At first I wasn't unsure what to think of this idea, but the more I thought about it, the more I saw opportunities within. First of all there’s your desired cast, which seems pretty good (Cusack is usually good in anything), but there could also be an adventurous journey that Reign of Fire failed to accomplish. You could really have fun developing the mood surrounding the presence of the beast that’s somewhere out there, even though that’s partly a director’s job; but building the suspense through the writing is the first step in that process…if your intent is indeed suspense.

With Shia LaBeouf as the desired lead, you might want to have comic relief, as he seems to have a gem of a sense of humor, as far as his presence on HBO’s Project Greenlight suggested. And blending in the mystery of the beast with this comedic side can help create a balance in moods, sort of like the mix of horror/suspense and silliness in Sleepy Hollow (with Johnny Depp being the naïve character reacting to the wild incidents, loosening things up).

Stephen's Analysis:

Kudos to the author of this pitch: what I like is that he or she didn’t go into too much detail, while giving the gist of the story. Similar to that of a good trailer, enough is exposed to get you interested but nothing more than that. However, this being a pitch – inclusive of beginning, middle, and end – I think a bit more could have been added to give the story its meat.

LaBeouf and Cusack are good choices for a pairing. If the author revises his or her pitch, I suggest that a genre (Horror? Thriller? Mystery?) is determined for an indication of what audiences should expect.