Bogtown
A Comedy/Drama Feature written by Morgan Healy, inspired by a concept by Terry Litton, Rebecca O’Brien & Morgan Healy
Logline
When dodgy developer Wayne Miller suffers a freak brain seizure on the way to cash in on a scheme to destroy his childhood hometown, he wakes up trapped in the mind of his 15-year-old self. Wedged between his rebellious teenage spirit and his shady adult ambitions, Wayne must rally the quirky townsfolk to save ‘Bogtown’ – and himself – before it’s too late.
Concept
Wayne Miller (57), a ruthless and wealthy property developer, has spent decades building his empire abroad, far from the dusty outback town of Boggabilla – a place he fled in disgrace as a teenager. Known as “Bogtown” to locals, it is a struggling rural community steeped in memories Wayne would rather forget. When a lucrative deal to flood the town for cotton farming profits lands on his desk, Wayne leaps at the opportunity, convinced it’s the ultimate way to leave his past behind for good.
But as he makes his way back to Australia for the first time in decades to finalise the deal, Wayne suffers a catastrophic brain seizure. The incident leaves him stuck with the mind of his 15-year-old self, but in his 55-year-old body, but believing it’s 1983, complete with the youthful energy, naivety, and an unfiltered optimism that had long since been buried under decades of cynicism. With no recollection of the man he has become, “Young Wayne” arrives in Bogtown, a town on the brink of collapse from drought, corporate cotton exploitation, and the erosion of its community spirit.
Reuniting with his estranged sister Cheryl, his once abusive father, and childhood friends Ben and Anna (whose lives were forever altered when Wayne ran away during a seminal rugby league final), Wayne stumbles into the fight to save Bogtown. The town’s residents, ranging from struggling farmers to fiery locals, rally behind his youthful enthusiasm, even as corporate forces led by Wayne’s own lover-turned-rival, Denise, tighten their grip. Young Wayne’s efforts to unite the town include galvanising the local community, resurrecting old grudges, and awkwardly navigating the unresolved feelings of the people he left behind.
As the battle against corporate greed escalates, Wayne’s mind begins to shift again. The seizures subside, and he reverts to his calculating, older self—this time with a secret agenda. Wayne now finds himself living a double life: sabotaging the community he just inspired to fight while attempting to maintain his cover as a spirited 17-year-old ally. As tensions rise, Wayne’s internal war with himself mirrors the town’s fight for survival, with both sides teetering between the edge of victory or total destruction.
In a desperate bid to resolve the standoff, Wayne proposes a dramatic solution: a replay of the infamous 1983 Rugby Grand Final, a game abandoned and never completed, the night he fled town. This time, the stakes couldn’t be higher. If Bogtown wins, the town is saved, and the corporate developers must leave. If they lose, the deal goes through, and Bogtown is lost forever. As Wayne conspires to rig the game in favour of the developers, his rekindled connection to the town – its people, its history, and the parts of himself he thought were lost – forces him to question everything.
When the grand final finally arrives, chaos reigns both on and off the field. As the clock winds down, Wayne’s duplicity unravels, and his actions push the game to the brink. In a dramatic final play, Wayne is faced with a life-altering choice: secure his personal fortune by betraying the people who gave him a second chance, or fight for the community he once abandoned and rediscover the man he could be.
As the ball sails through the uprights, Bogtown erupts in celebration. Wayne, stripped of his wealth but restored in spirit, watches as the community reclaims its future. Amid the cheering townsfolk, Wayne finds redemption not in riches or power, but in belonging to something greater than himself.
Development Stage
1st Draft Script Completed – 2nd Draft Underway
