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The Turkey King

After failing to match his late father’s legendary Thanksgiving turkey, a suburban dad launches an increasingly unhinged quest to become the next “Turkey King,” dragging his family into a holiday showdown between obsession and connection.

For forty years, the Trotter family was ruled by Ray Sr., a charismatic tyrant who conjured "magic" every Thanksgiving with a legendary, thirty-pound turkey and a golden heirloom knife. When he passes away, his son, Ray Jr., inherits the crown—but none of the skill. Desperate to heal a childhood wound left by a father who chose the spotlight over his own son, Ray plunges into a manic, multi-year obsession to recreate the mythical bird.

Ray’s spiraling pursuit of poultry perfection takes him from late-night conspiracy YouTube to a spiritual turkey farm in West Virginia, and eventually to illegally raising a ferocious, 50-pound beast named "El Diablo" in his tiny Chicago backyard. As classical music pipes into the coop and municipal lawsuits fly, Ray becomes completely blind to his own family, skipping his son Tony’s basketball games to play father to a bird.

When his exhausted wife, Jenny, delivers a devastating ultimatum, Ray is forced to confront the toxic cycle he is repeating. Locking away the golden knife, Ray chooses to be a great dad instead of a holiday god. Thanksgiving ends not with a perfect bird, but with burnt wild game, a golden pizza cutter, and unburdened family laughter.

Script Excerpt
Written by:
Format:
Screenplay
Genres:
Budget:
Low
Posted:
07/18/2026
Updated:
07/18/2026
Author Bio:
I'm a private investigator in the Chicago area, focusing on wrongful convictions. I’m also a suburban dad who talks to his neighbors about leaf maintenance and HOA regulations. I’ve recently discovered I really like writing screenplays.

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