narrative - Thought Leaders
Narrative Feature
Title: Thought Leaders
Page Count: 115 pages
Project Status: In Development
Logline
After a falling-out with his boss, Andy agrees to watch her 12 year old son Noah for two weeks, only to discover an unsettling truth: Noah has been possessed by the spirit of his serial killer grandfather...and it's Andy's fault! Can Andy save Noah before it's too late -- and keep his dream job in the process?
Synopsis
ANDY is the ghostwriter to CAMPBELL, a corporate speaker with an incredible life story: her father GORDON was a serial killer. Campbell has closed a deal for a memoir, and it’s Andy’s dream to ghostwrite it. But she’s meeting with established ghostwriters, and Andy’s too anxious to ask to be considered.
When Campbell goes out of town on a three-week speaking tour, her 12 year old son NOAH’s nanny unexpectedly quits. Hoping to suck up to Campbell, Andy offers to babysit Noah. But this puts another relationship in jeopardy when he is forced to cancel important plans with his girlfriend.
Things keep getting worse. In the week since Andy last saw him, Noah has transformed from shy kid to card-carrying citizen of the manosphere. His favorite things? Steak, bro podcasts, and the R word. It’s Andy’s worst nightmare.
Andy discovers Noah is getting bullied at school. Andy helps Noah confront his bully, which leads to a wealth of unexpected opportunities: he gets the chance to ghostwrite Campbell’s book, makes up with his girlfriend, and un-red-pills Noah.
But there’s something strange about Noah’s behavior that Andy can’t shake. Noah’s eyes keep flashing white at odd times. He knows a little too much about yacht rock and 80’s R&B. And somehow, the unathletic Noah is unstoppable at Top Golf. That’s when Andy realizes Noah is someone else entirely: GORDON.
And Gordon has some plans of his own...
ABOUT A BOY meets AMERICAN PSYCHO.
Additional Project Information
Rex New is a screenwriter, director, and podcast producer.
His feature writing debut, Dance Camp, starring Jake Paul, was YouTube's first feature film, and the world would probably be a slightly better place if people had actually watched it. The movie also received a WGA Award nomination for Best Children's Longform. To celebrate his nomination, Rex's agents yelled at him, which is not a joke and actually happened. His most recent film project, Bad Hombres, was released in 2024. The movie won the Grand Jury Prize and the Best Screenplay Awards at the Mammoth Film Festival, a film festival that no longer exists.
Audio credits include the Webby-winning audio dramas Murder in HR and The Hacker Chronicles. Rex's most notable non-fiction audio credit is Valor, a podcast series sponsored by e.l.f. Cosmetics that told the stories of five trailblazing female veterans. It is Pete Hegseth's least favorite podcast.
Thought Leaders was inspired by the four years Rex spent working as a thought leadership ghostwriter for sales and HR influencers, and if you had no idea that was a thing, congratulations on leading a life worth living. The project was selected as part of the inaugural BendFilm Basecamp fellowship, where former Sundance director John Cooper dubbed Rex "the Bob Newhart of pitching," which John probably does not remember saying.
A proud Louisiana native, Rex graduated Pre-K from the Early Learning Center in Berwick, Louisiana. His full portfolio is available at www.rexnew.xyz.
Team
Writer: Rex New
Producer: Molly Hallam
Seeking
Development funds, investors, producing partners, production companies, and a few friends to make along the way.
Contact
Rex New
thoughtleadersfilm@proton.me