Pre-Production EREBUS-9 – Completed Sci-Fi Horror Screenplay | Seeking Producers & Development Partners

[Valentin S.]

Hi everyone!

I recently finished Erebus-9, a high-concept sci-fi horror feature set on a remote asteroid colony that's gone completely silent.

A corporate expedition arrives to investigate and finds the station abandoned. Deep inside the mining complex, an ancient crystalline system has spread through the machinery. It can preserve human memory beyond death, and soon the crew starts hearing familiar voices through equipment that shouldn't even be working. The voices know things no recording ever could.

The story plays out as a tense survival thriller, with the crew drawn deeper into the mine as the situation gets increasingly dangerous. The mission's commander has lost her young daughter, and the discovery puts her in a particularly difficult spot. There's a lot riding on whether those voices are real.

I originally envisioned Erebus-9 as a 350-400-page novel. Then my calendar got out of hand, so I switched gears and turned it into a feature screenplay. Tried to keep as much of the original scope and character depth as the format would allow.

The script is finished, and I'm starting to pitch it around. The story works as a standalone feature, though there's enough mythology behind it to explore a much bigger world down the road.

Right now, I'm looking for the right pair of eyes, ideally a producer or development exec who's into ambitious genre projects and can offer an honest assessment of its potential and the next steps.

Happy to share the pitch or synopsis with anyone interested. Would be great to connect.

 

[Ryan]

Hi everyone!

I recently finished Erebus-9, a high-concept sci-fi horror feature set on a remote asteroid colony that's gone completely silent.

A corporate expedition arrives to investigate and finds the station abandoned. Deep inside the mining complex, an ancient crystalline system has spread through the machinery. It can preserve human memory beyond death, and soon the crew starts hearing familiar voices through equipment that shouldn't even be working. The voices know things no recording ever could.

The story plays out as a tense survival thriller, with the crew drawn deeper into the mine as the situation gets increasingly dangerous. The mission's commander has lost her young daughter, and the discovery puts her in a particularly difficult spot. There's a lot riding on whether those voices are real.

I originally envisioned Erebus-9 as a 350-400-page novel. Then my calendar got out of hand, so I switched gears and turned it into a feature screenplay. Tried to keep as much of the original scope and character depth as the format would allow.

The script is finished, and I'm starting to pitch it around. The story works as a standalone feature, though there's enough mythology behind it to explore a much bigger world down the road.

Right now, I'm looking for the right pair of eyes, ideally a producer or development exec who's into ambitious genre projects and can offer an honest assessment of its potential and the next steps.

Happy to share the pitch or synopsis with anyone interested. Would be great to connect.

Interesting concept, Valentin! For me, the strongest element of Erebus-9 isn't necessarily the abandoned asteroid colony itself, but the moral and emotional conflict created by the possibility of preserving human memories beyond death.

The commander's situation is particularly compelling, having lost her daughter. Would she be able to recognize if the system were exploiting her grief to manipulate her?

From a development perspective, another question comes to mind: how heavily does the screenplay rely on large-scale visual effects, and how much of the story is driven by psychological tension?

For an independent sci-fi horror feature, that balance can be crucial when considering the production budget and attracting potential producers.

Have you already considered a potential budget range and how you envision bringing the screenplay to the screen?

 

[Valentin S.]

Thanks for the feedback, Ryan! For now, I'm pitching the finished script around to see if anyone on the production/development side sees its potential. I haven't settled on a budget range yet. That's something I'd rather work out with a producer once there's some interest.

You nailed the heart of the story. I used the sci-fi setting to explore a moral question that gets uncomfortable once you start digging into it. If something can remember the people you've lost and respond as they would, how do you decide what it is? And what happens when your own grief starts clouding that judgment? That's the dilemma Ward faces. The system gives her plenty of reasons to question her instincts, and the decisions she makes have consequences for the entire crew. I won't spoil the story here -- let's just say Ward will do the right thing.

As for production, much of the action takes place in controlled environments aboard the ship and inside the colony's mining complex. A lot of the tension comes from psychological horror, where sound design and what the audience imagines can do some serious heavy lifting.

There are larger VFX sequence ofc. Those would need proper resources. I see the film as a contained sci-fi thriller with a few big cinematic moments. Finding the right balance between production cost and visual ambition is something I'd be happy to explore with an experienced producer.

 

[norwest]

Thanks for the feedback, Ryan! For now, I'm pitching the finished script around to see if anyone on the production/development side sees its potential. I haven't settled on a budget range yet. That's something I'd rather work out with a producer once there's some interest.

You nailed the heart of the story. I used the sci-fi setting to explore a moral question that gets uncomfortable once you start digging into it. If something can remember the people you've lost and respond as they would, how do you decide what it is? And what happens when your own grief starts clouding that judgment? That's the dilemma Ward faces. The system gives her plenty of reasons to question her instincts, and the decisions she makes have consequences for the entire crew. I won't spoil the story here -- let's just say Ward will do the right thing.

As for production, much of the action takes place in controlled environments aboard the ship and inside the colony's mining complex. A lot of the tension comes from psychological horror, where sound design and what the audience imagines can do some serious heavy lifting.

There are larger VFX sequence ofc. Those would need proper resources. I see the film as a contained sci-fi thriller with a few big cinematic moments. Finding the right balance between production cost and visual ambition is something I'd be happy to explore with an experienced producer.

Valentin, before approaching producers, I'd suggest identifying three comparable sci-fi horror films, examining their budgets and distribution strategies, and showing where Erebus-9 fits commercially. A completed screenplay is a great starting point, but clear market positioning makes it much easier for producers to evaluate its potential.