A historical biopic feature-length script
Logline:
The Viking Leif Eriksson, who, to prove himself to his legendary father Erik the Red, embarks on a dangerous voyage to find new lands and inadvertently discovers America.
Synopsis:
LEIF ERIKSSON has grown up in the shadow of his famous Viking father, ERIK THE RED. While Erik is a larger-than-life personality, a violent, quick-tempered man with a penchant for tall tales, Leif is a thinker, a strategist. But Erik only sees a weak lad who is a disappointment.
When Erik kills three men in an argument, he’s sentenced to exile, like his father before him. Instead of running to another settlement, though, Erik packs up Leif and his family, and strikes into unknown waters.
Luck is with Erik, and he discovers the country he would come to call Greenland, and declares himself its king. The people of Iceland flock to this new country, and Erik’s legend continues to grow.
To prove himself to Erik, Leif sets out on an expedition to establish trade with Norway. But he becomes lost in a fog, and ends up landing among the Vikings who have settled in Scotland.
Leif meets their princess, THORGUNNA, and they swiftly fall in love. However, when the time comes for Leif to continue his journey, Thorgunna’s father won’t let him leave with his daughter. With Thorgunna’s blessing, he slips away, promising to return for her.
Leif lands in Norway, where he befriends KING OLAF, who has recently converted to Christianity. Leif is impressed by how kind Olaf is to his subjects, as opposed to his own father’s blustery rule. He becomes baptized, and returns to Greenland with the intention of spreading the word.
Though the mission is a success, Erik is still frustrated with Leif, who has abandoned the old gods. Leif has yet to win his respect.
So when word comes of a land to the west, Leif buys a ship and sets out to discover a new country, just as his father had. It’s a dangerous voyage that sends him to a land that would one day be known as “America.”