TITLE: The Mars-Born Meltdown

LOGLINE: When a bombshell revelation about his true parents sends empathetic Apollo Hargreeves into a spiral of existential dread and uncontrolled Evil Projections, his chaotic family – led by the perpetually bickering Five, Lila, and Diego – must navigate intergenerational trauma and the bizarre rules of the 'Court of Children Who Would Rather Be Anywhere Else' to learn the true meaning of parenthood.

CHARACTERS:

ADULTS:

FIVE HARGREEVES (20s, but with a 58-year-old consciousness trapped in a 13-year-old’s body, sharp, obsessive, perpetually annoyed, Lila's husband, Dory's dad, Evren & Ariel & Apollo's step-dad) LILA PITTS (20s, fiery, mimic powers, Five's wife, Dory's mom, Evren & Ariel & Apollo's bio mom, ex-wife of Diego) DIEGO HARGREEVES (20s, perpetually brooding, knife-wielder, Evren & Ariel's bio dad, Lila's ex-husband) KLAUS HARGREEVES (20s, eccentric, sarcastic, channels the dead, Nemo's dad) VIKTOR HARGREEVES (20s, kind, quiet, powerful sound manipulation, Valerie & River's dad)

CHILDREN:

EVREN HARGREEVES (16, Lila & Diego's son, Five's step-son, transfiguration, jock, flirty, well-put-together) ARIEL HARGREEVES (13, Lila & Diego's daughter, Five's step-daughter, stops time, writer, dreamer, Court founder) NEMO HARGREEVES (14, Klaus & Dave's daughter, knife-thrower, klepto, fruit-phone power) APOLLO HARGREEVES (13, Lila & Five's son, thought to be Diego's, empathetic, sweet, Evil Projections, currently depressed) VALERIE PEABODY (14, Viktor & Leonard's daughter, smart, kind, light manipulation, Court leader, Apollo's BFF, Evren's best friend's girlfriend) RIVER PEABODY (10, Viktor & Leonard's son, engineer, violin, controls destiny, knows how people die, traumatized) DORY HARGREEVES (5, Five & Lila's daughter, nepo baby, tough, sharp shooter, the other Nemo)

SCENE 1

INT. HARGREEVES MANSION - LIVING ROOM - DAY

SOUND of distant arguing, a faint but distinct "I love you, you idiot!"

The Hargreeves living room is a symphony of controlled chaos. Antique furniture clashes with modern art. EMPTY COFFEE CUPS litter a large, ornate TABLE.

EVREN (16), impossibly cool in a letterman jacket, is lounging on a sofa, idly transfiguring a half-eaten sandwich into a small, shimmering, very confused goldfish and back again. He's talking on the phone, chuckling.

EVREN

(Into phone) > Yeah, tell him I'll spot him. He’s my best friend, what’s a little arson between bros? Besides, Val’s probably already passed all his classes for him.

He winks at VALERIE (14), who sits across from him, diligently drawing out complex circuit diagrams in a notebook. Her brown hair is pulled back, revealing intense focus. She glances up, a shy smile on her face.

VALERIE

I told him to study. It's not my fault his brain melts whenever he tries to remember anything that isn't sports statistics or Evren’s old rave stories. EVREN Hey, that rave at nine was legendary! You should’ve seen me, Val, the DJ was literally a potted plant I transfigured.

NEMO (14), sleek and stealthy, moves like a shadow across the room. Her hands are a blur as she deftly pockets a silver letter opener from the mantelpiece without anyone noticing. She then pulls a BRIGHT ORANGE from her pocket and holds it to her ear.

NEMO

(Whispering into the orange) > No, I can't talk right now, Dory. I'm on a stakeout. Yeah, they still haven't moved the good silver. Priorities.

Ariel (13), perched on a window seat, is furiously sketching in a worn notebook. She’s ignored by everyone, even when she quietly and briefly FREEZES TIME for a stray feather floating past the window, just to admire its perfect symmetry before letting it continue its descent.

DORY (5), a tiny force of nature, barrels into the room, brandishing a water pistol. Her dark curly hair bounces.

DORY

Pew! Pew! You're all dead! Especially you, Evren!

Evren just blows her a kiss. Dory sticks her tongue out, then spots Nemo.

DORY

Nemo! Nemo! My first word! You promised we'd play pirates! NEMO (To the orange) > Gotta go. My namesake's calling.