Screenplay for

MORGAN FREEMAN
READS THE
ENCYCLOPEDIA
by Aleksandr Wright

MORGAN FREEMAN walks into a large, white room. The only furnishings are a white coffee table, and a white couch, upon which MORGAN FREEMAN takes a seat. Three things are on the coffee table, the most current version of the ENCYCLOPAEDIA BRITANNICA, an elegant DECANTER full of fine SCOTCH WHISKEY, and a HUMIDOR with 12 CUBAN CIGARS.

MORGAN FREEMAN pours himself a shot of whiskey and takes a sip. He sets the glass down and picks a volume at random. As he settles back, he flips to a random page, and after a short pause, begins reading:

MORGAN FREEMAN

"Uyuni salt flat. Spanish: Salar de Uyuni. An arid, windswept salt flat in southwestern Bolivia. It lies on the Altiplano, at 11,995 feet (3,656 metres) above sea level. The Uyuni Salt Flat is Bolivia’s largest salt-encrusted waste area (about 4,085 square miles [10,582 square km]) and is separated from the Coipasa Salt Flat, a similar but smaller feature to the north, by a range of hills. On its shores are saltworks at Salinas de Garci Mendoza on the north, Llica on the northwest, and Calcha on the south. Vast reserves of untapped lithium..."

MORGAN FREEMAN may occasionally take a sip of WHISKEY or light a cigar and take a few puffs as he reads, savoring either the alcohol or the tobacco, respectively. As he reads random articles, perhaps he makes a few "Hmmm..." sounds, or he may give concise, relevant comments after reading a particularly interesting article, "I wonder what it would be like to visit such a place."