FireStarter

Screenplay draft

Title: FireStarter
Credit: Written by
Author: richardwboase
Draft date: 23 May 2026
Contact: richardwboase@gmail.com

FADE IN.

INT. PIPER'S GARAGE - DAWN

Soft bounce light fills the rounded 3D space. Toy-sized buildings line a workbench. PIPER QUINN, a rounded young woman with bouncy orange hair and expressive round eyes, clips a tiny glowing fuse to a miniature warehouse.

PIPER
(whispering happily)
One little spark, nice and safe.

The fuse pops with cartoon hearts and stars. She giggles, then glances at a faded photo of HARLAN QUINN tacked above.

PIPER
Gonna keep your last place standing, Dad. Promise.

A gentle whoosh as the toy roof opens like a flower, releasing friendly sparks that swirl into a smiling face before vanishing. Piper wipes her hands on her patched overalls and heads for the door as golden morning light floods in.

EXT. WHIMSICAL DETROIT SKYLINE - DAY

Bouncy bridges arc like rainbows over candy-red rivers. Piper skips across one, spark pouch clipped to her teal overalls, waving at friendly seagulls.

INT. PIPER'S GARAGE - NIGHT

Piper hammers a loose board on the garage wall. A stack of unpaid bills sits on the workbench beside Harlan's photo.

PIPER
Just one more gig, Dad. Then we fix the roof for real.

EXT. HARBOR SHED - SUNSET

Playful morning light turns dramatic. Gus Ember stands with an oversized matchbox, watching Piper rig cartoon fuses on the curved roof.

GUS
Some fires light the way, others just clear the lot.

They watch old footage of Harlan on a tablet, sparks dancing around his giant sparkler.

INT. PIPER'S GARAGE - NIGHT

Piper argues with her reflection in a cracked mirror.

PIPER
Take the money and the garage dies anyway... or fight and lose everything.

She slams the mirror shut.

EXT. HARBOR SHED - NIGHT

Piper clips the final fuse. A schedule slate slides from the mail slot, stamped with Victor Slate's crest. The burn ignites exactly as Father's Warehouse beam catches fire in the distance.

PIPER
No... not Dad's place.

EXT. FATHER'S WAREHOUSE - NIGHT

Golden nostalgia glows on ivy loops. Piper stares at the smoking beam, schedule crumpled in her fist.

INT. PIPER'S GARAGE - NIGHT

Piper grabs Gus and BENNY SPARKS, the tiny kid with huge sparkling eyes.

PIPER
We rig every future burn to protect it. No more clearing lots.

GUS
(chuckles)
You're the spark now, kid.

BENNY
Protect it! Protect it!

EXT. RIVERFRONT - NIGHT

They launch floating lantern burns. Cartoon boats drift, lanterns blooming into smiling faces. Benny gasps dramatically.

BENNY
So pretty! So pretty!

EXT. ROOFTOPS - DAY

Sparks fountain upward like confetti parades. A stray spark saves a kitten from a ledge. City cheers.

INT. SLATE'S OFFICE - DAY

Victor Slate watches news footage of Piper, thin smile clicking his teeth.

VICTOR SLATE
The bank note on her garage... call it.

EXT. FATHER'S WAREHOUSE - NIGHT

False victory. The warehouse survives one night. News crews cheer Piper.

PIPER
(on camera, giggling)
We saved it!

INT. PIPER'S GARAGE - DAY

Slate's call arrives. Pressure mounts on every job.

EXT. PARADE FLOAT - NIGHT

Another silly burn goes wrong. A spark singes Benny's favorite toy.

BENNY
(crying)
My spark bear...

Piper watches the warehouse clock tick to zero.

INT. PIPER'S GARAGE - NIGHT

Empty. Old photos of Harlan surround her. Long friendly silence.

PIPER
Any fire worth this, Dad?

She finds Harlan's hidden fireworks manual.

PIPER
Light it right and it remembers you.

EXT. FATHER'S WAREHOUSE - NIGHT

Grand spectacle. Giant spark letters broadcast Slate's forged deeds across the sky. The warehouse roof blooms into a community garden.

EXT. FATHER'S WAREHOUSE ROOF - DAWN

Piper, Gus, and Benny laugh. Tiny fire sprites dance safely across the new garden.

PIPER
(giggling)
Legacy means sharing the light.

FADE OUT.