FLASHFILMS
FLASHFILMS
  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • Writing
  • Short Films
  • Screenplays
  • Press

BLOOD ROYAL

The Brief and Tragic Reign of Harold Godwinson, Last Anglo-Saxon King of England

Synopsis


In Northern France, 1064, Harold Godwinson, son of an Anglo-Saxon warlord, is shipwrecked on a rescue mission and captured by a the brutal Norman Duke William, who is known to have ties with the English throne. 


After an uneasy truce, Harold and his men join William on a military campaign in France. William releases Harold; but then becomes incensed when the English king dies and Harold is hastily crowned King of England. Harold's wife fears for their children's safety when a "hairy star" appears in the night sky, portending doom.


William’s anger toward Harold drives him to summon an invasion fleet, sanctioned by the Church. Harold struggles to unite England against dissenters and Viking invasion and faces his opponents, the fiercest of which is William, who lands with his invaders on the south coast of England.


Harold and William meet at Hastings, October 16, 1066, in a battle that changed history.

by Joe Fordham & Mark Ellis

• In Bayeux, France, 1077, Bishop Odo presented his King, William, with an embroidered tapestry that depicted the invasion of England and William’s rise to power.


• In November 2000, a screenwriter stood in front of the tapestry and was inspired to adapt events depicted in the frieze into a motion picture screenplay.


• After years of research, the collaboration between two screenwriters won festival acclaim and praise from noted filmmakers.


• Hollywood has since announced rival 1066 productions; none have materialized.


• Read on to explore our as-yet unmade screenplay.

Extracts

To give a flavor of our story, here are two PDF screenplay extracts:

(1) setting up the psychological cat and mouse between our rival warlords; and 

(2) a later sequence that shows the brutality and tactics of Dark Ages warfare.


Read on for

• The First Meeting of Harold and William. 

• The Battle of Stamford Bridge.

First Meeting (pdf)

Download

Stamford Bridge (pdf)

Download

Reviews

Powerful and Creative

"Your script is the freshest, brightest, most promising, most intelligent, most powerful and creative storytelling of these events. The first pages grab me by the throat and I just can't stop reading on and on. Good dialogue and some ‘forte’ pieces, as when Swan-Neck tells William what he really is... a bastard. 


"I can't wait to see Blood Royal in the cinema. Why isn't there anyone out there who realizes the potential of this stuff?” 


– Reinout Goddyn, historian & author, Charlotte & Leopold

Compelling and Entertaining

"Great story with strong characters, especially Harold and Swan-Neck. Set in a unique world. There is a good amount of tension / conflict throughout the story and good structure. There are three clear acts to the story and the mood, tone, and atmosphere are solid, which is sometimes a challenge in period piece screenplays. The story is compelling and entertaining, the characters are complex, and the theme is strong."


– reader report, Writers On The Storm

Authentic

"I liked it a lot... extremely well-researched and authentic, and you clearly have a sophisticated interest in telling this particular story. The characters were all solid... the whole thing seemed very credible."


– Stephen Norrington, 

director of Blade, The Last Minute

Contact Flashfilms

Salutations

Attach Files
Attachments (0)

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Questions or Comments?

I am a real person, not a bot, and I am quite polite about getting back to people who contact me here. As long as you are not a bot.


Flashfilms

IRL: Burbank, California, USA

contactflashfilms@flashfilms.us

Flashfilms

Burbank, California

Copyright © 2025 Flashfilms • All Rights Reserved.

This website uses cookies.

We use cookies to analyze website traffic and optimize your website experience. By accepting our use of cookies, your data will be aggregated with all other user data.

Accept