elevator pitching and recycling

[sergebroom]

(The scene, an elevator inside a Los Angeles glass tower. The only passengers are a young man and a middle-aged executive type.)

"Sir, I have this great idea for a space adventure movie... Space raiders frequently drop down on an isolated planet's impoverished population. After the last such raid, some decide that their world can't take this anymore and they go to another star system where they enlist the help of mercenaries to rid themselves of those raiders once and for all."
"I like it, kid, but..."
"But what, sir?"
"It sounds like Pixar's A Bug's Life."
"Not the same. That one has insects here on Earth today."
"Ever seen John Sturges's Magnificent Seven?"
"That was a western. This is science-fiction."
"Kurosawa's Seven Samurai, kid?"
"Of course. It's set centuries in the past, in Asia. Mine is set in outer space."
"Sigh... Ever seen Battle Beyond the Stars?"
"Crap."