Mocha Dick - the movie!

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Current status: Feature screenplay in development

Seeking: Production and funding partners

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Producer: Lisa Thomas

Screenwriter: Laura Kelber

Director: TBD

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Short synopsis: No whale? No whale! This re-imagining of Moby Dick is set in an alternate version of present-day  NYC, where a coffee blight has rendered coffee a rare and expensive commodity. Ishmael, a young artist, and his friend Queequeg, a barista, find work at the Pequod Coffee House. Ahab, the proprietor, has heard that Mocha Dick, the coffee-selling subsidiary of an evil global conglomerate, will be opening its first store in NYC, with ultra-low prices designed to drive indie shops out of business. He vows to destroy Mocha Dick before it destroys his business. Ishmael watches in fascination as Ahab’s obsession leads to death and destruction for all. 

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Genre: Art-house, dark comedy

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Concept: The goal of the filmmakers is to bring Melville's oddball, audacious novel to the screen in a way that's never been done before. The challenge is to recreate the experience of reading the book, portraying all its dizzying shifts in mood, voice and genre. The tone is darkly comic, the world and politics are updated, the homoerotic elements of the book are amplified, the cast is multicultural, and genders are changed. Melville's language is retained where possible, and adapted where necessary. We want this film to be as groundbreaking as the novel, while remaining faithful to its spirit. If we do our job right, Mocha Dick will inspire a new generation of Melville fans.

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