Isn't Timing Everything?
Developing a TV Series in 2018 that Never Went Anywhere. Today, it Could Be a Hot Property
Thomas J. Madden, Chairman and CEO, Transmedia Group
Exactly two years ago this month, I was developing a TV Series titled “XtraTerresla.” I asked back then in my blog, MaddenMischief, if you can tell by the title what it’s about. Don’t worry, it’s copyrighted, I said. So, I asked my blog followers to take a guess saying winners would receive a special invitation to the series world premiere.
I gave three choices. Is the property being developed: 1, 2 or 3?
1) The Illegal Alien Immigrant
The series set in California is about an illegal alien immigrant from outer space who tries to blend in with the general population, but ICE is suspicious and on his trail. Meanwhile local authorities are determined to protect him, no matter how bulging his eyes and oddly shaped his head.
The city mayor who resembles Elizabeth Warren will do anything to shield him from law enforcement no matter what his peculiarities or mission. No one knows he possesses the power to destroy our planet. No, he’s not a liberal or a conservative. Just a curious and resourceful alien who got across the barrier of seething radiation surrounding earth called the Terresla wall, which up until now have prevented the fastest, most energetic electrons from reaching us earthlings. But for this cagey illegal immigrant, scaling the wall was a piece of cake.
2) Cowboys Rounding up Those Mean Cars in Texas
The series is set in Texas and the main character is based on Tesla founder and entrepreneur Elon Musk, who’s determined to build his Terresla electric cars in the heart of oil and gas country where the energy barons would like nothing more than to string him up for manufacturing his impudent gasless autos right in their face. There is a saboteur within the Musk character’s company who is sabotaging the operation and there’s even a plot afoot to murder Musk and make it appear like suicide.
The Musk character’s ex-wife and his lawyer, Peter Ticktin, are doing their best to persuade him to stop being so arrogant and rough talking with ranchers and cowboys about how he intends to put their gas guzzlers out of business and they’re urging him to move his operation to sunnier, more liberal California.
3) Secret CyberCell in Norway
The series is set in the picturesque Norway village called Grimstad where Russian’s have secretly set up an underground command center for the cell known as Terresla. The cell is directing cyberattacks interfering with political elections in a number of countries, of which the most aggressively and vehemently targeted is the United States. In this small town of Grimstad, the Russians are also developing more deadly nerve agents to take out the wealthiest, most powerful supporters of candidates whom Russia wants to see defeated in Presidential elections worldwide. The FBI agent in charge of rooting out this Russian collusion between corrupt city officials and Chinese and Russian hackers and cyber terrorists living in disguise in Grimstad is a tall, lanky figure resembling James Comey. The villain in the series is a two-faced character resembling Justin Trudeau, who’ll stab anyone in the back to advance his goal of destroying democracies and free trade.
Results: While #2 was the correct answer, no one got it right! I stopped promoting it and turned to other projects. Now news broke today ironically, about Tesla opening a plant in Texas. Does this not make me prescient? Does this now make this concept a much hotter property?
Huh, Mr. Musk? Huh Hollywood.
