Imagine Sicario meets The Hurt Locker with the emotional punch of Man on Fire and the comedy of Reacher, but this time, the battlefield is home.
In Collateral Damage, former Marine Corps EOD tech Nick Hardy returns to small-town Montana, hoping to rebuild his life and find peace. But when a woman he falls for turns out to be an undercover FBI agent, he’s thrust back into a high-stakes game of deception and domestic terrorism.
As a ghost from his past, a deadly bomb maker named Samūm, resurfaces on American soil, Nick discovers he’s the intended target of a catastrophic plot. Now, hunted and haunted, he must outwit the leader of an international terror cell and fight for the only thing left that matters: the people he loves.
This is a gritty, emotionally grounded action thriller, equal parts military realism, psychological drama, and kinetic suspense. It’s about trust, PTSD, trauma, and what happens when war follows you home.
Collateral Damage is ready for screen adaptation, with the emotional intensity of Man on Fire and the edge-of-your-seat pacing of Sicario. Nick Hardy could be your next great movie franchise hero.
CHARACTERS
- Nick Hardy – Former Marine EOD, emotionally wounded, precise, introspective. A bomb tech who can’t defuse his own pain.
- Claire Reed/Hall – FBI Special Agent. Cold exterior, warm interior. Hiding secrets but slowly forming a real bond with Nick.
- CJ Hardy – Nick’s brother. A moral compass and support system, loyal, grounded, but fiery.
- Samūm – Mastermind villain. A ghost from the past, brilliant and ideological. Nick’s psychological shadow.
- Ghafoor – Former enemy turned informant. A wildcard whose allegiance is always in question.
WHAT SETS IT APART
- Authenticity – Written by a Marine veteran. The trauma, tactics, and tension feel real because they are.
- Psychological Weight – This isn’t just guns and explosions. It’s about PTSD, betrayal, grief, and the high cost of survival.
- Cinematic Scope – From bomb-laden villages in Afghanistan to the silent dread of small-town America, the visuals shift from desaturated war to shadow-drenched thriller.
- Multi-Layered Villainy – Samūm is no cartoon terrorist, he’s a calculating ideologue who understands how to weaponize grief and guilt.
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Sounds interesting, James. I see this is listed under competition scripts. I’m looking forward to giving it a read.
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This is going to be a interesting screenplay
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Ooh, this is very intriguing.
And thank you for your service!
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Awesome script and very actual. Best whishes!
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First and foremost, this story is exceptional—truly outstanding. Selecting only the top 26 stories is going to be an incredibly difficult and challenging task for the judges. Compared to 2025, the year 2026 has seen between 2,000 to 2,700 scripts on this platform that possess such immense depth. Honestly, narrowing them down to just 26 will be a very tough time for the judges.
Nevertheless, all the best to everyone for 2026. Once tomorrow passes, we will find out the day after which stories have made it to the top 26—the ones people will honor, vote for, and try to push into the top 10. To be truthful, this is a surprise for everyone. From 2024 through 2025 and now in 2026, we have seen so many professional-grade scripts. It is a challenging environment for everyone, so all the best to all of you
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Yes, we can certainly understand. This estimate was based on the trends observed from 2024 to 2025. In 2025, we received between 2,000 and 2,100 stories, which made the task incredibly difficult for the judges. If you look at the 2025 data, it shows that over 80 stories were of such high caliber that they truly deserved to be selected. However, since the platform’s strategy is to pick only the Top 26, it becomes a very challenging and responsible task. For now, just enjoy this moment and wait for tomorrow, as that is when we will find out which stories made it into the Top 26. Wishing you all the very best
How can it be decided that quickly?
Could you please elaborate on what specific decision you are referring to? Your question was a bit unclear. It is always better to express yourself openly so that your words, though perhaps intended for one person, remain easy to understand and meaningful for anyone else who reads them
I mean going from 2000+ entries to selecting top 26 in a day…
While it is true that the top 26 need to be selected, this does not happen in a single day. The process begins with professional script readers reviewing the entries until March 29th. Based on their expert evaluation, the top 26 scripts will be presented to the public for voting.
From that pool, the audience’s votes will determine the top 10 finalists. In the next stage, a panel of judges and industry professionals will select the top 3 from those 10. Finally, the audience will vote once more on the top 3 to decide the ultimate winner
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