Wrench Kings

Logline:
When a crashed capsule reactivates the AI network of the elites that abandoned Earth, a scavenger mechanic discovers he’s the genetic heir designed to command it. In a world rebuilt by the labor guilds left behind, his bloodline makes him the ultimate weapon — caught between those trying to resurrect old power and those who will do anything to keep it buried

Synopsis:
Wrench Kings is a grounded sci-fi short set after the former wealthy, who ruled from the clouds, lost everything when technology short-circuited — leaving six Earth guilds to rebuild the surface world with knowledge that couldn't be downloaded. It follows a young scavenger as a fallen capsule reignites a legacy buried beneath rust and myth. Designed as a cinematic pilot for a larger series, Wrench Kings explores how civilization re-emerges from the wreckage of automation — and the tools vital to our survival.

In the full series, Wrench Kings expands into a gritty, post-automation future where society is governed by six guilds —Healers, Builders, Gardeners, Scavengers, Couriers, and Sentinels — each preserving a piece of the old world’s knowledge. As power fractures and technology stirs beneath the surface, a new generation must confront what it truly means to rule in the new world.

  • Michael H. Moore
    Writer
  • Project Type:
    Short Script, Other
  • Genres:
    Sci-Fi, Drama
  • Number of Pages:
    11
  • Language:
    English
  • First-time Screenwriter:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Writer Biography - Michael H. Moore

Michael Moore began writing in May 2025, having now completed 10 original scripts in seven months. His debut scripts have earned 65% placement rate and 33% finalist/win rate across all scripts, with 12 festivals recognizing multiple scripts in the same competition. Notable recognitions include FilmQuest (Semi-Finalist; Quarter-Finalist), Vail Film Festival (2x Finalist), Flickers' Rhode Island (RIIFF) (2x Semi-Finalist), DIFF-Storyline (DaVinci Writers' Corner) (2x Finalist; 1 Semi-Finalist), HorrorFest International (Semi-Finalist), Glendale International Film Festival (2x Finalist), Vancouver Horror Show (Semi-Finalist; Quarter-Finalist), Filmmatic TV Pilot Awards (Semi-Finalist), and Wins at The New York Sci-Fi and Horror Festival, Wiki Screenplay and Zepstone International (2x Winner).

Collective Unknown is his anthology featuring emotionally resonant short scripts that explore buried memory, recursion, and the hidden artifacts that echo across time. It blends sci-fi with dark comedy and psychological tension, with philosophical undercurrents — at times reimagining mythologized events in uncanny new lights.

Affect Protocol is the second anthology series in development, forcing us to confront whether emotion and empathy are more beneficial or threatening in a world built on systematic and technological control. Identity, class systems, and weaponization or erasure of feeling all get examined through vastly different sci-fi landscapes.

Wrench Kings is his original long form grounded sci-fi series in development. It's set in a post-automation future ruled by labor/working class guilds rather than wealth, exploring a world rebuilt by the very people society once discarded — scavengers, machinists, growers, healers, and builders — after artificial intelligence failed the former ruling class.

As a newer voice in this space, his goal is to share work that engages both thoughtful genre audiences and industry professionals looking for fresh, emotionally intelligent storytelling.

Drawing from lived experience and thematic curiosity, Michael’s work interrogates what it means to stay human, and what or who decides. His stories are cinematic, layered, and emotionally restrained — designed to linger long after the final frame.

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Writer Statement

I write to explore the systems dictating our lives, whether shaped by nature or humanity. Our world's contradictions, values, unknowns…and quiet horrors. If a work leaves you unsettled or questioning what it means to be human, it's doing its job.

As a newer voice in this space, my goal is to share work that engages both thoughtful genre audiences and industry professionals looking for fresh, emotionally intelligent storytelling.