Vegas: Luck Be A Lady (Spec Idea)

This is only the beginning of an idea I had for the show Vegas which has been cancelled.

Synopsis: 

Vincent Savino (Michael Chiklis),
Ralph Lamb (Dennis Quaid)

A young gambler/con artist/thief named Jason who is a friend of Dixon’s from high school sees Dixon in Vincent’s casino where Vincent sees them talking, maybe having a drink. 

Vincent meets up with a guest named Mr. Huxley who it turns out wants to have his wife murdered.  The next morning Mr. Huxley is found dead in his room, his wife gone.  

About the same time Jason is caught counting cards and brought to Vincent for some justice.  Vincent can do little with the cops around but looking to score points with Dixon he has him pick up his old friend.  

Dixon and Jason end up in a bar where Jason attempts to hustle a pool game but ends up starting a bar fight.  The antics continue for Jason and Dixon.

Mr. Huxley’s wife returns with her lover from across town where she had been all night.  She has an alibi.

Lamb investigates only to discover the killer might be Jason who has been running around with Dixon causing trouble. They must find the two before something worse happens...

SPEC SCRIPT BEGINNING

Int. SAVOY Casino Lobby - EVENING

Vincent stands waiting for someone as he spots Dixon across the casino shaking hands with a young man, Jason, in a Navy uniform.  They are friendly but part ways.  Vincent is snapped from his observation by an employee who informs him that his guest has arrived.

The guest, a mobster from Chicago, Huxley, enters with his wife, both in good spirits, Huxley requests to speak with Vincent in his office.

INT. VINCENT’s OFFICE - 

Huxley stands pouring himself a Scotch.

Vincent

What can I do for you?

huxley

My wife wants to divorce me and take the kids. She knows a lot about the business. She needs to go and I want you to help me find someone to do it.

--break--

int. savoy hotel room - early morning

There is a click of cameras and the movement of people as it is revealed that the center of attention is Huxley’s dead body.  The man has been beaten, stabbed, strangled, and shot several times.

R. Lamb

Doesn’t look like he went easy.

JACK LAMB

Torture? 

r. lamb

(indicating a dress hanging from the closet door)

Who was here with him?

J. Lamb

His wife, we haven’t talked to her yet. They just got into town for an anniversary.

R. Lamb

She’s missing? Kidnapped? Put out a bulletin.

Int. vincent’s office

Vincent stands while holding the phone to his ear as he is on a call to Chicago.

Vincent

They just found his body. No, I don’t know who did it but Carol is missing.

Ralph Lamb enters.

Vincent

Look the sheriff just walked into my office. Maybe he’s got some details. Okay.

Vincent hangs up the phone.

R. Lamb

Important business?

Vincent

The man had friends.

Lamb

What about his wife?

Vincent

She has friends too.

R. Lamb

What kind of cooperation are you going to give me?

Vincent

My full cooperation.  There was a murder at my casino.  No one wants this solved more than me.

Lamb

I can think of one person.

Lamb leaves as Vincent enters and closes the door behind him.  

Vincent

I need to talk with you.

Vincent

Did you find her?

Vincent

No, something else.  We caught someone counting cards. He had over ten grand on him.

Spaceballs 2: The Search For More Money (fan fiction pitch)

Synopsis - The lowly science officer finds himself at odds with the system when the ship he is on is sent to mine the resources of a planet so he decides to warn the people whose planet is about to be ‘developed’ by the Empire.

He steals a vessel that had been seized for smuggling, pilots his way through the asteroids then uses hyper-drive to travel to the planet where he crashes in a remote swamp.  He is found by rednecks who take him into town where he meets a wise man at a cigar shop.

After warning the people the Princess comes up with a plan for him to detonate a bomb on the ship but he refuses because he knows the people on board.  After he refuses she sends one of her own people using his identification and ship.  He must stop the person and find a way to save the planet.

SPEC SCRIPT BEGINNING

EXT. ASTEROID FIELD
From a vast open shot we get close to where miners are extracting minerals from an asteroid.

Everything looks rugged and second hand.  The men wear spacesuits, not far away is a camper, they are working a drill.

One of the men signals to the other and points out into space where the camera pans to see an asteroid explode.

Miner 1: Who do you think it is?

Miner 2: Who do you think?  Assholes.

We see more high powered laser blasts destroying a path through the asteroid field and then a large ship.  The ship passes by then at the very back of the ship we see a vanity license plate that reads SP_BALL2 then down to a pair of Truck Nuts hanging off.

Title Sequence: Spaceballs 2: The Search For More Money

In a Galaxy far, far, far away a young prince rescued a princess from the tractor beam of an evil man then blew up his ship and married her rescuing her from her ultimate enemy, boredom (Prince Valium).

This is not their story nor the story of their adventures.  It is the story of their child...

INT. SPACEBALLS 2
Captain Schlitz is in his throne drinking a glass of juice, a bottle sits nearby “Rare: Agave Nectar” as he ruminates about his plans.

Not far away stands his assistant giving a presentation using a projector.

Assistant
We drop the equipment onto the planet.  We take all the plant life, separate it out.  We take every berry and put it into the juicer.  The planet should yield enough pulp to make paper for one Congressional session.  Then there’s the oil, Helium, and other gases trapped in the rock.

Captain Schlitz
In no time we will have sucked everything out of the place leaving it a husk.

INT. SPACEBALLS 2
A gunner sits playing a 3D version of asteroids at his station which is really a representation of him shooting the asteroid field.

Not far away a Chad, lowly science officer, sits at his monitor leaning against one hand as he watches Youtube clips of something funny when he gets an alert that a new video has been posted by his favorite user Princess Earth.

He is about to watch when a movement makes him close the window.  He looks up to see his friend Kevin.

Kevin
Too bad they’re all going to be breathing canned air soon.

Chad
What do you mean?

Kevin
You haven’t heard?  Two weeks from now where going to the planet and set up a full-scale mining operation.  Out next stop is to get the equipment.

Chad
What?  We can’t.  It’ll ruin the planet.

Kevin
Too late everything is already in motion.

Random Ideas:

The actor who plays the villain has a double who wears the suit and he/she is sitting off stage when he/she interrupts the filming to criticize the actor.