Elizabeth Quatermain is borrowed from Lady Norbert with her permission.

Chronicles - The Trailer

We are in a bedroom. Two beds are inside, and its occupants are in their beds, all tucked in and snug. They are two boys, one aged six, the other, aged ten.

A elderly woman is switching off the light at the door, but the six-year-old speaks up.

Boy: Can we have a bedtime story?

The woman stops, and smiles kindly. She nods, and sits down at the foot of the younger boy's bed. The other boy sits up in his bed, listening.

The scene fades as the woman speaks.

Storyteller (V.O.)
This happened a long time ago.

London, England, 1940. Air raid sirens blare at every street corner, and people drop everything and hurry to the air raid shelters.

Another scene bleeds into the picture of the empty street, and eventually replaces it.

Storyteller (V.O.)
In 1899, to be exact.

It is London at the turn of a century, when many exciting developments in every manner were being achieved.

As we pan over the city, we come to the docks. It is night, and the moon is reflected on the surface of the water. It begins to ripple, as if something had been dropped into it — or rising from beneath its depths.

Slowly, but surely, the mighty Nautilus rises from the water, living up to its name of Sword of the Ocean.

Storyteller (V.O.)
In those days, there was a group of very special people who helped save the world.

As the gangplanks are lowered to touch the shore, several people set out from the mighty vessel. They are a curious bunch; there is the tall Indian captain, Captain Nemo, dressed in a semi-militaristic uniform of blue and silver; Mina Harker, a auburn-haired woman with a crimson scarf wrapped around her neck; Tom Sawyer, a young man with shaggy blond hair, two Colts at his waist; Dr. Henry Jekyll, a shorter gentleman, dressed as if for a night at the theatre, the pocketwatch in his hand opening and closing repeatedly; Rodney Skinner, what seems to be a floating hat and coat; and another, younger, woman, Elizabeth Quatermain.

Storyteller (V.O.)
They were known as the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.

The League are onboard the Nautilus, in the stateroom. We have a bird's eye view of what they are doing; they are looking over maps of the world and different countries. As we pan about the room, we see that they are looking at different maps at different times; some of them are a little darker, or a little wiser.

Storyteller (V.O.)
They went on many missions, but their adventures were never chronicled.

We see Elizabeth in her home library, at the desk; she closes a handsome tome bound in red leather, and stands up, placing the book in an empty space amongst the rows of books. On the spine of the book, there are these words in gold script: 'History of the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen'.

Storyteller (V.O.)
Not officially.

Elizabeth puts another volume, this time a dark blue one, next to three others with the same title.

Storyteller (V.O.)
But of all their missions, there was one that was especially dangerous...

We are in the sewers of London. Something splashes in the dirty water, even though we can't see it. There is a dim source of light somewhere in the vast underground network. It casts shadows on the brick tunnels. Soft, creepy music that runs a chilling finger down one's spine starts to play

Something large moves across the light source, casting crazy shadows across the wall. It crosses the light source many times, and then it stops — the shadow that is cast on the wall is that of a huge rat, what looks like a human body in its mouth as the music reaches its crescendo...

Storyteller (V.O.)
It was the mission of the Shadow Beast.

We get quick flashes of the following as dramatic music plays:

Mina Harker, her bats all around her, swooping down at something we cannot see, an unearthly shriek coming from her...

Captain Nemo, his ornamental sword held in front of him, backing towards the wall...

Edward Hyde being thrown against the brick tunnels, mortar and dust falling from the ceiling...

Tom Sawyer, firing his Winchester non-stop at the approaching shadow, his eyes wide with amazement...

Rodney Skinner grabbing a petrified Elizabeth Quatermain's hand and pulling her along as they run for their lives...

We come back to the bedroom. The boys' eyes are wide, but the elderly lady shakes her head. She is Elizabeth Quatermain, now aged 61.

Elizabeth: I'll save the rest of the stories for another night, dears.

The two boys protest, but Elizabeth shakes her head. She promises them that she will tell them the story tomorrow night.

Placated, the two go to bed. Smiling, Elizabeth goes to the door, shutting the light as she does so. Outside, she meets Meg, a thirteen-year-old girl, sister to the two boys. She is obviously not happy.

Meg: I heard what you were telling them. All those childish stories. They're not true, all of them. Of the Shadow Beast, of M, of anything. The League never existed.

CHRONICLES

Are you prepared to believe?

COMING SOON