The Scripted Future

Predictive programming is the idea that fiction — films, TV shows, even cartoons — sometimes foreshadows real events. The theory suggests this isn’t always random coincidence. Instead, it may serve a purpose.

Some argue it’s conditioning: by introducing scenarios in entertainment first, the public becomes desensitized when they later unfold in real life. Others see it as signaling: elites showing their plans in plain sight, disguised as fiction. Writers also often draw on existing fears and policy debates, which makes their work overlap with events that later materialize.

Whether intentional or subconscious, these overlaps raise the question of how much fiction shapes the future — or reveals it.

Snake Eyes (1998) & charlie kirk

Snake Eyes (1998), directed by Brian De Palma, is a political thriller set during a high-stakes boxing match in Atlantic City. The plot follows the assassination of U.S. Defense Secretary Charles Kirkland, unraveling into a web of conspiracies involving corrupt officials, military contractors, and manipulated surveillance footage.

Snake Eyes opens with a long, tension-filled 13-minute single take sequence (a hallmark of De Palma) during which a boxing match is underway and the camera moves through the crowd, layering tension before the assassination scene.

The defense secretary, Charles Kirkland, is escorted into the boxing arena under heavy security. His presence at a public spectacle makes the assassination both dramatic and symbolic.

During the match, gunshots erupt. Kirkland is mortally wounded, and a spectator (Julia) is grazed. A wig and glasses disguise are part of a cover plot.

Rick Santoro (Nicolas Cage) is a corrupt cop who finds himself dragged into the conspiracy — he realizes that the assassination was manipulated via staged camera angles, insider access, and false signals.

One of the key devices is a “floating camera” rigged to capture angles and mislead the investigation.

The film plays with surveillance and image control. The conspiratorial layers include defense contracting, military escalation, and the idea that certain interests benefit from chaos and coverups.

Snake Eyes (1998) and the charlie kirk assassination

On September 10, 2025, political activist Charlie Kirk was shot in the neck by a sniper while speaking at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. The shot came from a rooftop position about 142 yards away.

The suspect, Tyler James Robinson, surrendered to authorities the next day and was charged with aggravated murder, obstruction of justice, and firearm-related counts. Prosecutors announced they would seek the death penalty.

The attack was described as a targeted political assassination, and UVU launched an independent security review.

The shock of the killing quickly led people online to compare it to Brian De Palma’s 1998 thriller Snake Eyes, which features an eerily similar assassination scenario.

parallels to Snake Eyes

The defense secretary in the film is named Charles Kirkland — nearly identical to Charlie Kirk’s full name, Charles Kirk.

A key investigator character in the movie is named Tyler, echoing the name of the real-life gunman, Tyler Robinson.

The movie was partially filmed inside the Trump Taj Mahal Casino in Atlantic City.

The casino boss character, Gilbert Powell, was reportedly based on Donald Trump. Kirk himself was one of Trump’s most vocal political allies.

Both events involved a fatal neck shot in front of a live audience.

Some claim the assassination in Snake Eyes is set on September 10 — the same date Kirk was killed — though this remains unverified (Hindustan Times).

These layers — name parallels, the “Tyler” link, Trump connections, and the symbolic overlap of setting and method — make the resemblance between film and reality downright eerie.

The Lone Gunmen (2001) pilot

The Lone Gunmen was a short-lived TV series that spun off from The X-Files. It aired in 2001 and followed three conspiracy theorists — characters who had been recurring allies of Mulder and Scully in The X-Files — as they ran their own underground newspaper and investigated government plots

The pilot episode, which aired March 4, 2001, features The Lone Gunmen uncovering a plot in which government insiders will hijack a civilian jet (a Boeing 727) and attempt to crash it into the World Trade Center. The intent is to blame foreign terrorists, giving political cover for new military actions.

Within that plot, a conspiracy is arranged around arms deals, national security narratives, and profiteering from war. The crash is the tool used to justify a larger agenda.

The Gunmen manage to hack into the hijack system and avert the crash just in time — dramatizing the idea of “what almost happened.”

Showrunners have stated that they were writing speculative fiction that played off fears of government overreach and terrorism; but after 9/11, many looked back at the pilot and saw it as uncanny rather than coincidental.

According to The Lone Gunmen Fandom wiki: the pilot’s plot describes a rogue U.S. government conspiracy to hijack an airliner and blame it on terrorists to boost support for war and arms contracts.

That depth — linking internal government plots, staged hijacking, and political utility of fear — gives the example weight beyond “they predicted a plane crash.”

Contagion (2011) & covid-19

Contagion begins with a novel virus (MEV-1) spreading through global travel, starting from a zoonotic spillover (animal → human). The film tracks transmission, outbreak response, quarantines, and logistical breakdowns.

The movie develops characters in public health (CDC, WHO), shows the challenge of vaccine development, supply chain issues (PPE shortages), and public panic.

During COVID-19, many observers pointed out how scenes from Contagion — mask shortages, global travel bans, social distancing, breakdowns in supply lines — played out in real life.

Media interviews with the film’s writers and consultants revealed that many of the plot elements were grounded in real epidemiological models and pandemic preparedness research. The film was never a prophecy; it was a dramatization of plausible science.

Still, the public reaction during 2020 treated it as eerily prescient, reinforcing the idea that fiction had “predicted” the pandemic.

This case is often cited not because the film nailed every detail, but because its roadmap of a viral pandemic was so close to real experience that the difference between fiction and documentary blurred.

Black Mirror & social credit

In the Black Mirror episode “Nosedive,” society is built around a social app where every interaction (in-person, online) is rated 1 to 5 stars. Your social credit score determines your access to services, housing, travel, and social mobility.

The episode follows Lacie as she tries to boost her rating to unlock a high-end apartment and greater privileges, only to spiral downward as her interactions get rated poorly. The social rating system becomes an oppressive metric.

In real life, China’s Social Credit system (various pilots across provinces) has elements that echo this: tracking financial behavior, social compliance, travel restrictions tied to scores, and reputational consequences. Critics often point to structural differences, but the surface overlap fuels the comparison.

The program is often oversimplified in media coverage (as though it’s a Black Mirror copy), but the existence of a reputation-score infrastructure and surveillance systems gives the example real punch.

Because Black Mirror designs near-future technologies, its echoes in real government systems (like social scoring or algorithmic policing) feel more like direct conversation than coincidence.

The Simpsons — the longest-running “oracle”

Because The Simpsons has been on air since 1989, it has produced more than 750 episodes. That enormous output makes it the single most-cited example of predictive programming. Viewers often point to moments that seemed like throwaway jokes at the time, but later mirrored real events:

9/11 imagery. In the 1997 episode “The City of New York vs. Homer Simpson”, Bart holds up a flyer advertising bus fares to New York for $9. The design shows “$9” next to a drawing of the Twin Towers — visually echoing “9-11.” This screenshot became one of the most famous predictive programming images after the attacks.

Trump presidency. In a 2000 episode, “Bart to the Future,” a flash-forward shows Lisa Simpson as President of the United States, telling her staff that her administration “inherited quite a budget crunch from President Trump.” When Donald Trump actually ran and won in 2016, this became another heavily cited case.

Disney buys Fox. A 1998 episode showed a sign in front of 20th Century Fox studios reading: “A Division of Walt Disney Co.” In 2019, Disney finalized its acquisition of Fox’s entertainment assets — another moment where satire lined up with corporate reality.

Tech and gadgets. The show has also included jokes about “autocorrect fails,” video calls on smart watches, and even a “Farmville”-style addictive farming game years before those technologies or trends became mainstream.

Unlike a single uncanny episode, The Simpsons builds its predictive reputation through volume. The sheer number of scenarios means some would inevitably line up with real history — but the visual specificity of the 9/11 flyer, the Trump presidency gag, and the Disney merger moment keep it central in predictive programming discussions.

24 — normalization of surveillance & torture

24 aired from 2001 through 2010 (with later reboots) and followed counterterrorism agent Jack Bauer as he navigated national security crises in real time.

Each season focused on a 24-hour window, heightening tension and dramatizing urgent decisions about terrorism, war, and security.

The show repeatedly featured torture as an interrogation method — suspects beaten, shocked, or coerced under the ticking clock scenario — presenting it as effective and necessary.

Surveillance technology, wiretaps, and extrajudicial operations were central narrative devices, depicted as justified in the face of terrorist threats.

Drone strikes, assassinations, and illegal detentions appeared years before they became normalized in U.S. counterterrorism policy debates.

Critics argued the series conditioned viewers to accept extreme security measures as reasonable responses to danger.

This makes 24 a predictive programming example not for one uncanny prediction, but for gradually shaping how audiences imagined the War on Terror.

Johnny Bravo (2001) — the “Coming Soon” poster

In a 2001 episode of Johnny Bravo, a background movie poster shows a skyscraper engulfed in flames with the words “Coming Soon.”

The episode aired just months before the 9/11 attacks, giving the still frame an eerie retrospective significance. The poster is not part of the main plot; it’s a background detail, easy to miss without pausing.

After 9/11, screenshots of the scene spread online, cited as another example of predictive programming hiding in plain sight.

While cartoons often use exaggerated imagery, the juxtaposition of skyscraper flames and timing close to the attacks amplified the sense of foreshadowing.

Because it appeared in a children’s cartoon, the example is often highlighted as proof that predictive programming can surface anywhere, even in seemingly lighthearted media.

conclusion

Predictive programming is about patterns that connect fiction to reality. Sometimes it’s broad cultural forecasting, sometimes it’s eerily specific.

From Snake Eyes and Charlie Kirk, to The Lone Gunmen and 9/11, to The Simpsons, Contagion, Black Mirror, 24, and even Johnny Bravo — these cases all highlight how entertainment can shape expectations and make later events feel strangely familiar.

Movies and shows don’t just entertain. They set the stage for how we imagine what comes next — and sometimes, they seem to script it.

Now where’s my copy of “The Handmaid’s Tale?” I know it’s around here somewhere. Let me go check under the printout of Project 2025. Blessed be the fruit.

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Stay curious.

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