Script To Screen: “Hanna”

A key scene from the terrific 2011 movie Hanna, screenplay by Seth Lochhead and David Farr, story by Seth Lochhead.

Plot Summary: A sixteen-year-old girl who was raised by her father to be the perfect assassin is dispatched on a mission across Europe, tracked by a ruthless intelligence agent and her operatives.

INT. CIA LANGLEY OPERATIONAL HQ. EARLY DAWN. CONT.MARISSA WIEGLER sits alone in the empty CIA Langley
headquarters, watching the CCTV relay staring at the face of
this strange little girl.HANNA
Where am I?INT. HANNA’’S HOLDING CELL - CONTINUOUSHANNA stares at FALSE MARISSA awaiting an answer.FALSE MARISSA
You’’re in a safe place.HANNA
Where did you meet my father?The false MARISSA pauses.INT. OPERATIONAL HQ. LANGLEY - CONTINUOUSMARISSA hears the question. Thinks fast, her mind totally
focussed.MARISSA
Erik. I met him by a news kiosk in
Alexanderplatz, East Berlin. Say it
was raining. He had just arrived
from Prague.INT. HANNA’’S HOLDING CELL - CONTINUOUSFALSE MARISSA pauses looking at HANNA. We see that she has a
tiny microphone in her ear.FALSE MARISSA
You mean Erik?Hanna nods.FALSE MARISSA (CONT’’D)
Yes. I met him at a news kiosk.
Alexanderplatz. In the rain. He had
just arrived from Prague...HANNA, looking at FALSE MARISSA, reading her face.INT. CAMP G. OBSERVATION ROOM - CONTINUOUSLEWIS watches on the screen. But then gets a call from the
Military Laboratory.LEWIS
Go ahead.MILITARY DOCTOR
Sir, we’’ve completed the tests on
the girl.MARISSA (V.O.)
Who authorized tests?On screen: FALSE MARISSA and HANNA.FALSE MARISSA
Do you know where your father is?LEWIS, half watching the screen, talking to the intercom.LEWIS
I authorized them. Blood,
urinalysis, hair. All standard.INT. OPERATIONAL HQ. LANGLEY - CONTINUOUSMARISSA, alone in Langley, suddenly alert.MARISSA
Send the results directly to me.LEWIS
Walt and Bob--MARISSA
If Walt and Bob come asking, send
Walt and Bob directly to me.FALSE MARISSA
(filtered)
Did he tell you where he was going?
We’’re all worried about him.ON CCTV: Hanna cries, holds out her arms.INT. CAMP G. OBSERVATION ROOM - CONTINUOUSMONITOR
Sir look.LEWIS turns to the screen as FALSE MARISSA tentatively takes
HANNA in her arms.LEWIS
Agent keep your distance.INT. HANNA’’S HOLDING CELL - CONTINUOUSThe FALSE MARISSA tentatively takes HANNA in her arms.FALSE MARISSA
It’’s OK. It’’s OK.HANNA coils her thin arms around the FALSE MARISSA’’S neck,
clinging to her like a monkey.The FALSE MARISSA looks up to the security camera, slightly
concerned. Hanna wriggles in her arms, to get a better
grip...INT. OPERATIONAL HQ. LANGLEY - CONTINUOUS MARISSA watches.HANNA begins to weep more and more, burrowing her face into
the FALSE MARISSA.BURTON (V.O.)
(filtered)
You want me to give her something?INT. HANNA’’S HOLDING CELL - CONTINUOUSHANNA clutching on to FALSE MARISSA, nestles close, weeps.FALSE MARISSA
I think it might be necessary.INT. OPERATIONAL HQ. LANGLEY. CONT.MARISSA watches. Intrigued. Almost excited.INT. CORRIDOR OUTSIDE HANNA’’S HOLDING CELL - CONTINUOUSBurton comes rushing down the corridor filling a syringe as
he goes. He arrives at HANNA’’S door.BURTON
Open up.The first guard opens HANNA’’S door.INT. HANNA’’S HOLDING CELL - CONTINUOUSHanna hugs, weeping, on to the FALSE MARISSA. BURTON hears
the instruction to abort but too late......as suddenly and with total efficiency HANNA SNAPS the
FALSE MARISSA’’s neck.INT. OPERATIONAL HQ. LANGLEY. DAY. CONT.MARISSA stands up as her false self, ON SCREEN, slumps dead
to the floor.HANNA grabs the first GUARDS handgun from his holster and
fires two rounds, BURSTING BURTON’’S EYE. And two more into
the first GUARD’’s chest.Marissa leans in, captivated.MARISSA
(whispers)
Oh my.INT. CAMP G. OBSERVATION ROOM. CONT.LEWIS immediately presses the Alarm Bell.LEWIS
Holy hell! Wiegler, Wiegler?On another screen LEWIS watches as the other Guard tries to
drag the metal door shut. He hits a fleshy door jam - Burton.
Hanna is upon him. Two shots.MARISSA watches HANNA aim straight at camera. HANNA’’S fierce
eyes looking at her, MARISSA cant help but pull away from the
screen. HANNA fires and the screen goes blank.

Here is the movie version of the scene:

There are a few notable differences including shifting one interchange out of this scene, but notice how close some of the key pieces of action mirror the script… and how the taut, yet vivid description matches what was shot.

What did you see and hear in comparing the scripted version of the scene and the movie version? Please head to comments and share your observations.

You may read my interview with screenwriter Seth Lochhead here.

One of the single best things you can do to learn the craft of screenwriting is to read the script while watching the movie. After all a screenplay is a blueprint to make a movie and it’s that magic of what happens between printed page and final print that can inform how you approach writing scenes. That is the purpose of Script to Screen, a weekly series on GITS where we analyze a memorable movie scene and the script pages that inspired it.

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