The World of Shifting
Shifting is the story of how talk show host Laura Webster finds love and more when a stray cat, Franklin, turns into a handsome guy, and she is drawn into the shadowy world of shapeshifters. Splash meets Notting Hill with a touch of X-Men.
Tone, Style, Theme
Shifting is a quirky, heartwarming, romantic comedy, a date movie that the whole family can enjoy. With its laugh-out-loud situations and a heartfelt message about the importance of embracing one’s true self, this film reminds us that love and understanding can overcome formidable obstacles.
A colourful cast of characters adds depth to the humor and charm of a story touched with magical realism. Through the funny side of an extraordinary situation, it explores the complexities of human relationships.
Details
Period: contemporary
Genre: Action fantasy
Budget: £6,500,000
Synopsis
Laura Webster, co-host of the successful streaming show CatTalk (“All Cats, All the Time”), never seems to find the right man – or the right cat. One night, a stray tomcat named Franklin comes into her life and magically turns into a gorgeous man.
Who is he? Where does he come from? How can he shift from feline to human? As Franklin and Laura try to fathom these mysteries, they find all too many people interested in the same questions. Obsessive re- searcher Gordon Twining wants to prove his theories about shapeshifting and earn scientific vindication. Charles McGuire, chairman of Biogenetics Corporation, wants Franklin for analysis and profit. And the hidden society of shapeshifters wants Franklin back, before an outsider discovers his nature and threatens their very existence.
As Laura helps Franklin navigate the quirks of life as a human, she finds herself falling in love with this unique young man. But will Franklin’s need for others of his kind tear them apart?
When Franklin is captured and imprisoned in Biogenetics’ lab, an unlikely group of friends and allies unite to try to save him. But will a desperate chase across the city end in victory or death? And even if he sur- vives, will there be, can there be, any happy ending for Franklin and Laura?
Characters
Laura Webster
LAURA WEBSTER, 24, vivacious, independent, cre- ative, a high achiever, host of the popular streaming show Cat- Talk. Yet somehow, Laura can’t seem to find the right man - or the right cat - in her life.
Franklin
FRANKLIN, 25, an unknowing shapeshifter, lithe, handsome, graceful, stub- born, and often at a loss. Though still thinking with the mind of a cat, Franklin has to learn what it is to be a human. And then he must chose between his love for Laura and the demands of his own kind.
Rachel Weinberg
RACHEL WEINBERG, 26, flamboyant, wry, competent, with a vast collection of cat tee-shirts. Laura’s best friend and business partner is loyal and happy in love. With the corporate acquisition of their streaming show, she’s pushed to find a solution to their fate.
Adversaries
GORDON TWINING 40, impatient, eccentric, aggrieved with the world, very badly dressed. Twining knows shifters exist, though no one believes him. He’s determined to prove his competence, and his sanity, by finding a real shifter to present to the world.
CHARLES McGUIRE, 60, Chairman of Biogenetics Corporation, plausible, cold, impeccably groomed, desperate to satisfy ruthless investors through dangerous experimental procedures.
Randal Wolfe
RANDALL WOLFE, 40, austere, focused, formidable, secretive. A watchful guardian of Franklin, fixed on preventing the exposure and endangerment of his people. He is determined to thwart Twining’s obsessive efforts to capture a shifter.
Robby Sanders
ROBBY SANDERS, 33, excitable, ironic, surreptitiously kind, mainstay producer of CatTalk.
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