A pretty recent version of the script for post-apocalyptic drama The Road found its way into the hands of the folks at Quiet Earth, and they've posted a review of it. Apparently this version of the script, which is dated late 2007, is true to the original Cormac McCarthy novel except for a few minor changes. Quiet Earth's Agentorange says his only worry is that this script is so dark that it's actually hard to imagine it getting made into a Hollywood flick. Spoilers ahead. Agentorange writes:
If this is the script that gets filmed, then The Road will not only be the most important post-apocalyptic film ever made but it will profoundly affect the cinema going world. But I can't help but wonder; is the world ready for a film this dark? . . . That's not to say there aren't some changes and surprises along the way. However, I'd say most if not all the changes are for the better. In some cases, scenes have been extended to create even more tension. If you've read the book you'll know what I'm talking about when I mention "the house" scene. It is one of the tensest scenes in the screenplay and it has been extended to the point that it is almost unbearably suspenseful.
Agentorange says viewers will be immediately drawn into character studies so bleak they seem like they would have to end up on the cutting-room floor. Page 8 treats us to a scene where the father and son find a family of suicides strung up in a barn, and stand next to them debating whether they might have left any food behind. After they leave without food, the father shows his son how to kill himself "properly," with a gun in his mouth. This is definitely a father-son relationship of the post-apocalypse. Apparently little is added to the script that wasn't in the book, save for a few short scenes giving the father's backstory and a few moments where his wife behaves in a way that doesn't quite make sense given her character. Given that they got their hands on the whole script, however, I really wish they'd given us a bit more detail about what to expect. When I clamored for more, Don Neumann (Mr. Quiet Earth himself) assured me by email, "Suffice to say with our post apocalyptic expertise, we give it a ringing endorsement." But he added that if enough people clamor for more, he might be willing to post a few more details of the script. So check out what Quiet Earth has, and email them asking for MORE. THE ROAD Script Review [Quiet Earth]