Whenever The Slate collaborates with the best screenwriters in the biz, we’re hoping that they produce storylines that inject new levels of creativity and originality within the short film format, not just so that we can create new narratives, but additionally, so that we can create new performance opportunities within these new narratives that give actors a lot to work with.

That’s why we’re excited to cast The Tenth Try, a story by UNDONE writer/producer Patrick Metcalf, about desperate modern-day thieves who have one chance left to crack the code on a Crypto wallet:

When a spoiled heir joins forces with an expert team of criminals and throws a lavish party as a cover while they drain his father’s bank account, they have every detail under control except where the money is located: Cryptocurrency. As the hackers struggle to crack the code to access the complex system, their scheme starts to unravel and they risk exposure. Can they pull off the electronic heist in time? The Tenth Try is one of our favorite types of stories- one where there’s a proverbial ticking time-bomb, and the stakes keep getting raised.

ROLE GUIDE: (range)

Women (23-55, Open Ethnicity)

Men (21-75, Open Ethnicity)

PREMIERE: Grauman’s Chinese Theatre

At precisely the same time that Daniel King is working on the upcoming HBO Max production PRETTY LITTLE LIARS: ORIGINAL SIN, he’s also working with The Slate to create a collection of narratives designed to find large audiences.

In Daniel’s latest story “Goodnight, Love”, we meet Sarah, a doting single mom that is alerted by her son that there’s an unwanted presence in the house. At first, Sarah doubts her son, but as clues begin to mount that their home has indeed been invaded, her motherly instincts kick in.

ROLE GUIDE: (range)

Women: (30-50, Open Ethnicity)

Boys: (7-10, Open Ethnicity)

PREMIERE: Grauman’s Chinese Theatre

Whenever UNDONE screenwriter Patrick Metcalf penned “Junket Day”, he did it with personal experience in mind. After working as a screenwriter and producer in the TV/Film industry for years, he’d seen both sides of Hollywood: An inspirational side that nurtured creativity and respected all artists, and a side powered by ego, phoniness, and delusion. This is a story about this second, more unflattering side of the biz.

In “Junket Day”, when the two leading stars of a new sci-fi film take press interviews, they put on their most polished faces in front of the camera… while trying to suppress the obvious chemistry and romantic tension behind the camera. After the two have a candid but difficult off-camera discussion about their relationship, they face their most important and most awkward interview yet, conducted by the leading actress’ husband.

ROLE GUIDE: (range)

Women: (20-50, Open Ethnicity)

Men: (20-50, Open Ethnicity)

PREMIERE: Grauman’s Chinese Theatre

After an unlikely break working as a PA for FULL FRONTAL WITH SAMANTHA BEE, Brittany Van Horne decided to pursue comedy full time. Since then, she’s written for productions on Adult Swim and served as a humor columnist for New York magazine. She also served as a writer for Stephen Colbert’s TOONING OUT THE NEWS, a profession where all of a sudden, it became her job to track clowns and carnival barkers in today’s news, so that she could turn today’s Idiocracy into stories that go viral and make people laugh.

In her latest story “Poundr”, Brittany takes a shot at the strange Internet App economy, and the people who work at these places: When a young woman goes in for an interview at her dream job, she’s starry-eyed and filled with awe at the company, a startup app that aims to empower young women. However, as her series of interviews with the eccentric upper-level management become increasingly bizarre and even insulting, she begins to wonder if she has what it takes to get the job…and more importantly if she wants the job.

ROLE GUIDE: (range)

Women (20-40, Open Ethnicity)

Men (30-40, Open Ethnicity)

PREMIERE: Grauman’s Chinese Theatre

Whenever writing an episode for Netflix’s THE CHILLING ADVENTURES OF SABRINA, screenwriter Daniel King told himself that he was going to push narrative boundaries as far as he could take them, so he ended up writing an episode about how Sabrina reversed the apocalypse from happening (to rave reviews). Since that experience, he’s learned to simply let his imagination fly, especially in his new story titled “To Rest”, a tale about a daughter returning to her childhood home to care for her ailing mother. As the daughter struggles to process taking up residence in that house once again, she realizes that she shares a nightmare with her mother that is terrifyingly rooted in the past.

ROLE GUIDE (range)

Women (All Ages, Open Ethnicity)

Men: (30-50, Open Ethnicity)

PREMIERE: Grauman’s Chinese Theatre

Andy Greskoviak tends to think of stories that are so funny, imaginative, and charming that audiences who view his work often ask themselves: “Now why didn’t I think of that?” That’s at least the feeling we got when we read his latest story: Cool Dad.

Desperate to adequately fulfill his fatherly duties as well as win his daughter’s approval, an eccentric father attempts to find out what his daughter is hiding (booze? boys?) when he suspects that she’s sneaking around behind his back. Soon, the quirky dad must decide what’s more important: Maintaining his “cool” status or sacrificing that for his daughter’s well-being. As his paranoia increases, he finds that the truth is something more sinister than he ever imagined.  

ROLE GUIDE: (range)

Young Women: (15-20)

Men: (40s)

PREMIERE: Grauman’s Chinese Theatre

Before UNDONE debuted on Amazon Prime, most TV lovers didn’t know that the storytelling genres of science fiction and family drama could come together so beautifully. But time and again, Patrick Metcalf continues to create memorable, empathetic characters in all of his stories.

In “Bite Me”, when a woman goes to a five-star restaurant for dinner with her uptight mother, she endures the usual barrage of complaints, questions, and domineering antics. Beatdown and wearied whether she can ever find the independence of being her own person, the dinner turns into a character study of a daughter who’s teetering emotionally and a mother who’s too self-absorbed to notice.

ROLE GUIDE: (range)

Women: (20s, 30s, 50s, 60s, Open Ethnicity)

(Male: Teens, 20s, 40s, 50s)

PREMIERE: Grauman’s Chinese Theatre

In Remains, Daniel King uses everything he’s learned writing for the highly original and post-apocalyptical Netflix series SWEET TOOTH and applied it to create The Slate’s first thriller.

In King’s Remains, when a coroner’s latest case turns into a mystery, he decides to put his real talent to use: Communicating with the dead before they pass on to the afterlife. Faced with a ghost who doesn’t know he’s a ghost and a suspicious detective, this coroner must master his power and convince them both to work with him before it’s too late. Here at The Slate, we’re excited in a supernatural way to bring this story to life.

ROLE GUIDE: (range)

Women: (30-40, Open Ethnicity)

Men: (20-50, Open Ethnicity)

PREMIERE: Grauman’s Chinese Theatre

A writer for the upcoming HBO/Bad Robot series DEMIMONDE, Kristina Thomas comes to The Slate to create Loving You, an original narrative that’s got one of our favorite loglines this production season:

When a bride decides to cut off her hair on her wedding day, she faces devastation as the extensive chop leaves her vulnerable and as if her beauty has been stolen – until her mother dives in and sets out to not only restore her daughter’s hair but also her self-worth. Not only do they race against time to ensure the bride looks perfect for her big moment, but they also discover a deeper commonality and connection in their own relationship.

ROLE GUIDE: (range)

Women: (25-35, African American)

Women: (30s, 50s, 60s, Open Ethnicity)

Men: (20s, 30s, 40s, Open Ethnicity)

PREMIERE: Grauman’s Chinese Theatre