In this action thriller, a secretive scientist leading a military program to develop robots capable of deciding for themselves when to kill humans must risk her own life when the robots are stolen for use in a global terrorist attack.

Trish was hesitant about the idea of developing lethal autonomous robots from the beginning, but her conscience told her that if she didn't take on the challenge, someone else would.

She accepted the task confident she would be able to come up with a foolproof way of ensuring it would be impossible for her robots to harm innocents. But as it comes time to deliver, she still hasn't been able to figure it out. So she hides a failsafe that only she can override that prevents the robots from killing at all, hopefull she'll come up with a solution before the robots have to be used.

All that goes out the window when her plans are stolen and the theives realize what she's done -- and that they can't use the robots without her helping them.

From Blacklist Reviews:

“Failsafe” is not content to simply deliver a gripping science-fiction thriller with high stakes and intriguing concepts- although it very much satisfies on those fronts. This is a script that doesn’t let the spectacle and the monumental nature of the plot overshadow the characters. This is very much Trish’s story, the threats a natural manifestation of her own fears, and her reaction determining the outcome. One of the most interesting moments in the script is when Trish is explaining to the robot Ada her motivation in building the failsafes, and it becomes clear that it’s not robots she distrusts, it’s humans. Michael is an interesting character, certainly in his occupation as movie star. We’ve seen so many robots in so many movies, that it’s amusing that Trish’s boyfriend is a man who’s become famous for being around the fake kind. Trish and Michael’s relationship is given amble time and depth to it, far beyond the obligatory love interest. X3J is a gripping character, cute at first, and then dangerous.

"Failsafe" succeeds as both entertainment and character study. The robots are enough to draw an audience, and the richness of character and dynamic drama should keep them engaged.

Though it's likely to be expensive enough that it will only work as a studio picture, this is a well-written script with a strong basic premise that should prove to be commercial.

There's some development work to be done here, but this is a script that should attract attention from producers and financiers.