The Fall Guy
A stunted story plot
EST V ACT domestic box office revenue
$58 – 84MM V $93MM
Mythosis universal quests used
3
Audience appeal
1.33 – 1.63%
Hidden potential
$435 – 485MM
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.
1. The invisible plot structure of The Fall Guy
1A. The script of The Fall Guy borrows 88% of its events from 3 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.
NOTE: Detailed mirroring of each character’s primary quest to their respective mythological tales is in section “3A. Quests of characters and their mythological counterparts”
Mythosis plot structure
# 23,602
Tales interweaved
Psyche, Hanuman & Circe
I. How does interweaving mythological tales lead to infinite story plots?
II. Can the pursuit of a Desire have more than one quest?
2. The potential of The Fall Guy's plot structure: $58-84MM
The interweaving of 32 mythological tales can generate a billion unique stories. By using these 32 tales, we can extract the plot structure of any story across various genres. Our study of blockbuster, hit, and flop plot structures led to the discovery of the Mythosis Code, a set of principles for creating compelling stories. The plot structure of a story is analyzed to see how well it adheres to these storytelling principles.
2A. Plot structure evaluation of The Fall Guy
- All Blockbusters have at least 3 universal quests. The Fall Guy uses 4 universal quests of Social contact, Honour, Tranquillity & Power.
- In Blockbusters, each universal quest is mirrored by ONLY ONE character. Colt mirrors the quest of Honour & Tranquillity. Jody mirrors the universal quest of Social contact whereas Tom/Gail mirror the quest of Power.
- Every Blockbuster character borrows at least 35% of the universal quest. 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 0.5. Interweaving occurs when events of 2 quests occur simultaneously in the story. The Fall Guy’s quest interweaving score of 0.33 is below par.
An example of interweaving the quests of Colt & Tom/Gail:
2B. Box office revenue estimation of The Fall Guy
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.
The Script Score measures a plot structure’s adherence to the four principles of Mythosis Code. We use the Script Score to estimate a movie’s audience appeal & revenues. Blockbuster plot structures have a score of at least 0.64 and appeal to 20% of the audiences.
Script Score
0.05
Audience appeal
1.33 – 1.63%
I. How is Mythosis Code used to estimate revenues?
II. Aren’t box-office revenues influenced by several factors beyond just the story plot?
3. The ideal plot structure of The Fall Guy
We have identified 32 mythological tales, the superset of all tales across cultures. The quests of these tales have also recurred over time periods. They represent human behaviours that are deeply embedded in our shared memories. Each tale is the richest expression of the pursuit of a human desire. The tales have a unique pattern of events spread over 5 major arcs.
Mapping a character’s quest to the relevant mythological tale reveals the gaps in their quest, if any. Plugging these gaps with the missing events deepens the character quest. The missing events also provide an opportunity for interweaving the various quests. These events strengthen the story and unlock its hidden potential.
3A.Quest of characters and their mythological counterparts
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.
3B.Gaps in the current plot structure
Jody’s inconsequential quest is the biggest issue besides the inconsistent quest of Colt.
3C.Unlocking the hidden potential
The Fall Guy’s plot is a sub set of Mythosis plot structure # 23,602. It interweaves the tales of Hanuman, Psyche & Circe. The plot structure helps in building Jody’s quest as well as deepening the other quests.
It has the potential to generate revenues of $435 – 485MM in the domestic market.
Explore Mythosis Plot structure # 23,602 that enhances current revenues by ~7X!
Tags: Hanuman, Honour, Circe, Power, Psyche, Social Contact, 2024, David Leitch, Drew Pearce, 87North Productions, Universal Pictures