Est vs Actual domestic box office revenues: $58-84/$93MM
Strengthening Jody’s quest unlocks the hidden potential of the script
The Fall Guy intertwines the reel and real life of a stuntman – always in the background away from the limelight, willing to take a hit for the lead actor. The film is a roller coaster ride of Loyalty, Romance and Power. At Mythosis, we have found the gaps in the story from its plot structure.
Mythological tales reveal the invisible Plot Structure of The Fall Guy
Stories are an interweaving of quests, each representing a fundamental human desire. These desires echo across time and cultures, finding their universal counterparts in mythological tales.
88% of the events in the story is borrowed from three mythological tales. There are 3 prominent characters whose quests mirror these mythological tales.
Colt’s quest mirrors the tale of Hanuman from Hindu mythology, where both are driven by the desire for loyalty to a clan or order. Ravan captures & punishes Hanuman but he manages to escape. Tom captures Colt and orders his execution but Colt escapes.
Jody’s quest mirrors the tale of Psyche from Greek mythology, where both are driven by the desire for companionship. Psyche’s sisters convince her that she has fallen in love with a monster. Jody is convinced by Gail that Colt is Henry’s murderer.
Tom/Gail’s quest mirrors the tale of Circe from Greek mythology, where both are driven by the desire to dominate others. Circe creates a façade of godliness to turn Odysseus’ men into pigs. Tom & Gail lure Colt into a trap and frame him for Henry’s murder. Colt’s quest also mirrors the tale of Odysseus where he overpowers Circe.
Detailed mirroring of each character to their respective mythological tales is in section “Unlocking the Ideal Plot Structure”
Blockbusters differ from Flops in the way they borrow from mythological tales
Blockbuster stories consistently defy the norms of conventional plot structures. The analysis of Blockbuster, Hit & Flop plot structures across decades and genres has uncovered an optimal method for incorporating mythological tales into storytelling. The Mythosis Code for creating blockbuster plot structures has the following principles -
Every blockbuster plot structure borrows events from at least three mythological tales.
Blockbuster characters are consistent and complex. Each character in the story reflects events from a single mythological tale, and the degree of mirroring is approximately 35%.
Blockbusters create a cohesive plot structure by intricately weaving the multiple tales. Characters are woven with each other through their quests and not merely by relationships. Quests become interconnected when events from two mythological tales occur simultaneously within the story.
Mythosis Code evaluation of The Fall Guy’s Plot structure
Mythosis Code evaluation of The Fall Guy’s Plot structure .
Colt borrows from the tales of Hanuman & Odysseus making his quest inconsistent. Jody & Tom/Gail mirror a single tale which make their quests consistent.
Colt, Jody & Tom/Gail borrow below the threshold of 35%. Colt borrows 22% of the events from Hanuman’s quest and 6% from Odysseus’ quest. Jody borrows 12% of the events from Psyche’s quest. Tom/Gail borrows 24% of the events from Circe’s quest.
Blockbusters have a quest interweaving threshold of 0.50. Colt’s quest is interwoven with only Tom/Gail. Jody’s quest isn’t interwoven with either Colt or Tom/Gail. The Fall Guy’s quest interweaving score of 0.33 is below par. Here is an example of interweaving the quests of Colt & Tom/Gail:
Estimated potential of The Fall Guy’s Plot Structure
Each one of us is driven by at least one desire, which is why specific mythological tales resonate with us. When a story interweaves more tales, it broadens the story’s appeal to a wider audience. However, to realize the potency of multiple quests, the quests must have sufficient depth and they should be interwoven.
The Fall Guy's plot structure has multiple issues. The lead character has an inconsistent quest. All character quests are shallow, hence each character lacks complexity and is unidimensional. The below par interweaving between quests results in a disjointed plot structure.
We have created an algorithm by assigning weights to the principles of The Mythosis Code. The algorithm calculates the potency of a story’s plot structure and estimates its corresponding audience appeal. Blockbuster plot structures have a score of at least 0.64 and appeal to 20% of the audiences.
The Fall Guy’s plot structure has a score of 0.05. The Fall Guy will appeal to 1.33 – 1.63% of the population. Our estimate of the movie’s revenues from its audience appeal is $58 - 84MM in the domestic market.
Unlocking the Ideal Plot Structure of The Fall Guy
We have identified 32 universal quests that represent every human desire. These quests are the superset of thousands of stories across cultures that reflect our collective subconscious. Each quest has a structured sequence of events divided into 5 major arcs.
We map a character’s quest to the relevant mythological tale (universal quest) which reveals the gaps in their quest, if any. The ideal Plot Structure is constructed by plugging these gaps with the missing events from the tale. These events strengthen each character’s journey and weaving of quests without altering the story.
Extraction of each character quest
Quest 1: Colt mirrors the universal quest for Honour
Colt’s desire for Honour stems from the need to be loyal to a clan or order. The tale of Hanuman from Hindu mythology is the universal quest for Honour.
Quest 2: Jody mirrors the universal quest for Social Contact
Jody’s desire for Social Contact stems from the need for companionship. The tale of Psyche from Greek mythology is the universal quest for Social Contact.
Quest 3: Tom/Gail mirrors the universal quest for Power
Tom/Gail’s desire for Power stems from the need to dominate others. The tale of Circe from Greek mythology is the universal quest for Power.
Ideal Plot structure reconstruction
The script potential of the film changes marginally by borrowing additional events from the universal quests of Honour & Power.
The true potential is unlocked only when Jody's quest is strengthened by borrowing events from the universal quest of Social contact. However, the resultant plot structure alters the story, necessitating a redraft of the script.
Blockbuster plot structures are a cohesive interweaving of at least 3 mythological tales
Tags:2024, 87North Productions, Character Arcs, Circe, David Leitch, Drew Pearce, Hanuman, Honour, Mythology, Power, Psyche, Screenwriting, Social Contact, Story plot, storytelling, Universal Pictures
