FADE IN:

EXT. URUK - CITY OUTSKIRTS - DUSK

The sun bleeds crimson over Uruk, casting long shadows from its towering walls and ziggurats. The Euphrates River reflects the fading light, its waters calm but ominous. The city hums with uneasy celebration after GILGAMESH and ENKIDU’s triumph over Humbaba in the Cedar Forest. Farmers and merchants move cautiously, whispering of divine displeasure. A distant rumble echoes, like the growl of an unseen beast.

NARRATOR (V.O.)

Gilgamesh and Enkidu, brothers forged in battle, have carved their names into legend. The Cedar Forest yields its secrets to their blades, and Uruk basks in their glory. Yet their defiance of the gods—slaying Humbaba, guardian of the sacred woods—has stirred the heavens. A goddess watches, her heart a tempest of desire and vengeance. This interlude marks the turning of fate, a pause before the storm that will test their bond.

CUT TO: INT. TEMPLE OF ISHTAR - INNER SANCTUARY - NIGHT

The sanctuary glows with the flicker of oil lamps, their light dancing on walls adorned with reliefs of Ishtar’s triumphs. ISHTARAN, the priestess, stands before a towering statue of ISHTAR, goddess of love and war, its lapis eyes gleaming. She scatters myrrh into a brazier, her chants low and urgent. GILGAMESH and ENKIDU enter, their armor scarred from battle, their faces alight with victory but tinged with unease.

ISHTARAN
(Stern, turning to them)

Gilgamesh, Enkidu, your names ring across Uruk, and the Cedar Forest mourns its guardian. Humbaba’s death has freed the trade routes, but at what cost? The gods whisper of retribution. You tread a dangerous path.

GILGAMESH
(Defiant, stepping forward)

Ishtaran, we felled Humbaba for Uruk’s sake. The forest’s cedars will build our temples, our ships. The gods should praise us, not scorn us. I fear no divine tantrum.

ENKIDU
(Quietly, troubled)

Brother, I stood with you against Humbaba, but I felt the earth tremble as he fell. The air carried voices—not of men, but of powers beyond us. We’ve angered more than mortal foes.

ISHTARAN
(Eyes sharp, voice low)

You speak truth, Enkidu. Ishtar, radiant and fierce, has turned her gaze upon you, Gilgamesh. Her heart burns with desire, but her wrath is a fire that consumes. Beware her call, for to defy a goddess is to court calamity.

GILGAMESH laughs, his voice echoing in the sanctuary, but ENKIDU shifts uneasily.

GILGAMESH

Let Ishtar rage. I am two-thirds divine, born of Ninsun. No goddess will chain me. Enkidu, my brother, are we not stronger than any god’s whim?

ENKIDU
(Hesitant, meeting his gaze)

Together, we are unmatched. But strength alone cannot shield us from divine will. I was born of clay, Gilgamesh—closer to the earth than the heavens. I feel a shadow growing.

The statue of ISHTAR pulses faintly, unnoticed by the trio. A gust of wind stirs the lamps, casting eerie shadows.

NARRATOR (V.O.)

The gods do not sleep through mortal boasts. Ishtar, goddess of passion and war, descends to Uruk, her heart set on Gilgamesh. Her offer is both gift and trap, her anger a blade poised to strike. The interlude unfolds, a moment of tension before the divine storm breaks.

CUT TO: EXT. ROYAL PALACE - ROOFTOP GARDEN - NIGHT

GILGAMESH stands alone in a lush garden, surrounded by date palms and blooming jasmine. The stars blaze above, but the air is heavy. A radiant glow appears, and ISHTAR materializes, her form shimmering with divine beauty, her eyes both alluring and dangerous.

ISHTAR
(Seductive, stepping close)

Gilgamesh, king of Uruk, your strength dazzles the heavens, your courage stirs even my heart. Be my consort, rule beside me in glory. Let Uruk shine under our union, and immortality will be yours.

GILGAMESH
(Smiling coldly, unflinching)

Ishtar, your beauty is a snare. I know your lovers’ fates—Dumuzi, bound to the underworld; Tammuz, cast aside like chaff. I am no lamb for your altar. Seek another to toy with.
ISHTAR’s face darkens, the air crackling with her fury. The stars dim, and a wind howls through the garden.

ISHTAR
(Voice rising, venomous)

You dare spurn me, mortal king? You, a fleeting spark, reject Ishtar’s love? Know this—my wrath will shake Uruk’s foundations. You and your wild brother will pay for this insolence!

GILGAMESH
(Stepping forward, defiant)

Send your worst, goddess! I am Gilgamesh, and with Enkidu at my side, no force—divine or mortal—will break us. Uruk is mine, and I bow to no one!

ISHTAR vanishes in a flash of light, leaving the garden cold and still. ENKIDU steps from the shadows, having overheard, his face etched with worry.

ENKIDU
(Softly, urgent)

Gilgamesh, you’ve lit a fire we may not quench. Ishtar’s anger is no mere storm—it’s a flood that drowns all. We must prepare, brother.

GILGAMESH
(Clapping Enkidu’s shoulder, grinning)

Let her rage, Enkidu. We’ve slain Humbaba, tamed the forest. What’s a goddess’s tantrum to us? Stand with me, and we’ll face anything.

ENKIDU
(Nodding, but somber)

I stand with you, always. But I feel a weight, like the earth itself warns us. The gods’ games are not ours to win so easily.

CUT TO: EXT. URUK - CITY PLAINS - DAWN

A deafening roar shakes the earth. The BULL OF HEAVEN, a monstrous beast with horns like scythes and eyes of fire, charges toward Uruk, its hooves splintering the ground. CITIZENS scream, fleeing to the city gates. GILGAMESH and ENKIDU, alerted by the chaos, rush from the palace, weapons in hand.

NINSUNNA
(30s, clutching her sons, terrified)

Ishtar’s vengeance! That beast will crush us all! Gilgamesh, your pride has brought this doom upon Uruk!

LUGAL
(50s, gripping a staff, steady)

Hold your fear, Ninsunna. Our king and Enkidu stand ready. If they can slay Humbaba, they can face this monster. Trust in them.

GILGAMESH and ENKIDU confront the BULL, their movements synchronized, their faces grim with resolve. The beast charges, shaking the earth. They dodge, striking with spear and sword in a desperate dance.

GILGAMESH
(Shouting, mid-battle)

Enkidu, its legs! Cripple it—I’ll strike the neck!

ENKIDU
(Grunting, thrusting his spear)

It’s like wrestling a mountain! Hold steady, brother—this is no beast, but a god’s wrath!
The battle is fierce, dust and blood clouding the air.

The CROWD watches, breathless. GILGAMESH leaps onto the BULL’s back, driving his sword deep. ENKIDU strikes its flank, and the beast collapses with a final, earth-shaking roar. The CROWD erupts in cheers, but ISHTARAN, watching from the city wall, shakes her head.

ISHTARAN
(To herself, grave)

They’ve slain the Bull of Heaven, a feat to rival the gods. But such victories come at a price. The heavens will not forgive this affront.

CUT TO: INT. TEMPLE OF ANU - NIGHT

The temple is quiet, lit by a single lamp. ISHTARAN kneels, praying. SHAMHAT, the priestess who tamed Enkidu, joins her, her face troubled.

SHAMHAT
(Worried)

Ishtaran, the city celebrates, but I feel a chill in my bones. Enkidu spoke to me—he dreams of shadows, of a hand reaching from the heavens. What have they done?

ISHTARAN
(Somber)

They have defied Ishtar, Shamhat. The gods’ patience wanes. Gilgamesh’s pride and Enkidu’s loyalty have woven a fate neither can escape. A reckoning comes.

SHAMHAT
(Softly)

Enkidu was wild once, free. Now he carries Uruk’s weight with Gilgamesh. Will the gods punish them for their courage?

ISHTARAN
(Eyes distant)

Courage or hubris—the gods care not for the distinction. They see only balance. Uruk’s heroes have tipped the scales, and the heavens will answer.

CUT TO: EXT. URUK - MARKET SQUARE - DAY

The city buzzes with uneasy joy. CITIZENS gather, praising GILGAMESH and ENKIDU, but whispers of divine wrath ripple through the crowd.

SHAMASHU
(20s, bronze-smith, raising a cup)

To our king and his brother! They’ve slain Ishtar’s beast! Uruk stands tall because of them!

NINKA
(40s, cautious, stepping forward)

Yes, they saved us, but at what cost? The gods sent that bull. What else will they send to punish our king’s defiance?

ZARQU
(20s, hunter, nodding)

I saw Enkidu’s face after the battle. He smiled, but his eyes were heavy. He knows something we don’t. The wild man fears the heavens.

DUMUZI*
(30s, trapper, grim)

Let them fear. Gilgamesh and Enkidu are Uruk’s strength. If the gods want a fight, they’ll find our heroes ready.

CUT TO: INT. ROYAL PALACE - PRIVATE CHAMBER - NIGHT

GILGAMESH and ENKIDU sit by a fire, their faces lit by its glow. The mood is heavy, the triumph bittersweet. ENKIDU stares into the flames, troubled.

ENKIDU
(Quietly)

Gilgamesh, we’ve faced monsters and gods alike. But tonight, I dreamed of a gate, dark and cold, leading somewhere no man returns from. I fear we’ve crossed a line.

GILGAMESH
(Gripping his arm, firm)

Dreams are shadows, Enkidu. We are flesh and blood, stronger than any god’s curse. You are my brother—together, we are eternal.

ENKIDU
(Smiling faintly)

Eternal or not, I stand with you. But the gods’ eyes are upon us, and their gaze is not kind. Promise me, brother—whatever comes, we face it as one.

GILGAMESH
(Nodding, resolute)

As one, always. Let the heavens tremble before us.
The fire flickers, casting long shadows. The camera pulls back, revealing the palace’s grandeur, but a faint tremor shakes the ground, unnoticed by the heroes.

NARRATOR (V.O.)

The Interlude closes with Uruk poised on the edge of fate. Gilgamesh and Enkidu, bound by brotherhood, have defied a goddess and slain her beast. Their courage burns bright, but the gods’ wrath gathers like a storm on the horizon. The path ahead will demand a price, one that will test their hearts and reshape their legend.

FADE OUT.
END INTERLUDE