COWBOY ROY
FEATURE FILM PITCH DECK BY RANDY S. WOODLEY
He ran from love—love ran faster.
Cowboy Roy is about an older cowboy who's spent a lifetime running from love and has to decide which scares him more —the woman who sees right through him, the cancer, or the family waiting on the other side for his homecoming.
LOGLINE
FILM SNAPSHOT
ROMANTIC DRAMA FEATURE
The love story between Roy and Beth is the emotional spine
WESTERN
Set in the cowboy culture of 1969 Texas and Oklahoma
Strong Secondary Elements:
SPIRITUAL DRAMA
Roy's healing journey with Native American medicine and ceremony reveals worlds he never knew existed
REDEMPTION STORY
Roy confronting his violent past and choosing a different path • Comedy-Drama - Wry humor emerges from cultural collision and Roy's fish-out-of-water encounters with Native spiritual practices
Randy's novel, Cowboy Roy: When Love Comes Late, is available upon request.
PRIMARY GENRES:
Cowboy Roy is a contemporary Western romance with spiritual undertones—a romantic drama set in the dying days of the Old West. The 1969 setting is important—it's got one boot in the old cowboy way of life and one in the changing world (hippies, corporate ranching, the counterculture). More than anything, it's a Western love story about second chances with humor threaded through the cultural misunderstandings and Roy's gradual awakening.
The Indigenous healing journey elevates it beyond typical Western romance, giving it depth and cultural significance that could attract actors and audiences looking for something more meaningful. Roy's reluctant journey from skeptical cowboy to humble student provides both heart and unexpected laughs.
PRIMARY GENRES:
Format: Feature Film (approximately 120 minutes)
Target Audience: Adults 35-65, fans of authentic Westerns, spiritual cinema, romance and character-driven drama
Tone: Honest, redemptive, spiritually grounded romance with wry humor and cultural authenticity
Comparable Films:
• The Rider × Gran Torino × Tender Mercies × Murphy's Romance • Themes of Brokeback Mountain meets the spiritual healing of Smoke Signals
Setting: West Texas and Western Oklahoma, 1969
Redemptive | Spiritually Grounded | Wistful Western | Quietly Powerful |
Intimate | Authentic | Gritty Tenderness | Hopeful |
TONE
ABOUT THE WRITER
Randy S. Woodley (Keetoowah Cherokee) brings authentic Indigenous perspective and deep cultural knowledge to this story. As co-founder of Sho-Kee Cultural Consultants (www.Sho-Kee.com), Randy ensures all cultural depictions in Cowboy Roy are bonafide—from ceremony protocols to the subtle dynamics of cross-cultural encounter. His extensive work in Indigenous communities and his scholarly background (PhD, Distinguished Professor Emeritus) combine with his gift for accessible storytelling to create a film that honors Native traditions while reaching broad audiences. All Native American cultural elements in this screenplay have been developed with care, respect, and authentic knowledge.
WRITER'S VISION
"I worked my uncle's cattle ranch as a teenager during the Vietnam era. That experience taught me what it means to truly come home—not just to a place, but to yourself, your people, and the land that holds you."
Cowboy Roy honors those whose lives have been marked by violence and trauma, yet who find redemption through unexpected community and ancient wisdom. Roy Sterling represents countless men shaped by abuse, war, and isolation who never learned another way—until real love, alongside Indigenous healing, show them the path forward.
The character of Roy is deeply personal, inspired by men I've known who carried their pain in silence for decades. His journey from isolation to belonging, from violence to peace, from loneliness to love, mirrors the healing journey many must take.
This film asks: What does it cost to survive trauma? And what does it take to finally heal?
THREE-ACT STRUCTURE
THE COWBOY (Setup - 30 minutes)
ACT I: THE COWBOY
ACT II: THE HEALING
ACT III: THE FAMILY
WORLD & SETTING
VISUAL PALETTE
KEY LOCATIONS
CULTURAL AUTHENTICITY
KEY CHARCATERS
60, White, West Texas cowboy
Description: A weathered sixty-year-old cowboy carrying decades of trauma. Skilled, observant, loyal—but has never allowed himself to love or be loved. Haunted by killing a man in self-defense at nineteen, prison, and surviving his father's brutal abuse. His transformation from violent, isolated survivor to healing man capable of family forms the film's emotional core.
Arc: Isolation → Vulnerability → Healing → Belonging
Suggested Casting: Josh Brolin
Alternatives: Anson Mount or Tim McGraw
ROY STERLING
Late 40s, White
Description: An experienced ER nurse, divorced young, raised her daughter alone. World-wise but hasn't given up on love. Direct, cheeky, compassionate, sees through Roy's defenses immediately. Smart enough to know he's worth the risk.
Arc: Guarded → Hopeful → Committed → Partner
Suggested Casting: Kate Winslet
BETH AMES
LEONARD SADDLE HORN - 40s, Cheyenne
Description: Indian Cowboy and cultural bridge between worlds. Humor masks depth. Mentors Roy through his sickness via Indigenous ways. Loyal friend who knows when to laugh and when to fight.
Arc: Friend → Brother → Family
Suggested Casting: Tatanka Means
BEN STOUT - 30, White
Description: Cheerful, loyal, somewhat simple ranch hand. Roy's only real friend before his transformation. Comic relief who grows into his own competence.
Arc: Sidekick → Independent Cowboy
Suggested Casting: Paul Walter Hauser
SUPPORTING CHARCATERS
DELBERT SCISSORTAIL - 70s, Cheyenne
Description: Traditional healer and spiritual leader. Wise, patient, sees Roy's potential for healing when others see only a dying man. Becomes the father Roy never had. Grounded in traditional knowledge, operates from deep cultural authority.
Arc: Healer → Teacher → Father
Suggested Casting: to bring true authenticity we should be willing to work with a non-professional, casting a real Cheyenne elder with tribal consultation would make this film genuinely special:
Marlin Scissortail – 18, Delbert's grandson, brings message of healing via eagle sighting
Lane Factor
Winona Scissortail – 60s, Delbert's wife, traditional woman, keeper of cultural knowledge
Sheila Tousey
Moon Shadow & Judy Blue Eyes – late 20s, Well-meaning hippie couple learning genuine Indigenous ways
Alex Wolff and Maya Hawke
SUPPORTING CHARCATERS
Redemption Through Relationship
Intergenerational Trauma
Indigenous Wisdom
Authentic Masculinity
Restraint over violence
Late-Life Transformation
Cultural Bridge-Building
The Cost of Survival
CENTRAL
THEMES
The Loneliness Epidemic Men Roy's age face unprecedented isolation. This film speaks to the epidemic of disconnection, particularly among aging men.
Addiction and Trauma Crisis Roy's healing journey offers hope for those trapped by childhood trauma, addiction, and violence.
Indigenous Wisdom Recognition Growing cultural acknowledgment that Indigenous healing practices offer what Western medicine cannot—spiritual and community wholeness.
Authentic Masculinity In an era of toxic masculinity discussions, Roy models strength through vulnerability, observation as love, and healing through relationship.
Intergenerational Healing This film shows how trauma passes through generations—and how healing can too.
Found Family For those estranged from blood family, Roy's formal adoption offers hope that family can be chosen, created, earned.
End of an Era Set in 1969, the film captures the closing of the classical cowboy era while opening new possibilities for connection across cultures.
Cross-Cultural Understanding Without appropriation, the film models respectful learning from Indigenous teachers and integration into Indigenous community through proper protocols.
Audiences are hungry for stories of genuine transformation, mature love, and spiritual healing that don't shy away from hard truths. Cowboy Roy delivers authenticity in an age of cynicism—proof that it's never too late to come home.
WHY NOW?
While Cowboy Roy is a complete standalone story, the world and characters offer potential for:
Prequel Possibilities:
Sequel Possibilities:
Series Adaptation:
FRANCHISE/SEQUEL POTENTIAL
Estimated Budget: $8-15 million
Production Values:
Timeline:
BUDGET & PRODUCTION NOTES
Cowboy Roy is more than a Western. It's a story about coming home to yourself after a lifetime of running. About finding family when you thought you'd die alone. About ancient wisdom meeting modern brokenness. About love arriving not a moment too soon.
In Roy Sterling's journey from violence to peace, from isolation to family, from death to life, we see ourselves—our wounds, our hopes, our potential for transformation.
This film offers what audiences are starving for: authentic characters, genuine emotion, spiritual depth, mature love, and the truth that it's never too late to heal.
Some wounds run deeper than flesh, but healing often comes from unexpected places.
CLOSING STATEMENT
COWBOY ROY
FEATURE FILM PITCH DECK BY RANDY S. WOODLEY
CONTACT INFORMATION
Randy S. Woodley Creator/Screenwriter eloheh@gmail.com 859-321-9394