Grave Duty
By Bill Wells
A dedicated corporal serving in a WWII Graves Registration Company must cross external and internal minefields in his mission to retrieve soldiers killed in combat.
Feature-length Movie | War Drama
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Bill Wells
Pitch Deck
Think of Saving Private Ryan
meets Hacksaw Ridge.
Synopsis
They risked their lives to save the deceased.
In the prologue, Ricky Roy surfaces from a dive, empty-handed at the end of a long mission for Return and Honor.* Ricky pleads for one more dive, believing the current’s in his favor. The team’s fruitless venture points toward motoring inland. Ricky’s passion, though, wins out as the team leader agrees to one final dive. The prologue concludes by transitioning from present times to World War II.
In a story inspired by true events, corporal Rick Roy volunteers for a Graves Registration Company. Under the medal-driven eyes of Sergeant Sadowski, the realities of war soon engulf the squad when a German attack kills Rick’s best friend, Hank. Rick makes the jump into Normandy before he reconnects with his unit at Omaha Beach, where Sadowski’s outlook softens after identifying the body of his brother.
As the Allies drive deeper into France, Rick’s GRC dutifully performs its never-ending task of locating, identifying, and properly burying every deceased soldier – its belief of “no MIAs” heroically intact as they travel from battlefield to battlefield. Rick finds a night away from warfare with a local family. The American’s soft spot for children resonates with the woman of the household, Michele, whose husband died while fighting in the French Resistance. Michele confesses her feelings for Rick in the morning as he departs for a day’s assignment. Familiar with the area, Michele and her twin daughters pay Rick a surprise visit before a booby trap takes their life.
When an undermanned combat company makes a run for a bridge over the Rhine River, Rick and his GRC go to all lengths to recover every wounded and killed soldier. The Allies secure the bridge before Sadowski falls. After burying their beloved leader and at the conclusion of the war, Rick reveals his motivation, fulfilling his goal of finding his father, an MIA from the Great War.
In the epilogue, with Ricky’s scuba tank nearly empty, the current creates a new opening between the sandy bottom and the deck of an upside-down ship. Out of time, Ricky sees something, reaches in, and departs to the surface. Hurriedly, Ricky calls his grandfather, Rick, to inform the centenarian he located the site where Hank died. Rick rests peacefully knowing his best friend is no longer MIA. Ricky also sits satisfied, holding up the bone of a finger as Return and Honor* completes another story.
*Return and Honor is a placeholder while we complete the agreement with our actual partner and are able to reveal their name.
Script
Bible
Budget
Co-Producer
David Jay Lasky
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By Bill Wells
A dedicated corporal serving in a WWII Graves Registration Company must cross external and internal minefields in his mission to retrieve soldiers killed in combat.
Feature-length Movie | War Drama
Pitch Deck
Think of Saving Private Ryan
meets Hacksaw Ridge.
Synopsis
They risked their lives to save the deceased.
In the prologue, Ricky Roy surfaces from a dive, empty-handed at the end of a long mission for Return and Honor.* Ricky pleads for one more dive, believing the current’s in his favor. The team’s fruitless venture points toward motoring inland. Ricky’s passion, though, wins out as the team leader agrees to one final dive. The prologue concludes by transitioning from present times to World War II.
In a story inspired by true events, corporal Rick Roy volunteers for a Graves Registration Company. Under the medal-driven eyes of Sergeant Sadowski, the realities of war soon engulf the squad when a German attack kills Rick’s best friend, Hank. Rick makes the jump into Normandy before he reconnects with his unit at Omaha Beach, where Sadowski’s outlook softens after identifying the body of his brother.
As the Allies drive deeper into France, Rick’s GRC dutifully performs its never-ending task of locating, identifying, and properly burying every deceased soldier – its belief of “no MIAs” heroically intact as they travel from battlefield to battlefield. Rick finds a night away from warfare with a local family. The American’s soft spot for children resonates with the woman of the household, Michele, whose husband died while fighting in the French Resistance. Michele confesses her feelings for Rick in the morning as he departs for a day’s assignment. Familiar with the area, Michele and her twin daughters pay Rick a surprise visit before a booby trap takes their life.
When an undermanned combat company makes a run for a bridge over the Rhine River, Rick and his GRC go to all lengths to recover every wounded and killed soldier. The Allies secure the bridge before Sadowski falls. After burying their beloved leader and at the conclusion of the war, Rick reveals his motivation, fulfilling his goal of finding his father, an MIA from the Great War.
In the epilogue, with Ricky’s scuba tank nearly empty, the current creates a new opening between the sandy bottom and the deck of an upside-down ship. Out of time, Ricky sees something, reaches in, and departs to the surface. Hurriedly, Ricky calls his grandfather, Rick, to inform the centenarian he located the site where Hank died. Rick rests peacefully knowing his best friend is no longer MIA. Ricky also sits satisfied, holding up the bone of a finger as Return and Honor* completes another story.
*Return and Honor is a placeholder while we complete the agreement with our actual partner and are able to reveal their name.
Script
