Charlie’s Big Chance — Screenwriter Page
Charlie’s Big Chance — Children’s Animated Series
Tony B. Richard | Ages 8–13+ | Hopepunk | Disability Representation
A wheelchair-using girl reporter and her dog uncovered the Roswell cover-up. So the Army gave her a job.
THE SERIES
In 1947, twelve-year-old Charlie Baker is already an investigative journalist — she just hasn’t convinced anyone else of that yet. When a UFO crashes outside Roswell, Charlie and her golden retriever Sandy get there before the Army does. She takes photos, talks to witnesses, and tracks the wreckage to a guarded warehouse where she walks up to the guards and demands to speak to whoever is in charge.
General Jones is so impressed he has her recruited. Now Charlie is on the government payroll — tasked with documenting humanity’s first contact with an alien species, interviewing both humans and the Zalmen themselves, and keeping it all secret until the world is ready.
Seventy-five years later, the classified files have been released. This is Charlie’s account of what really happened.
The series stands entirely alone — no prior knowledge of ESA required — while rewarding readers of the novels and viewers of the live-action franchise with a new perspective on shared events.
WHY CHARLIE?
Middle-grade fiction rarely centres a disabled protagonist who leads through competence, courage, and journalism — not in spite of her wheelchair, but alongside it. Charlie doesn’t overcome her disability to become a hero. She already is one. Sandy isn’t a sidekick — she’s a partner who spots the clues, reads the people, and helps Charlie decide who to trust.
Charlie’s Big Chance is hopepunk for the next generation.
DEVELOPMENT STATUS
- Series bible: complete
- Pilot script: complete (feature version available)
- Pitch page: tonybrichard.com/charlies-big-chance-animated-series
COMPETITION CREDENTIALS
| Competition | Category | Placement | Announcement |
| ISA Diversity Initiative S33 | Feature | Round 2 | May 2026 |
| ISA Diversity Initiative S33 | Pilot | Round 2 | May 2026 |
| Creative Screenwriting S2 | Animation | Quarter-Finalist | Jul 2026 |
| Creative Screenwriting S4 | Pilot | Quarter-Finalist | Jul 2026 |
Four active submissions currently in evaluation.
INDUSTRY LINKS
ISA Profile: ISA Profile
FilmFreeway: FilmFreeway
Contact: tonybrichard.com/contact
Facebook: Facebook
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