John Brown's Body

Abolition has a name: John Brown

An historical epic screenplay about the man who started the Civil War: John Brown. 

The true story is told through the eyes of Brown’s son who struggles with his father’s radical action against slavery in the antebellum South in 1859. 

After taking vigilante justice on pro-slave outlaws, Brown and his gang flee from bounty hunters, federal marshals and the U.S. Cavalry. 

Brown’s final plan to capture a government arsenal and start a slave uprising goes awry and proves to be an action-packed showdown for this noble warrior of Shakespearean dimensions.

There are no simple answers in this historical biography screenplay of America’s most infamous abolitionist.

The relevance of John Brown’s Body lies not in its obvious condemnation of slavery, but in its attempt to address civil disobedience and violence: How far should we go to stand up for what we believe? Do the ends justify the means? Does violence only perpetuate more violence?

It’s like an American Braveheart.

Read the script. Imagine the movie. 

Screenplays as Literature Series are movie scripts published for readers to enjoy concise storytelling with a twist. Scripts are blueprints for producing films. Longer than a short story. Shorter than a novel. You’ll learn how to read a script so you can watch the movie in your mind as you read the story on the page