If This Album Were a Book: Ozzy Osbourne’s "Blizzard of Ozz"

The Beautiful Madness

A Prayer Made of Thunder

Upland Studios' If This Album Were A Book: Blizzard of Oz

Genre:

Coming-of-age Drama / Sports Epic / Magical Realism

Visual Aesthetic:

Handheld grainy footage of Salvador’s favelas meets hyper-stylized slow-motion match sequences in London’s stadiums. Think: City of God x Euphoria x a Gucci campaign shot by Emmanuel Lubezki.

Plot Summary:

In the favelas of Salvador, Brazil, a quiet, sheltered teen named Zezinho dreams of becoming a football star to lift his family out of poverty—but as success calls, he begins to unravel the dark side of ambition, fame, and inherited madness.

The story opens in a washed-out blue dawn over the coastal slums of Salvador. Sixteen-year-old Zezinho da Rocha lives with his grandmother, a devout Candomblé priestess, and his mute younger brother in a one-room shanty. He's barely allowed to leave the home outside of church or school. But Zezinho has a secret: he’s gifted with a near-telepathic instinct for football, “hearing” the rhythm of the game like notes in a heavy metal solo—erratic, melodic, and prophetic.

When a viral TikTok of Zezinho playing barefoot goes global, a British talent scout sends him to an elite football academy in London. There, he’s launched into a world of money, madness, and manufactured legends. But the louder the stadium roars, the more the whispers in his head grow. Haunted by hallucinations of his father—a failed rock guitarist who went mad—and plagued by sleep paralysis visions soundtracked by Ozzy Osbourne’s "Mr. Crowley," Zezinho must face a dangerous choice: Will he embrace the madness and become the myth? Or will he return home to reclaim a rhythm that's his own?

Protagonist:

Zezinho da Rocha ("Zé")

A soft-spoken, wide-eyed boy with untapped talent and a mind tuned to invisible frequencies. His psychic connection to sound and movement mirrors musical genius—he hears patterns in chaos. Long-limbed, lean, always in oversized hand-me-downs, Zezinho’s transformation from silent boy to star is both majestic and unsettling.

Character Personas:

Vó Mariana: The Grandmother

A matriarchal Candomblé priestess. Fiercely protective, poetic, and spiritually attuned. She believes Zezinho is a vessel of orisha Xangô—the god of justice and rhythm. She sends him away with a charm: a guitar pick that belonged to his father.

Carter Briggs: The British Scout

A charming, disillusioned agent who sees Zezinho as his last ticket to redemption. Cynical yet oddly nurturing, Carter introduces Zé to the machinery of football and fame, but harbors his own shadows.

Isa: The Love Interest

A Brazilian-Korean sports journalist-in-training with a punk aesthetic, Isa recognizes the marketing manipulation behind Zezinho’s image. She challenges him to remember who he is and helps him decode the meaning behind the "visions" and family legacy.

Ezekiel: Rival Player

A UK-born Nigerian prodigy who is both a threat and a mirror to Zezinho. He represents what Zé could become if he gives in completely to commodified glory.

How We'd Publish It (Upland Studios Vision):

NFT-Backed Companion Book (Physical + Digital)

• Limited-release copies with digital tokens. Each NFT unlocks a different voiceover of Zezinho’s "visions" (narrated by global musicians, poets, or AI-voices based on famous rock legends).

  
  

Cinematic Mini-Documentary (Produced under Upland Originals)

• "Blizzard in Bahia" – a behind-the-scenes doc featuring interviews with real young footballers in Brazil, soundtracked by reinterpretations of Ozzy’s tracks.

  
  

Visual Art Exhibit

• Photography and mixed-media pieces inspired by Zezinho’s hallucinations and dreams, hosted in London + São Paulo galleries. Collaborators could include Brazilian street artists, digital illustrators, and sonic artists.

  
  

Soundtrack Album

• A curated reinterpretation of Blizzard of Ozz featuring Afro-Brazilian percussionists, UK grime artists, orchestras, and guest vocals by underground metal bands.

  
  

Launch Event

• A global launch in Salvador, with an immersive football pitch x rave x church installation experience called “The Cathedral of Rhythm.” Ticket-holders get limited-run art books and access to the collector’s cut.

Who We Imagine Reading It:

• 17–30-year-olds craving myth, edge, and multicultural coming-of-age stories.

• Fans of sports dramas with psychological depth (e.g., The Queen’s Gambit, Pele, Moonlight).

• Music lovers and readers of books like Clap When You Land or The Alchemist meets Last Chance U.

• Creative teens from Brazil to Brixton who’ve felt invisible—but hear something deeper in the noise.

Quote from the Preface: "They called it a game. But for me, it was the only way out — the only prayer I knew how to kick toward the heavens."

— Leandro “Léo” Silva, A Prayer Made of Thunder