Julie Benson - Writing and Whatnot
ON WE GO
During peak pandemic years I got obsessed with Phyllis Pearsall, a legendary British woman who was an incredible artist and is best known for walking all the streets of London to help create the first street map known as the A-Z (A to Zed). She joined the Home Intelligence Dept at the Ministry of Information during WWII, turned her successful map company into a trust, spoke multiple languages, and yet got her driver’s license at age 60 after 200+ attempts. There are SO MANY stories to tell about Phyllis… I only wish I had gotten the chance.
THE STARFIGHTER
OK, but in all fairness, I had this title years before Star Wars but I digress… One of my all-time favorite movies is THE LAST STARFIGHTER and I always wanted to know what happened after Alex and Maggie went up to space. Did Louis ever try to follow in his brother’s footsteps? Who filled Alpha Centauri’s Starfighter recruiting shoes? Knowing the rights were wrapped up and that I’d probably never get the chance anyway, I decided to just write the pilot to a TV series. Here’s the intro:
It's been 40 years since Alpha Centauri recruited the Last Starfighter, Alex Rogan, to help the Star League defeat Xur and the Ko-Dan Armada. Victorious in battle, Alex and his reptilian partner, Grig, flew their Gunstar ship back to Earth. There, Alex said goodbye to his family. His girlfriend, Maggie Gordon, left their dusty Starlite trailer park behind to join Alex on the planet Rylos. After decades of peace, Rylos finds itself back in conflict with a new enemy. The Star League can only hope that Alex wasn't, in fact, the Last Starfighter. Get ready... Prepare for blastoff...
Silly Comedy Spec Pilots from days of old
When I wasn’t writing fantasy, kung-fu, comics, or kids fighting for their lives in a post apocalyptic future with my sister and writing partner, Shawna Benson, I liked to go solo and write specs (read: fanfic) of my favorite comedies. A couple of them even made it to second round and semi-finals of the Austin Film Festival screenplay competition. None of them were produced. Oh well, here they are:
Eastbound & Down - Can’tcun
Silicon Valley - Blackout
Parks and Recreation - Ye Olde Pawnee