...

VLADIMIROV sets the skull down on the spine. The skull stays
magically perched as VLADIMIROV'S hands move away.
(emphasis mine)
VLADIMIROV (CONT'D)
...the Unclean Son.

-----------------------------------

INT. CRYPTIC CHAMBER

VLADIMIROV'S chanting is affecting the skeleton: it rattles
nosily.

THEN, HORRIBLY, TENDONS, MUSCLES, ORGANS BEGIN TO TAKE SHAPE, GROWING, REACHING OUT TO THE BONES.

----------------------------------

INT. CHAMBER

As VLADIMIROV, panicking, digs in his robe for the live
dynamite stick.

VLADIMIROV finds the stick and pulls it out -- the dynamite
is just seconds away from detonating.

VLADIMIROV flings the stick away in a rush to get rid of it.

At which point the big Russian screams like a woman when he
sees where he has thrown the dynamite stick --

The live stick lands with a clunk inside the casket -- JUST
AS THE EYES OF THE UNCLEAN SON SNAP OPEN.

----------------------------------------

Note: well, I certainly wouldn't take it to the supreme court... but isn't the Alien Resurrection scene in KOTCS a bit similar? Right down to the skull magically staying perched atop its skeleton. Yes, most of you are saying it's purely coincidental, but I say it deserves closer scrutiny to some degree.

And here's how SOD opens:

FROM THE OLD PARAMOUNT PICTURES LOGO,

MATCH DISSOLVE TO:

A mound of sand in the shape of the logo's mountain peak. On the mound's summit, a child's bronze-skinned hand places a large piece of dried-out wood.
 

Rob Smith

New member
Sidenote...

Tell me... why do all those alien skeletons combine and become one fleshy being -- whose eyes then snap open in big close-up before the Soviet baddie.

Why didn't all the aliens just regenerate as individuals? Why did they combine to form one being... or... dare I say it... the Unclean Son.

Is it a stretch? You tell me.
 

Peacock's-Eye

New member
Rob Smith said:
Tell me... why do all those alien skeletons combine and become one fleshy being -- whose eyes then snap open in big close-up before the Soviet baddie.

Why didn't all the aliens just regenerate as individuals? Why did they combine to form one being... or... dare I say it... the Unclean Son.

Is it a stretch? You tell me.

With all due respect, you've stated your case, and the majority of the people on this forum disagree with you. It's not going to help your case to just keep repeating it. The fact is, we'll never know. Let your work speak for itself.
 

Rob Smith

New member
Wise words Peacock...

But I don't see their relevance here...

Do you speak for the 1600 people who have viewed this thread? I don't think so. There are only a handful of people actually engaged in debate here and I'm simply counter-pointing and presenting my case. So... mate... I'm sorry I hurt your feelings but don't presume to lecture me or advise me. You've stated your position and it's clear where you stand.

So thank you for your insight and wise words. But I can take it from here.
 

agentsands77

New member
Rob Smith said:
Do you speak for the 1600 people who have viewed this thread?
I hate to break it to you, but 1600 views doesn't equal an audience of 1600 individuals, since most of those views come from people revisiting the thread multiple times.
 

Rob Smith

New member
Let the nitpicking begin...

I suppose we've reached the point where nitpicking begins and lucid logical debate stops. What's next? Name calling? Sticks and stones?

Let me nip this in the bud right here. Please respect my right to speak my mind in a public forum and without the burden of prejudice, malice, or ill-will. I'm not here to insult, provoke, or belittle anyone. I am here for open and honest debate and presenting my case the best way I know how.
 

Rob Smith

New member
Wow...

Fanwork has really come of age in the last 12 years... was just checking out the Francasanova thread... his new Indy fanfilm trailer... great looking stuff, and I thought I was obsessive.

It's incredible the amount of fanwork today -- the Internet is a virtual bill board for Lucasfilm products. Lucas finally realized he only benefits from the fanwork, or the exposure.

Today we find him at ease with fanwork and actually encouraging it.

Maybe I just caught him at a bad time.

;)
 

Dust McAlan

New member
There is nothing new under the son.

There are coincidences aplenty, sure, but the truth of the matter is that no idea is a truly original one. It's all in how it's presented and told. That's it.

That being said, as much as it makes me grit my teeth, I'm continuing to write the novel featuring a skull of iron which belongs to an ancient race of man. Probably will feel backlash that it "borrowed" from Crystal Skull, but now at least I might see comparisons to SONS OF DARKNESS as well.
 

Rob Smith

New member
First cease-and-desist order...

Found this among my old email, and thought I'd share it just for sh1ts and giggles:

Priority: urgent
Date: Thu, 30 May 1996 13:23:00 -0700
From: Bob Roden
Subject: Copyright Infringement
To: (removed to protect the innocent)

May 30, 1996

Re: Copyright Infringement

Dear Mr. (removed to protect the innocent):

It has come to our attention that you have posted on your Internet web
site and made publicly available a script which is purported to be for an
upcoming Indiana Jones motion picture and is purported to have been
stolen from Lucasfilm Ltd.

Please be advised that all copyright, trademark and other rights relating
to the Indiana Jones property in general and any such script in
particular are the exclusive proprietary property of Lucasfilm Ltd.
Please be advised further that your unauthorized display and
distribution of any such property violates both state and federal laws
and may subject you to criminal and/or civil liability.

By this letter Lucasfilm Ltd. hereby demands that you immediately cease
and desist from making the above-mentioned script or any other property
of Lucasfilm Ltd. available publicly or privately on your Internet web
site or through any other means. Without limiting the generality of the
foregoing, Lucasfilm Ltd. hereby demands that you immediately remove the
script from your Internet web site and destroy all copies of the script
in your possession or control. Lucasfilm Ltd. also demands that you
confirm in writing, no later than two (2) days from the date of this
letter, that you will cease and desist from all such activity and will
comply with each and every demand stated in this letter.

Finally, Lucasfilm Ltd. further demands that you supply us with the
following information and materials, together with the foregoing
confirmation:

1. the name, address, telephone number and email address of every person
or entity from which you obtained a copy of the above-mentioned script or
who may have knowledge of how and by whom the script was obtained;

2. the name, address, telephone number and email address of every person
or entity to whom you have delivered a copy of the above-mentioned
script;

3. a complete written account of how you came into possession of the
above-mentioned script and how and why you decided to make the script
publicly available on your Internet web site.

This shall not be deemed a waiver of any claims at law or in equity which
Lucasfilm Ltd. or any of its affiliated persons or entities may have
against any party with respect to the foregoing. We will expect to
receive your prompt response as set forth above.

Very truly yours,

Robert S. Roden
General Counsel
and Director of Business Affairs
 

Rob Smith

New member
My letter to Roden...

Here's what I wrote back before I received the official agreement, which wanted me to sign over the rights to my screenplay, but at this early stage I was just making amends:

June 19, 1996

Mr. Robert S. Roden
General Counsel
and Director of Business Affairs

Subject: my full co-operation

Dear Mr. Roden,

I spoke with RCMP constable John Oke and I assured him that I will
make every effort to assist Lucasfilm in removing my counterfeit
screenplay from all known websites. I also assured the constable of my
promise to cease and desist from all activity related to the promoting
of the screenplay. At this time I am aware of only two other sites which
have the script posted. One is in Germany and it is called "Indiana
Jones and the Secrets of the Internet." There you will find the script
in the screenplay section of the site, indicated by a :) (happy face).
The second location for the script is on USENET itself, posted in a
number of segments (73 I believe). The article is titled INDY 4 SCRIPT:
HERE IT IS and was posted by SomeGuy (I assure you it wasn't me).

Again, my sincere apologies to you and Mr. Lucas. I hope I haven't
caused either of you undue stress and/or sleepless nights. If so, then
it is my hope that you will find vengeance in knowing that I too spent many
nights awake.

To reiterate, my stunt, though reckless, was not a malicious or
malcontent act. The "why" of posting the script all boils down to one
very simple explanation: I wanted Lucasfilm to read it. I took the rather
unorthodox approach because all other means of submitting the script
had failed. The screenplay represents a year and a half of my life and
went out attached with my fondest and deepest admiration for the Indiana
Jones series. It is my hope now that Mr. Lucas will recognize the raw
talent shown in the script and allow me to someday darken his doorstep
again.

If I can be of any further assistance please let me know.

Your respectfully,

Robert F.M. Smith
 

Rob Smith

New member
Email to a friend about the ordeal ...

Dateline: Tuesday 18, 1996.

I get a message on my machine from Brian telling me that an RCMP constable paid him a visit. The constable was there at the request of Lucasfilm to investigate the matter of copyright infringement and why Brian had not complied with orders to cease and desist from making the script available over the web. To make a long story short, the constable ended up taking a liking to Brian (bri can really put on the charm when he has to) and assured him that his visit was just a formality. Fortunately, I had instructed Brian to shut down the website so when the constable showed up it was off-line and looked good on Brian. Naturally, Brian ratted me out (I won't be involving him in anymore illegal activity) and explained that the script was written by his
screenwriting friend as a publicity stunt. At that moment I became obligated to give the constable a call.

Dateline: Wednesday 19, 1996.

I called the constable at the Federal Enforcement Section of the RCMP and,
well at first very formal and authoritative, the constable eventually warmed up to me and sympathized with my predicament (I can put on the charm when I have to as well). I had a good conversation with the constable and he assured me he would be recommending in his report that Lucasfilm not proceed with criminal charges. Coincidentally, the constable has dealt with Robert Roden in the past and has a good working relationship with him. It doesn't guarantee Lucasfilm won't pursue criminal charges, but the constable's rapport and recommendation make the possibility of legal action remote.

Amazingly enough, the constable actually complimented me on the script. He only had the chance to read 30 pages or so but was impressed by what he read. Our conversation ended on a cordial note and when I asked the constable if ever I needed to research the RCMP for a script would he be available ... and to my surprise he readily agreed to be of assistance when the time comes.

Neat, huh?
 

Dr. Mulbray

New member
Don´t you realise? If you only said "Hello, my name is Rob Smith and here is my fanfic script", Lucasfilm wouldn´t have had any trouble with you. I think they start concerning at the moment that you claimed to have a stolen property from them.
 

Rob Smith

New member
I tried that...

In the beginning, I called Lucasfilm and spoke directly to Lucas' assistant about my spec script but was told Lucas was on hiatus writing the new Star Wars film, and that Lucasfilm doesn't accept unsolicited material. The usual, in other words.

Hope that explains things better.
 

Rob Smith

New member
Darabont Indy 4 script...

I just started reading Darabont's script... funny... it uses the same match dissolve (the mountain motif) as the trilogy 20 years ago:

FADE IN:

THE PARAMOUNT LOGO​

A DISSOLVE transforms the mountain into...

EXT. DESERT - DAY

...a REAL MOUNTAIN in a parched land.

------------

That was copied from the 2003 draft. No sign of a mound of sand. What does that suggest? Well... it's clear Lucas wasn't thinking about mounds of sand in 2003... so somewhere along the development of the screenplay a mound of sand was introduced. Was it pre the Koepp draft? And I wonder if the Koepp draft includes the mound of sand opening from the film. Suppose I'll just have to wait until the Koepp draft is leaked.
 

Rob Smith

New member
Dream Cloud...

The Dream Cloud scene in Darabont's script is reminiscent of my "360 degree projection of the mind" scene, where in Indy is mentally suspended in space and forced to witness God's destruction of Earth.

Interesting...
 

Rob Smith

New member
More email...

Here's an email to my partner in crime about setting up the stunt:

From robsmith Wed May 22 08:40:24 1996
Subject: My Indy script
To: (removed to protect the innocent)
Date: Wed, 22 May 1996 08:40:24 -0400 (EDT)


Hey, buster brown, I've been thinking a lot about that hoax-a-ma-thingy I'd like to set up to promote my Indiana Jones script. You know, the one where I post it on the net claiming it as the official Indy 4 screenplay snatched from a secretary's desk at LucasFilm? Yeah, that one. What say we set that up, daddy-o? What do you require from me to implement such a site, which would obviously contain the entire script? The plan is to post the web address on specific sites and start a reading frenzy. Then a couple months down the road I will announce to the world that I wrote the script. I was thinking we could include a subtle hypertext link within the script document that, when clicked on, would take the reader to a page which would hint at the true author's identity. With any luck the big man himself will get wind of the site and investigate. I see it going one of two ways: either he'll be impressed by the nerve and ingenuity or he'll be pissed and I'll get a nasty call from his lawyers. But either way I get noticed. And isn't that half the battle won? Besides, what do I have to lose? Money, reputation -- I have neither!

Need input,

Rob.
 

Rob Smith

New member
Signing off?

Life and career are calling Indy fans. I appreciate all your patience and tolerance over the last week. Hope you've enjoyed this little trip down publicity stunt lane. Most likely we'll never know if Lucas paid tribute to SOD.

But I'm not bitter. In fact, I'm richer for the experience. True, I didn't get to write an official Indy movie? but I did pen an unofficial one, and it did travel the globe via cyberspace and is now a permanent fixture of Indy lore. It wasn't the gold I wanted? but it's something to celebrate nonetheless.

Over a decade ago I managed to rattle the corporate cage and force a movie icon to take notice of me, if only for a heartbeat. Some people liked my script, some people hated it, but there was never any shortage of opinions.

Hope at the very least I raised your curiosity and provided some food for thought.

Thank you so much for all your great feedback and continued interest in my little misadventure 12 years ago.

Humbly yours,

Rob Smith

Toronto, Canada
 

Peacock's-Eye

New member
Rob Smith said:
The Dream Cloud scene in Darabont's script is reminiscent of my "360 degree projection of the mind" scene, where in Indy is mentally suspended in space and forced to witness God's destruction of Earth.

Interesting...

Curiously, there's a scene similar to both in Rob McGregor's 1990 novel: "Indiana Jones & the Peril At Delphi." Check it out!
 
Top