What Inspired Me to Write "Planet Earth - The Game" and What Do I Want the Audience to Get From the Story?

I've been asked the question, "What inspired you to write Planet Earth - The Game and what do you want the audience to get from the story..."

I had been pondering for many years to write this screenplay, but for a multitude of reasons, I just never got to it. You know how it is...work, play, laziness. They all get in the way. But my biggest problem was, yes...I had the premise, which slowly developed in my head over many years, that we, the inhabitants of this planet needed to adhere to some simple rules to be successful. Much like a game. But I was just not sure how to embark on such a concept as this.

The first fact that I will confess is that although I am certainly not a religious human, I did spend many years of my life researching the bible, both new and Old Testament. I studied the Greek and the Hebrew, as well as many biblical scholars' research, doing my best to dissect and discern the original text. And what I found other than a religious premise, is that our existence on earth is run by a definite system that must be followed much like a video game. Now for those of you who get upset, saying to me "Life is NOT a GAME!!" (I hear that all the time!)...I know that...It's serious business. When I say life is like a game, it's simply a parable for the inhabitants to understand that...you really should read the rule book!

Now it is not my goal here to get "preachy" on you, but when reading biblical passages without a church or a synagogue breathing down my neck, I was able to see Jesus as the first human who figured out the system of rules, how to master that system and ultimately, he was able to beat the system!

This discovery led me to the premise of what I consider to be a biblical parable, that we who live on Planet Earth are in a very serious life versus death "game", where evil lurks around every corner and we need to grasp the actual rules and the system that is in place governing us, and then master these regulations in order to beat the system and "Win the game". The biggest problem is, most humans have come to incorrect conclusions of what winning down here actually entails. But in "Planet Earth - The Game", the solution to winning is made clear! 

So I have been asked the question, how did I eventually come up with the story for the screenplay? I will admit, that it took a sorrowful and tragic event to be inspired to write this. 

Back in the summer of 2014, one of my best friends tragically passed away. As you can imagine, when I heard the news about my buddy passing, I was devastated. Now everyone deals with these kind of ordeals differently. For me...I started writing. A story popped in my head. All that I had imagined for years about life being a game, developed and swelled through my brain. My last screenplay took months to develop and write, but this one took just a few days (oh...and a year of rewrites). Through grief, my imagination ran away with me! But that's how many Hollywood stories are devised.

Most of my motivation to write this story came from my belief of what the secret of winning this game of life is about. And I assure you that currently, most people think that winning has to do with accumulating the most amount of stuff. More money than the next guy. But winning is actually more simple than that. To win??...just ask yourself this question...Have I helped to make this planet a better place today? Even in the most minute way?

So again I ponder the question...When this is made into a movie, what do I want audiences to get out of it?? Three main concepts. 1) This life of less than 100 years is just a stepping stone to much more that is coming! And 2) the way to win in this life is hardly what most inhabitants think! And 3) the moral to the story is that LOVE conquers all! When someone sees the movie, "Planet Earth - The Game", I want them to have a new lease on life...And hopefully help to make this planet a better place...even in the most minute way. Is that asking too much??