I see this as a pretty interesting idea that could play as satire yet have a profound influence on the way people view "life". It's essentially their world, their lives, that come to an end as they know it. So what if the clock strikes 12:01 and they're still alive? They've lost everything and they become nomadic. What if they still see the world as being a post-apocalyptic version - the people getting in their cars every morning, go to work like zombies looking for food. It's like they're regressing, going back to simpler times and at first, when they tell people that they have survived the apocalypse and were chosen to rebuilt society, people think they're crazy and living in denial. But something happens: their simple life and ways begin to inspire others to do the same. We could see the joy of somebody actually carrying on a conversation - IN PERSON!! - and not over a phone. The joy of telling a story around a campfire - WITHOUT SPECIAL EFFECTS! Against them would be the corporations and any entity that puts a value on money, wealth and greed. They become a threat to these people because what do corporations and the like do when people no longer put value in currency? Money doesn't mean anything to them any longer, other than it provides a good source for starting fires. It would be fun watching this grow from the personal to a cultural and societal level.

Poor people, that would suck. Hopefully the couple ended up winning one of the 3 winning tickets?

Can't say I like the prospect of spending 2 hours watching a couple morons wonder why they are morons.

Kinda sounds like Michael Tolkin's The Rapture. Different, sure, but explores similar ideas.

I like the idea. A lot. Although as Ryan points out, not sure it would ever get a big mainstream audience. I see them as simple people and the story with religious overtones. Joseph and Mary, maybe, on their way to Bethlehem. How do they live in the real world starting from scratch? Are their neighbors their brother's keepers? Or do they go down to the welfare office and apply for benefits? In that case it's a short comedy. How do they deal with their disillusionment? If they are disillusioned. For me you might have the sequel to Waiting For Godot. Why them? Why now? We live in a age where lots of people have waited for a messiah and the messiah didn't come. Easy to sit in judgment of people we see as foolish. Hard to stand in their shoes and make them human. I see the post-apocalyptic or satirical options as dodging the real question--the lack of meaning in a disenchanted world.

"We live in a age where lots of people have waited for a messiah and the messiah didn’t come. Easy to sit in judgment of people we see as foolish. Hard to stand in their shoes and make them human." That sums it up, right there. 'I have a great idea, Mary! Let's literally give all our money - every cent we own and every one of our earthly possessions - to this random guy who says the world is going to end, even though he was never known for previously making radical and accurate predictions. Also, nevermind the fact that, in the entire existence of life in the known universe, nobody has ever produced any single shred of evidence that any god from any religion has ever existed. Oh, and nevermind our son or daughter being taken care of in this life, given the very real possibility that this random guy is just a nut-job and that we have nothing but the clothes on our backs if the nut-job's prediction doesn't come true.' If only the title Dumb & Dumber wasn't already taken... Look, people can believe whatever they want. I am a huge proponent of free thinking and freedom of belief and expression...but when people choose to ignore reality and logic, they're setting themselves up for a punchline. You just can't ask someone to take their plight seriously. It's as if they were told to headbutt a wall because it won't hurt, then they do and it hurts. Good. They deserve it. Idiots.

You know this is close to an idea I am working on at the moment...and I'm not sure whether to make it an armageddon type action drama or a comedy with meaning. The line between them is so close.

Ryan, here's a thought exercise: Imagine you get a meeting with a producer and they have financing. They've read your scripts and love your writing. They think you can nail this story and if you do, you've got a go picture. What's the premise, you ask, frothing at the mouth? It's about a couple that sell everything they have because they believe the world is going to end... but it doesn't. Put yourself in the mindset of a writer who has a great opportunity to land a gig with a premise you have a hard time liking. Maybe you will never like it, maybe it's not meant to be for you. But before dispatching, wouldn't you brainstorm the shit out of that idea to see how you could spin it to make it a story you could write? So perhaps look at the idea through that lens and see what your creativity conjures up.

I liked that movie. I'm guessing one big distinction here is you could place the non-Rapture more upfront in the plot. IIRC in "The Rapture," she goes off into the desert more like late in Act II or early in Act III.

I like this idea. I can picture the poster already. Steve Carell and Tina Fey as the couple, with nothing but the clothes on their backs. Their entire future ahead of them. They've been living a life of excess and waste, caring more about making money than anything else in life. Now they have to start over and find meaning with their existence without possessions and riches.

What next? / The Believers This is a story about a husband and a wife. The couple got married young (high school sweethearts), and the wife has always been the one that held the cards in the marriage. The husband just went along dutifully, because he loved her and she loved him and that was enough for him. They made a cute couple, and everybody thought so, and they lived a simple conventional life in some small town, made decent money, saw television for entertainment and occasionally read books. Then as they turned 45, the wife suddenly became religious. This wasn’t the wife’s first excursion into some new or old age fad, and the husband always thought that as they'd never had a child together, the wife needed other outlets in life. But as time passed, her obsession just grew and grew. The husband just went along as he'd always had, not trying to change the balance of his life. Then one day the wife declared that she had heard the voice of god and that it spoke through this man (some godman, cultist, weirdo dude - essentially some funny character). Now the husband got alarmed. Soon they are spending/giving their money away. The husband protested, but to no end. The wife accused the husband of many things, the husband thought the wife was having an affair with the godman, but all said and done, they stayed together. The husband still loved the wife and he'd rather follow her down this road than be alone (they literally have no one other than each other). He still believed he could get her out of this mess, get her head cleared up, and reclaim their old life (a life with simple charms that he'd gotten accustomed to). Then the godman declared his prophecy about the end of the world. The husband was up against the wall now, but there was not much he could do. Either he follows his wife to (bethlehem, mecca, varanasi, tibet) or he walks away from this marriage. He chooses the former and ends up in a foreign country (he hates foreign countries) awaiting the end of time. This is where our story begins. The believers wait for the end to come but it never does. The husband knew all along it never would, and now he lets out all that he's been holding inside, tells them everything he thinks about the believers, the godman, religion and all and sundry. He also tells his wife everything, let’s out whatever he has suppressed for 25 yrs (all done funnily). Maybe he beats the godman up, tears his hair out, dips him in some holy river till the effect of whatever he smokes leaves him, and deflates the entire 'end of the world' balloon forever. From here we begin a romantic comedy about 45+ people, as our couple along with other couples try to make their way out of this foreign country (they have no money on them) and rediscover their marriages, their beliefs and themselves. (This is a small cult, just 10 odd people, or enough people to fit into a small minibus, and the leader/godman too needs to make the journey back to the US, so he tags along as well) The wife comes to her senses and has to make peace with her enraged husband. Slowly they discuss issues that have not been discussed for years, maybe some secrets come out too, some painful, others comforting. They have to make their way to the American embassy but along the way, people get lost, some among the group decide to take a different direction, go about exploring more of this country. They become like a group of backpackers (45 year old backpackers), just that this journey is way too hard on them (not biblical, but nothing short of a hard pilgrimage). They wonder what future they have to look forward too?,should they choose differently now, at this age. Maybe it’s a collective mid-age crisis for all of them, but played with subtlety. Maybe our lead couple decides to adopt a baby, or buy a dog, etc, etc. It becomes an adventure, road trip, romantic comedy about middle aged, middle class people, somewhere along the lines of ‘Little Miss Sunshine’ or ‘Local Hero’. Jim Carrey would make a perfect husband.

I love the premise. It’s about a couple that sell everything they have because they believe the world is going to end… but it doesn’t. But what is the story really going to be about. Disillusionment - life priorities - the struggle for survival, emotionally - mentally - spiritually - physically. The field is wide. Where do they live? Are they now homeless? Life on the streets - or back living with parents - the chance for conflict is endless. They must question what they have passionately believed in - to get rid of everything you own rightly or wrongly - shows passionate belief. The pregnancy does the mother survive the birth - does the child?Is the child the symbol of hope for a new beginning at the end of the story. Thanks Scott.

Thats already a really tough concept to compete with but if I had to put a spin on it, I'd try..."A newly-wed and pregnant couple's relationship becomes strained when the husband becomes obsessed with becoming a "doomsday prepper" because he has reoccuring dreams that his unborn child is the key to the upcoming apocalypse. However, their relationship and faith is put to the test when signs from his dreams start to become reality."