Stories by @michaelcosby

Justin Lin's Oldboy

A man imprisoned for twenty years in a private cell with only a television for company is suddenly released and hunts for his captor, uncovering a trail of high school secrets, a decades-old suicide, and an incestuous sibling relationship destroyed by his own careless teenage rumor—only to discover his young lover is the daughter he hasn't seen since infancy, and that the architect of his suffering has designed every step of his revenge to make him feel the same forbidden love and loss he once inflicted.

Julien Temple's Speed Racer

In a dystopian 21st century, Speed Kayton joins the corporate-owned racing circuit to uncover the truth behind his brother Rex's fiery crash. Aided by fierce liaison Trixie and loyal mechanic Sparky, Speed discovers Rex faked his death and now races as the masked vigilante Racer X, fighting to expose Nucleus Corporation's secret prison city. As chrome-eyed agent Bob Killinger hunts them both, Speed must finish the Tokyo-to-Taipei sprint to help his brother bring down the corporation—while their grieving father Pops learns to let his surviving son race.

Stephen Chow's Dragonball Z

On his 18th birthday, outcast high schooler Goku discovers his grandfather's brutal murder and learns he is the last protector of the mystical Dragonballs. Teaming with genius Bulma and desert bandit Yamcha, he seeks Master Roshi to stop the alien Namek lord Piccolo's resurrection before the eclipse. As Goku trains to unlock his hidden power, he uncovers a devastating truth: he is not human, but a Saiyan sleeper agent sent to destroy Earth. Now Goku must master the balance of time and choose his own destiny—savior or destroyer—before Piccolo rises and the world ends.

Josh Boone's The Stand - Part 1

In a world decimated by "Captain Trips," a super-flu that kills 99% of the population, the few survivors are haunted by prophetic dreams. They are called west by Mother Abagail, a 108-year-old woman who represents the remaining light, and east by Randall Flagg, a grinning, darkly charismatic figure who embodies pure, chaotic evil. As the survivors—including Texas everyman Stu Redman, pregnant young Frannie Goldsmith, struggling musician Larry Underwood, deaf-mute drifter Nick Andros, and gentle giant Tom Cullen—journey across a corpse-choked America, they must choose a side. The film follows their harrowing paths through plague, tornadoes, and madness, culminating in their gathering in Nebraska. As Flagg amasses his followers in Las Vegas, the stage is set for a final confrontation between good and evil, ending on a cliffhanger as the dark man's red eye opens and Trashcan Man whispers, "My life for you."

Akira: Part 1

The story is re-centered in New York: after the destructive Akira incident destroys Manhattan, the US economy nearly collapses. Out of desperation, the government leases the now-vacant land to Japan, which has become an economic powerhouse and is struggling with overpopulation; this city of Japanese citizens built on formerly American land becomes New Tokyo.

John Carpenter's Fallout

Vault 13 is a retro-futuristic bunker where survivors of a 50-year-old nuclear war live in a simulated 1950s suburbia. When the vault's water chip fails, a restless dreamer leads a scout team to the surface: a quirky tech, a stern officer and an arrogant scholar. The wasteland is a hellscape of rubble and mutants. The tech dies in a raider trap, and the team is captured by Max, a survivalist who offers a water chip in exchange for Vault 13's mythical G.E.C.K. At the Hub, a crime lord and a historian reveal the vaults were a corporate doomsday scheme. The scholar betrays the group to The Master, a mutant zealot creating a sterile super-race. As the team escapes, the Overseer locks them out, revealed as the war's architect. Mutants siege Vault 13; the hero's father dies opening the door. The hero crushes the mutated scholar, kills the Master, and mercy-kills an infected Max. Leading survivors into the wastes, he activates the G.E.C.K., creating a fragile Eden with the officer at his side. War never changes—but people do.

F. Gary Gray's Kane & Lynch

Convicted traitor and death row inmate Marcus Kane is being transported to San Quentin when his prison bus is violently ambushed by a black armored truck. He wakes up in a mysterious interrogation room face-to-face with his former best friend and betrayer, Sean Cosgrove, who Kane believed was dead. Cosgrove reveals that he now leads a covert mercenary team called "The Seven" and has kidnapped Kane's wife Megan and teenage daughter Eliza, locking them in an air-tight cell with only 96 hours of oxygen. To save them, Kane must retrieve a stolen microchip known as "The Skeleton Key"—a device containing nuclear launch codes—and deliver it to Cosgrove. To do so, he is forced to partner with Lester Lynch, a schizophrenic former government asset and accused murderer who suffers from violent psychotic episodes and hears voices commanding him to kill. Kane and Lynch embark on a brutal, globe-spanning mission from Tokyo's Yakuza underworld to the frozen coast of Alaska, forming a fragile and reluctant alliance. In Tokyo, with help from a grizzled CIA contact named Higgins, they infiltrate the fortress-like tower of Japanese kingpin Retomoto, retrieve the microchip, and escape in a helicopter as the building explodes behind them. But when Kane delivers the chip to Cosgrove, the villain double-crosses him, murders Megan mid-phone call, and takes Lynch hostage. Kane survives a point-blank shooting, rescues Eliza, and teams up with an eccentric, foul-mouthed CIA agent named Carmikael—whose kneecap Kane once shot out—to track Cosgrove to an Alaskan cargo dock. In a bloody, explosive showdown on a burning barge and collapsing ice, Kane and Lynch finally kill Cosgrove and destroy the microchip. Lynch disappears into the wilderness, finally at peace with his demons, while Kane surrenders to the FBI, now reconciled with his daughter Eliza, who visits him in prison and begins to call him "Dad."

Tony Scott's Grand Theft Auto

The film centers on a young ex-convict forced to be brought back to action as he sees his repo yard facing foreclosure. Things quickly go south as his uncle’s cocaine business is dismantled, with all the drugs stolen and the fault landing on his lap. Amidst all the chaos, the young con kidnaps the daughter of a yakuza boss and intends to make his way to Las Vegas to recover the lost merchandise, stealing one car at a time.

David O. Russell's Uncharted

It follows Nathan Drake, the supposed descendant of explorer Sir Francis Drake, as he searches for the lost treasure of El Dorado with journalist Elena Fisher and mentor Victor Sullivan.

Doug Liman's Splinter Cell

A “Splinter Cell” is a warrior who has been handpicked from the best American Special Forces units operating. He is then stripped of his identity, rank and official affiliation with the United States government before being redeployed as a ghost; the most dangerous one-man army the West has to offer. A Splinter Cell does not operate under official orders, nor does he go into areas of operation where the United States already has a military presence. The Splinter Cell goes into the places where we cannot legally be; the places where, if caught, he could ignite international war. The Splinter Cell is a disavowable operator. He does not—at least not officially—exist.

The New Jedi Order

The series revolves around the Yuuzhan Vong invasion of the galaxy 21–25 years after the events depicted in Return of the Jedi. The New Jedi Order was the restored and reformed Jedi organization, following the Great Jedi Purge and subsequent fall of the Galactic Empire. The Jedi Knights, reduced in number to only a handful, were slowly restored, primarily under the leadership of Luke Skywalker. The series begins 21 years after the Rebel Alliance destroyed the Second Death Star. The New Republic is facing internal conflict while trying to maintain peace. A new, powerful enemy, known as the Yuuzhan Vong, emerges from the outer galaxy, beginning what will be known as the Yuuzhan Vong invasion. The Jedi along with the New Republic, struggle to resist this new alien race while it steadily pushes forward, annihilating or occupying different parts of the galaxy.

Ben Affleck's Uncasted Batverse

Bruce Wayne was born on February 19, 1970, to Martha and Thomas Wayne. In 1981, after watching Excalibur with his parents, a mugger holds his parents at gunpoint, shooting both dead after a struggle in front of Bruce. During the funeral, Wayne runs off, only to fall into a dry well, and get attacked by a swarm of bats. This would later inspire him to use that fear to battle the criminal element that took his parents' lives. Years later, Wayne becomes the CEO of his father's company, Wayne Enterprises, while also becoming Batman in 1995, defending Gotham City from danger. At some point, Wayne recruited Robin who was then killed by Joker in 2005, with Wayne later keeping his vandalized suit to commemorate him.

Superman: The Metal Curtain

When the planet Krypton exploded, its last son was rocketed across the cosmos and came to settle in a small town in Kansas. But what else came with him, and what if a piece of his home landed somewhere we never knew about? As Superman has become a symbol of strength and pride for America, Russia looks to crush that image with a creation of their own, built by their own might and forged by their own power!

Superman: Brainiac

A bright, shining day in Metropolis is interrupted by a mysterious drone that crash-lands in the city and starts wreaking havoc. This looks like a job for Superman! But where did the metallic menace come from, what is its purpose, and who is Brainiac?

John Woo's He-Man

The story follows Adam, a reckless young prince, whose life is upended when his uncle Keldor, corrupted by the Sword of Darkness, murders King Randor and seizes control of Eternia. Believed dead, Adam escapes and trains for years under the mysterious Zodak, who prepares him for his destiny. Meanwhile, Keldor—who eventually becomes the infamous Skeletor—tightens his grip on Eternia, with Evil-Lyn pushing him to eliminate Adam before he can fulfill the prophecy of reuniting the legendary Swords of Light and Darkness. After years in exile, Adam embarks on a dangerous quest to find Castle Grayskull, aligning with a growing resistance led by Man-At-Arms and Teela. His journey is fraught with betrayals, brutal battles, and shocking deaths, pushing the script towards an almost R-rated intensity. Ultimately, Adam discovers the hidden Castle, reclaims the Sword of Light, and—after a climactic showdown with Skeletor—unites the twin swords, transforming into He-Man. Leading Eternia’s heroes in a final stand, he triumphs over Skeletor’s forces, but an after-credits scene hints at the villain’s survival, leaving the door open for future conflicts.

Batman Triumphant

The film tells a story of Bruce Wayne, who at 50 years old returns from retirement to fight crime and faces opposition from the Gotham City police force. The story also features the return of classic foe Catwoman.

Army of Darkness Reboot

Featuring a version of Ash, one who chose to stay in the Middle Ages following an unexpected return to that time period, from a world where the events of the Evil Dead films didn't take place until the early 21st century.

The Snyderverse: Revised and Continued

Let's imagine the horrendous studio-mandated Josstice League didn't happen. Let's pretend for a moment that the original cut of Justice League (or perhaps an edited-down, 2 or 3 hour version) was released in theatres, setting up the future of the DCEU franchise. Following this, the DCEU slate releases both the films we got (with tweaks to better fit into continuity with ZSJL), and others we were supposed to get. TV series on HBO Max also help flesh out the world.

Scooby-Doo: The 13th Ghost

A prologue set before the film depicts a young Vincent Van Ghoul and his partner Mortifer hunting down and successfully sealing the final ghost into the Chest of Demons. Mortifer, however, is attacked and seemingly killed by minion ghosts as a tearful Vincent makes his escape. In the opening credits, Vincent recaps the events in which Scooby eventually set the ghosts free once more but would catch all but one with the help of his friends Daphne and Shaggy. In the present day, Mystery Inc. are a decade removed from being forced to retire from solving mysteries to avoid being arrested for "criminal negligence." Shaggy has reunited with his girlfriend Mary Jane and the two have decided to take their relationship further until an old foe is in need of the gang's help with one final mystery to solve. The Awakening of the 13th Ghost. This story would not only see the return of Mary Jane but introduce also Colton Rogers, Shaggy's father who finally gets to see what he's up, having been roped into the mystery with the gang.

Scooby-Doo 3

The Mystery Inc. gang are hired by a town in Scotland who complain they are being plagued by monsters but we discover throughout the film the monsters are actually the victims. Scooby and Shaggy have to come to terms with their own prejudices and narrow belief systems.