The Iron Giant Script

"THE IRON GIANT" -- by Tim McCanlies, Brad Bird & Brent Forrester

11/14/2007 08:52 AM

Screenplay
by
TIM MCCANLIES and BRAD BIRD
July 11, 1997 Draft
by
BRENT FORRESTER and BRAD BIRD
Screen Story
by
BRAD BIRD
Inspired by the book by
TED HUGHES

FADE IN:
DEEP SPACE
Stars blaze against the blackness of deep space.
begins to move, coming closer, moving toward...

One starEARTH, in space: blue seas, fleecy white clouds.
BEEP: a retro-satellite, Sputnik, tumbles past.

BEEP-BEEP-

Below, near New England, black storm clouds swirl in silence.
Flashes, LIGHTNING FLICKERS.
A SHIP ON A STORM-TOSSED SEA

-

NIGHT

The wind HOWLS, the storm RAGES in the chill waters off the
rocky coast of Maine. Giant waves tower overhead, then CRASH
over the decks of afishing ship where desperate FISHERMEN
fight to stay alive. The CAPTAIN YELLS orders no one can
hear in the deafening ROAR.
INT.

SHIP'S MAIN CABIN

-

NIGHT

The FIRST MATE yells into the radio, their only hope:
FIRST MATE

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Page 1 of 84

"THE IRON GIANT" -- by Tim McCanlies, Brad Bird &Brent Forrester

11/14/2007 08:52 AM

FIRST MATE
Mayday! Mayday! This is fishing ship
"Annabelle"! We're floundering and taking
on water! Mayday! Mayday!
An enormous WAVE smashes against the bow of the ship,
throwing everyone in the cabin off balance. A glass shatters.
The Captain enters, the two lock eyes: it looks bad.
CAPTAIN
What's our position?
SAILOR #1
(grim)
I don't know.CAPTAIN
If you don't know where we are then you
don't know where we're going!! You could
be running us right into the rocks!!
Then: a VOICE breaks through the static on the radio.
RADIO
Coast Guard Portland Station to
Annabelle: Do you read me?
As the mate starts to answer, lightning STRIKES the huge
mast. It CRASHES through the pilothouse window, SMASHING the
radio. Glass, radio parts FLY.The Captain's shoulders slump: now they're done for.
ON THE DECK

-

NIGHT

The Captain comes out on deck: his men stare at him, eyes
full of fear, desperation. Then, impossibly... the WINDS
TRAIL OFF. In seconds, the sea flattens into a sheet of
glass. All is DEAD CALM. It's eerie. Ropes CREAK.
The men ERUPT in celebration, CHEERING, hugging each other:
it's over! The angry CaptainYELLS:
CAPTAIN
It's not over, you idiots!
eye of the storm!

It's just the

The men look around: far off on the horizon, the raging storm
still surrounds the ship... but overhead, stars appear. It's
eerie, strange.
FISHERMAN
Look!
Overhead, a new, brilliant star appears... and it's quickly
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"THE IRON GIANT" -- by Tim McCanlies, Brad Bird & Brent Forrester

11/14/2007 08:52 AM

growing larger. The blazing light speeds toward the startled
sailors, impossibly fast, intensely bright, blinding, all
goes white...
KAWHOOSH! The light CRASHES into the sea. Water flies, the
sea BOILS, CHURNING, ROARING, the water green-lit from below.
Great clouds of steam BILLOW andHISS.
Then, without warning, the raging storm ROARS back with a
vengeance, a huge wave SLAMS into the ship. Again the
fishermen fight for their lives.
But then a dim light appears, far off in the rain: a barely
visible beam sweeps back and forth in the storm.
CAPTAIN
The lighthouse! Head for it!
The desperate men struggle to steer their limping ship toward
the light. Then, CLANG! The shipshudders, stops instantly:
the ship has SLAMMED into... a wall! A solid wall, a wall
made of... iron?
The sailors freeze, speechless: they look up the wall, up,
up... flashes of lightning illuminate: a face! Twin beams of
light comes from what look to be... eyes, in an enormous
face. A giant?! Made of metal!
THUNDER BOOMS. The impossible face seems to turn downward...
and looks at the...