Pakal’s Secret
Science Fiction • Adventure • Thriller
For centuries, the mysterious tomb of Mayan King Pakal has fueled theories that the ancient Maya possessed knowledge far beyond their time. Archaeologist Oscar Cantrell has spent his career searching for the truth behind those legends.
Deep beneath a forgotten temple, he finally finds it.
Hidden below an ancient tomb is something no archaeologist should ever uncover—a spacecraft buried for more than a thousand years, its controls written in glyphs and its dead pilot carrying a secret that could rewrite human history.
But Oscar isn’t the only one who wants what lies beneath the temple. With a ruthless cartel closing in and government agents tracking his discovery, unlocking Pakal’s secret may require more than science.
It may require Oscar to follow the ancient king into the stars.
Logline
When a grieving archaeologist discovers an ancient spacecraft buried beneath a Mayan temple, he must decipher its mysterious connection to King Pakal while battling a ruthless cartel and government agents determined to seize a discovery that could rewrite the history of human civilization.
About the Screenplay
Pakal’s Secret is a science-fiction archaeological adventure that transforms one of the most enduring mysteries of Mayan civilization into a journey far beyond Earth.
Archaeologist Oscar Cantrell has devoted his life to uncovering the secrets of the ancient Maya. Two years after the murder of his wife, Chara, at the hands of a local cartel, Oscar remains at their Central American excavation—burying his grief beneath an obsession with completing the work they began together.
Then his team discovers an unidentified body inside a hidden tomb.
The remains are unlike anything they have encountered. Strange materials defy conventional dating. Unfamiliar glyphs suggest knowledge that shouldn’t exist. And buried beneath the tomb is an impossible structure: a sophisticated spacecraft whose technology appears intertwined with the mythology and astronomical knowledge of the ancient Maya.
As Oscar and his team struggle to understand what they have found, word of the discovery begins to spread. A violent cartel wants the artifact for profit. American intelligence agents consider it a matter of national security. And an ancient Mayan prophecy suggests the spacecraft may have been waiting centuries for someone capable of completing its unfinished journey.
To unlock its secrets, Oscar must abandon the boundaries between archaeology, mythology and science and confront his own grief through the spiritual traditions he once dismissed.
What he ultimately discovers changes everything: the Maya did not simply look toward the stars.
Some of them came from there.
And Pakal’s secret is only the beginning...
Screenplay Details
Author: James Leach
Genre: Science Fiction • Adventure • Thriller
Format: Feature Screenplay
Page Count: [Page Count]
Setting: Central America / Florida / Deep Space
Time Period: 657 A.D. / Present Day
Status: Completed / Available for Option
Available Materials
Screenplay
Synopsis
Treatment
Character Sketches
Pitch materials / Storyboards
About the Screenwriter — James Leach
James “JC” Leach is a U.S. Air Force veteran, technical writer, and screenwriter who has been developing original screenplays since 2008. His work spans historical drama, military and geopolitical thrillers, science fiction, suspense, horror, and stories inspired by real events.
With a professional background in technical writing, instructional design, and simulation development, JC brings extensive research, technical authenticity, and a disciplined approach to storytelling. His military experience in electronic warfare and aviation provides an additional foundation for stories involving military operations, technology, and high-stakes environments.
JC has developed a diverse portfolio of feature-length screenplays. His work includes original material as well as two adaptations of public-domain literary works, giving him experience translating existing stories into cinematic narratives.
He is currently adapting his screenplay portfolio into novels, expanding his stories across both film and publishing. JC is interested in connecting with producers, representation, and creative collaborators seeking distinctive, character-driven material with strong cinematic potential.
JAMES LEACH Author • Screenwriter 