The Ravening

Logline:
When self-replicating nanodrones are set free and begin consuming the world’s aluminum, their creator must convince world leaders that only cataclysmic action can save the planet.

Synopsis:
AgriTech GMBH, in Munich, Germany, manufactures desert irrigation systems.
When a visiting Arab sheikh is shown a tank of self-replicating, solar-powered, nanodrones under development to pollinate crops, a lab assistant tries to assassinate him. During the attempt, the tank is shattered by gunfire and the nanodrones escape.
The drones begin to consume aluminum and replicate themselves exponentially. They quickly spread worldwide causing countless disasters.
With the planet on the verge of total destruction, Axel Meyer, the nano-scientist responsible, proposes a desperate plan to the UN. The drones will expire if deprived of bright light for several days. The only way to do this in the time available is to explode nuclear weapons in the world’s deserts to create mushroom clouds that will spread and blot out the sun. A worldwide blackout must also be put in place.
The plan is eventually accepted as the lesser evil, and is implemented at great human cost. But, in a final twist, drug producers have put their own interests first, and have allowed some drones to survive, to begin replicating again.