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Dennis J. Manning is a neo-noir screenwriter and filmmaker crafting psychological thrillers, memory-driven dramas, and elevated character studies built for directors with a strong visual point of view.
CARNIVAL LIGHTS - The Final Screenplay of 2025 - a modern noir about chosen family, moral collapse, and the cost of belonging.
2025 I wrote 14 scripts.
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3/1/2025 One Less Egg To Fry
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3/17/2025 Deuce's Wild
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4/8/2025 Handrptint
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4/24/2025 Another Rose On The Vine
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5/9/2025 Chasing Truths
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5/15/2025 Dreamland Lovers
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6/8/2025 Dreamland: 2nd Offering
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7/1/2025 Strings Attached
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7/11/2025 Refuse to Go Dark
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9/17/2025 Blank Canvas
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10/21/2025 Have At It
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10/23/2025 Honesty 1
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2/3/2025 Black Diamond
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12/30/2025 Carnival Lights
The Shaft , Chasing Truths & Handprint — Under Contract with Price Productions — Packaging in Progress.
The Substitute Wife - Under Contract with Voyage Media
"More Going Down" – Awarded Stage 32 Double Recommend (Top 1%)
Redefining LGBTQ+ storytelling through bold, cinematic narratives where love, power, and fate collide in a neo-noir landscape.
I don’t write “gay stories.” I write thrillers where power seduces, love destroys, and fate never blinks. The fact that some of my leads are queer?
That just makes the stakes higher.
I'm not chasing trends. I’m redefining them.
Beautifully unstable narratives that linger long after the credits roll.
9-screenplay slate. 5 completed in 75 days. All killer. No filler.
STRINGS ATTACHED
The screenplay masterfully uses the personification of the guitars to explore deeper themes about artistic expression, personal demons, and the cost of silence. Each guitar represents different aspects of Dennis's musical journey and psychological state: Guitar #1 embodies his early success and the weight of expectations, Guitar #2 represents his true artistic voice and vulnerability, and Guitar #3 symbolizes the darker truths he tried to suppress
8 Pages. 10 Minutes.
Because artists everywhere are reckoning with their own silence, their own ghosts, and their own lost songs. STRINGS ATTACHED reminds us that healing doesn’t mean returning to the spotlight. It means picking up the guitar, even if it cuts.
LOGLINE
When a washed-up musician returns to his sacred studio to write one last song, the guitars he abandoned come alive, forcing him to face the haunting truth about the silence he chose—and the music that never died.
SYNOPSIS
Dennis, once a celebrated singer-songwriter, now hides from his art in a lonely, dustcovered studio filled with three guitars he hasn’t played in years. Each guitar personifies a part of his soul: Guitar #1 (De Niro-style) is the hard-nosed voice of his past glory and bitterness; Guitar #2 (Amy Adams-style) is the vulnerable, soulful heart he’s tried to forget; and Guitar #3 (Ryan Reynolds-style) is his inner cynic and rage. As the guitars argue and unravel Dennis's history of retreat, broken promises, and artistic betrayal, they begin to physically and emotionally push back. When Dennis finally picks up Guitar #2, a quiet harmony is born, leading to a final, poignant performance of his original song "Solitary Man."
RATINGS
DIALOGUE: 9
ORIGINALITY: 9
EMOTIONAL ENGAGEMENT: 9
THEME & MESSAGE: 9
Unique Elements
GREENLIGHT COVERAGE REVIEW
Voice cast stylized like De Niro, Amy Adams, and Ryan Reynolds • Darkly humorous, emotionally grounded, dialogue-driven animation • An original 1982 song, "Solitary Man," weaves throughout Dennis's character arc and has appeared in two other screenplays by the creator ("Now & Then" and "Chasing Truths")
"The story works on multiple levels – as a supernatural thriller, a psychological drama, and a meditation on artistic integrity."
"The resolution avoids easy answers while offering hope – Dennis doesn't return to his former glory, but he finds peace with his instruments and recommits to making music." "
This unique story combines elements of psychological horror, dark comedy, and drama to create a compelling narrative about the relationship between artists and their art."
"The voice casting choices add depth to each character: De Niro’s tough-guy persona, Adams’s emotional sincerity, and Reynolds’s biting wit."
“The resolution avoids easy answers while offering hope – Dennis doesn't return to his former glory, but he finds peace with his instruments and recommits to making music, suggesting that redemption comes not from external success but from authentic artistic expression.