The Black List: Words, in Search of a Movie

What is The Black List?

For every film that is luckily plucked from a sackful of hopefuls, there is at least 100 optimistic others that get tossed by the way side. Not because they’re not up to snuff, but because, let’s face it, there are a lot of screenwriters out there pumping out excellent scripts. Hollywood can’t produce them all, as much as we’d all probably like them to be. But there wasn’t always a dumping ground for Hollywood’s not-quite-good enough works. In a survey conducted in 2005 by Franklin Leonard, a studio development executive, rounded up the tallies of 100 other studio development executives for their favorite un-produced screenplays of that year (this means favorites, not best, the quality of screenplays varies from Paul Thomas Anderson’s There Will Be Blood, to The Mummy 3: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor). Thus the first Black List breached the chrysalis into existence, that can be viewed here (not to be confused with the 1950’s black list that shunned major Hollywood players into an earlier retirement, due to ridiculous suspected communist conspiracy ties). The voter pool has presently grown significantly to about 500 film executives but only about 60% participate in the survey.

But how does a script make it from the annals of a mac book computer onto one of the most respected gatherings for the written word in Hollywood? Say you were to write a script, and then like any hopeful screenwriter, sent it to a studio. Well, this happens about every 15 seconds (not an accurate statistic), production offices have rooms stacked to the ceiling with hopeful pages of story. Your script will likely land in the mail basket of some indie or major studio and float around the office till script readers (mostly interns) that are trained to identify strong commercial scripts gets around to reading it. If they approve, your work gets bumped to the higher ups, if not, it is likely filed away for when another writer strike rolls around. So now maybe your little screenplay is in the hands of some studio executive that actually has some pull in the studio system, and he likes it, well then he possibly buys it from you. Usually at this point any ties with the writer are cut, sometimes in the case of a film like True Romance, where the director (Tony Scott) tends to keep the voice of the writer (Quentin Tarantino) in the film, he’ll bring the writer on set. The script is purchased, but that hardly assures it’s transformation to the big screen. Tons of films sit in pre-production for years until a planetary alignment of yes allows them to start hitting the celluloid. See, studios have enough money that they can spend tens if not hundreds of thousands of dollars on properties that they may never follow through with a cinematic investment. Finally this is where The Black List comes in, as the calendar comes to a close the survey makes it’s rounds, and those scripts that imprinted themselves into voters heads for long enough and made the right impressions wind up on said list.

The Black List is making it even more accessible to get young or old screenwriters words discovered. As of October 2012, the survey has allowed, for a small fee of course, for screenplays to be uploaded on their site. Scripts will be feed to “professional script readers”, who will then subject them to evaluation and their “screenplay recommendation algorithm”. This what I’m assuming is another list of screenplays, that is then sent to a pool of “over 1000 industry professionals”. It sounds a lot like some circle jerk bureaucratic bull shit, though I’m sure something decent will squeeze it’s way through.

What’s on The Black List?

This years Black List has many hopefuls, I thought I’d set aside some space to cover a few of the more interesting concepts that caught my eye. All scripts on the list are labeled as un-produced, but that does not mean they aren’t in development or sitting in the production offices of some major or indie studio. Think of them as blueprints that have yet to be acted upon to be turned into buildings. There are a ton of films on this list, all probably amazing, but while only being provided a brief synopsis, a lot of entries suffer from a generic half paragraph of information. I tried to include as broad of genres as possible. My selections were limited to the more bold summaries that I interpreted to have a lot of potential, there is a good amount of assumption in the following.

1. IF THEY MOVE… KILL ‘EM!

Kel Symons

After losing his luster and respect in Hollywood, famed director Sam Peckinpah hopes to direct his next great film with financial backing from Columbian drug lords and brings along a novice screenwriter to write the film in Columbia.

Any movie about movies proves to be an interesting folding-in-of itself, the sub-text can get pretty heady. Sam Peckinpah is also a fascinating director and individual. Even if the film is fictional the interpretation on how the writer uses his character to make a statement will be interesting. Kind of like Mark Zuckerberg in ‘The Social Network’, and how his character is meant to be a statement on an entire generation.

2. THE BROKEN

John Glosser

In 1967 Oklahoma, a war vet/farmer investigates the suspicious death of his estranged son in the next county. When he discovers his son’s brutal murder was a covered-up gay bashing, he goes on a one-man mission to take down the corrupt sheriff responsible.

I love a good revenge tale, it’s one of the earliest and most primal themes in storytelling. What separates this one from the heap of other is it’s subject matter. The film deal with homosexuality, a topic that is often not explored openly in genres besides comedy due to its controversy in the politics right now. ‘The Broken’ could been an excellent genre film that deals with much bigger issues, like ‘Django Unchained’ tackles slavery, and ‘Inglorious Bastards’ does Nazi’s and Jews.

3. THE PORTLAND CONDITION

Dan Cohn, Jeremy Miller

Set against the backdrop of rainy Portland, Oregon, a young man finds himself falling in love for the first time – only to receive a letter from his future self, warning him of the impending heartbreak.

I like this, it deals with the concept of fate or destiny which has always fascinated me. It also posses an interesting question. We’ve all said “I wish I knew what I know now back then”, and even in this case of if one did. Would the more ignorant past self even listen?

3. MIDNIGHT AT NOON

Nathaniel Halpern

On the run after robbing a bank during the great depression, two brothers find themselves trapped in the harsh region known as the Dust Bowl where a ruthless killer hunts them down.

The mythology of American and the old west continues to grow as we distance from our roots. I like the idea of a two unstoppable forces of nature opposing these anti-heroes. I’m imagining this very powerful friendship being weathered and carved by their ever approaching distress.

4. HIBERNATION

Will Frank, Geneva Robertson-Dworet

A wrongly convicted inmate volunteers for a hibernation experiment in exchange for one day of parole every five years, which he uses to prove his innocence and search for his missing daughter across and increasingly futuristic landscape.

This is a film where structure appears more interesting than others. It’s a big no-no to jump big gaps in time when telling a story without explaining what comes between. This film sets it’s storytelling upon that very idea, it’s this conflicting sense of having so much time but also having none at all. it’s fascinating.

5. THE FINAL BROADCAST

Chris Hutton, Eddie O’Keefe

A man takes a job as a radio broadcaster in a small town, only to discover that it is embedded with a radical group planning mass destruction in conjunction with an upcoming lunar eclipse.

I’m thinking something like ‘Videodrome’. Television and film have all had their metaphorical monsters (‘Ringu’), or eerie tales (‘Videodrome’, ‘Halloween III: Season of the Witch’), it’s time broadcast radio got some modern scares of its own. It would be interesting to see if their is any commentary about the medium of media and how it operates in our modern visual world. Is seeing actually believing.

6. WHALEMEN

Tucker Parsons

The leader of a fourteenth century Scottish whaling village must seek out and do battle with a whale many times larger than any he has ever seen in order to ransom back his son from the occupying English.

This just sounds fabulous, not only is it a tale of desperation and deep connection, but we’d get to see a hopefully kick ass, high seas, whale vs. man battle.

7. FLOWER

Alex McAulay

A coming of age story about the unlikely bond that forms between a sexually adventurous teenage girl and her obese, mentally unstable step-brother.

I’ve always been fascinated by films that take the eye of the lower working class (which is most likely where this relationship blooms), and also in explorations of the taboo. The idea of a suggested politically (if you will) incestuous relationship, is something I don’t think has been explored by film. Character driven and sure to be dialogue heavy, ‘Flower’ holds a high possibilities in terms of performance.

8. CHERRIES

Brian Kehoe, Jim Kehoe

Three fathers learn of their teenage daughters’ pact to lose their virginity on prom night and band together to stop them.

As inappropriate as this concept sounds, it’s simple, and a ludicrous enough idea to star three comedic actors in a hilarious ensemble of bafflement. Comedy begins with a fool, or in this case three.

9. STORY OF YOUR LIFE

Eric Heisserer

Based on the short story by Ted Chiang. When alien crafts land around the world, a linguistics expert is recruited by the military to determine whether they come in peace or are a threat. As she learns to communicate with the aliens, she begins experiencing vivid flashbacks that become the key to unlocking the greater mystery about the true purpose of their visit.

Alien Invasion films when done well, can be some of the best bits of science fiction ever filmed. It’s been a while since we’ve had a decent one. It’s got a little bit of that Twilight Zone Episode ‘To Serve Man Vibe’, language is hardly a concept explored in film and never when approaching the alien invasion sub-genre. There is an alien film, ‘Contact’, which is an example of how the genre can be used outside of horror or action.

10. THE KEEPING ROOM

Julia Hart

Three southern women defend their home from the Union army while their husbands are off fighting in the Civil War.

Another ensemble piece that would require three strong female leads. Opposite popular belief, The Civil War wasn’t fought over slavery, it was fought over The South believing that their rights were being taken away. Films looking through the telescope of time onto that era rarely associate with The Confederacy, focusing their story mostly on The Unions efforts, because most of America believes “they” won the war. Sticking us in a household with three hopefully chatty women will give a voice to those who haven’t yet on the big screen.

You can see the rest of the 2012 list here.

What’s Made it off The Black List?

The following is a list of films pulled directly from The Black Lists official site of films that stem from the survey.

Title
Writer
Black List Year

21
Peter Steinfeld & Allan Loeb
2005

A GOOD OLD FASHIONED ORGY
Alex Gregory & Peter Huyck
2005

A VERY PRIVATE GENTLEMAN (AKA The American)
Laura Harrington
2005

ARMORED
James V. Simpson
2005

BABEL
Guillermo Arriaga
2005

BLACK SNAKE MOAN
Craig Brewer
2005

BLADES OF GLORY
Jeff Cox, Craig Cox, John Altschuler, & Dave Krinsky
2005

BLOOD DIAMOND
Charles Leavitt
2005

BREACH
Bill Ray, Adam Mazer, & William Rotko
2005

CHAPTER 27
J.P. Schaefer
2005

CHARLIE BARTLET
Gustin Nash
2005

CHARLIE WILSON’S WAR
Aaron Sorkin
2005

DAN IN REAL LIFE
Peter Hedges
2005

DANGEROUS PARKING
Peter Howitt
2005

DEATH AT A FUNERAL
Dean Craig
2005

DEXTER
Jim Manos
2005

ENDER’S GAME
D.B. Weiss
2005

FACTORY GIRL
Captain Mauzner
2005

FANBOYS
Ernest Cline & Adam F. Goldberg
2005

FUR: AN IMAGINARY PORTRAIT OF DIANE ARBUS
Erin Cressida Wilson
2005

GARY THE TENNIS COACH (AKA Balls Out)
Rick Stempson
2005

GET LOW
Chris Provenzano
2005

HALL PASS
Pete Jones
2005

HAROLD
Greg Fields
2005

HORRIBLE BOSSES
John Francis Daley, Michael Markowitz & Jonathan Goldstein
2005

IN BLOOM (The Life Before Her Eyes)
Emil Stern
2005

JUNO
Diablo Cody
2005

LARS AND THE REAL GIRL
Nancy Oliver
2005

LEGENDARY
John Posey
2005

LITTLE CHILDREN
Todd Field & Tom Perrotta
2005

LONELY MAIDEN (AKA The Maiden Heist)
Michael LeSieur
2005

LOVE IN THE TIME OF CHOLERA
Ronald Harwood
2005

LUCKY NUMBER SLEVIN
Jason Smilovic
2005

MAMA’S BOY
Hank Nelken
2005

MARGARET
Kenneth Lonergan
2005

MARRIAGE (AKA Married Life)
Ira Sachs
2005

MEET DAVE
Rob Greenberg & Bill Corbett
2005

MICHAEL CLAYTON
Tony Gilroy
2005

MOTHER’S LITTLE HELPERS (AKA Cougars, Inc.)
K. Asher Levin
2005

MUMMY 3 (AKA The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor)
Alfred Gough & Miles Millar
2005

NACHO LIBRE
Jared & Jerusha Hess & Mike White
2005

NICK AND NORAH’S INFINITE PLAYLIST
Lorene Scafaria
2005

NOTES ON A SCANDAL
Patrick Marber
2005

PASSENGERS
Ronnie Christiansen
2005

PATHFINDER
Laeta Kalogridis
2005

PU-239
Scott Z. Burns
2005

QUID PRO QUO
Carlos Brooks
2005

RESERVATION ROAD
Terry George & John Burnham Schwartz
2005

RIGHTEOUS KILL
Russell Gerwitz
2005

SOUL OF THE AGE (AKA Anonymous)
John Orloff
2005

SPRING BREAK IN BOSNIA (AKA The Hunting Party)
Richard Shepard
2005

STAIN (AKA Henry Poole Is Here)
Albert Torres
2005

STARDUST
Matthew Vaughn
2005

STOP-LOSS
Mark Richard & Katherine Peirce
2005

TENURE
Mike Million
2005

THE BLIND SIDE
John Lee Hancock
2005

THE BUCKET LIST
Justin Zackham
2005

THE KITE RUNNER
David Benioff
2005

THE LEDGE
Matthew Chapman
2005

THE MYSTERIES OF PITTSBURGH
Rawson Marshall Thurber
2005

THE NUMBER 23
Fernley Phillips
2005

THE OTHER BOLEYN GIRL
Peter Morgan
2005

THE PRESTIGE
Jonathan Nolan
2005

THE PROMOTION
Steven Conrad
2005

THE PROPOSAL
Peter Chiarelli
2005

THE PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS
Steve Conrad
2005

THE QUEEN
Peter Morgan
2005

THE SASQUATCH GANG
Tim Skousen
2005

THE WORDS
Brian Klugman & Lee Sternthal
2005

THINGS WE LOST IN THE FIRE
Allan Loeb
2005

TONIGHT, HE COMES (AKA Hancock)
Vince Gilligan
2005

TURISTAS
Michael Ross
2005

WE ARE MARSHALL
Jamie Linden
2005

WILD HOGS
Brad Copeland
2005

YOUTH IN REVOLT
Gustin Nash
2005

3:10 TO YUMA
Michael Brandt, Derek Haas & Halsted Welles
2006

500 DAYS OF SUMMER
Scott Neustadter & Michael H. Weber
2006

A MIGHTY HEART
John Orloff
2006

ASSASINATION OF A HIGH SCHOOL PRESIDENT
Kevin Jakubowski & Tim Calpin
2006

AWAY WE GO
Dave Eggers & Vendela Vita
2006

DIVING BELL & THE BUTTERFLY
Ronald Harwood
2006

FROST/NIXON
Peter Morgan
2006

GET SMART
Tom J Astle & Matt Ember
2006

HAROLD & KUMAR ESCAPE FROM GUANTANAMO BAY
Jon Hurwitz & Jayden Schlossberg
2006

IN BRUGES
Martin McDonagh
2006

LIFE OF PI
Jean Pierre Jeunet & Guillame Laurent
2006

LIONS FOR LAMBS
Matthew Michael Carnahan
2006

NATURAL SELECTION
Robbie Pickering
2006

OPEN GRAVE
The Borey Brothers
2006

RENDITION
Kelley Sane
2006

SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD
Edgar Wright & Michael Bacall
2006

SEVEN POUNDS
Grant Nieporte
2006

SEVEN PSYCHOPATHS
Martin McDonagh
2006

SHE’S OUT OF MY LEAGUE
Sean Anders & Jim Morris
2006

STATE OF PLAY
Matthew Michael Carnahan
2006

SUPERBAD
Seth Rogen & Evan Goldberg
2006

THE BROTHERS BLOOM
Rian Johnson
2006

THE CHANGELING
J. Michael Straczynski
2006

THE FIGHTER
Scott Silver, Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson
2006

THE MEN WHO STARE AT GOATS
Peter Straughan
2006

THE MESSENGER
Oren Moverman & Alessandro Camon
2006

THE OTHER WOMAN
Don Roos
2006

THERE WILL BE BLOOD
Paul Thomas Anderson
2006

THIS MUST BE THE PLACE
Dave Eggers
2006

WALK HARD: THE DEWEY COX STORY
Jake Kasdan & Judd Apatow
2006

ADVENTURELAND
Greg Mottola
2007

ALFRED HITCHCOCK AND THE MAKING OF PSYCHO
John McLaughlin
2007

ALL GOOD THINGS
Marcus Hinchey
2007

BURN AFTER READING
Joel & Ethan Coen
2007

CLASH OF THE TITANS
Travis Beacham, Phil Hay, & Matt Manfredi
2007

DEAR JOHN
Jamie Linden
2007

DOUBT
John Patrick Shanley
2007

DUPLICITY
Tony Gilroy
2007

EAGLE EYE
John Glenn, Hilary Seitz, Dan McDermott, & Travis Adam Wright
2007

HAPPYTHANKYOUMOREPLEASE
Josh Radnor
2007

HOW TO LOSE FRIENDS AND ALIENATE PEOPLE
Peter Straughan
2007

INVICTUS
Anthony Peckham
2007

JENNIFER’S BODY
Diablo Cody
2007

LAST CHANCE HARVEY
Joel Hopkins
2007

LOVE AND OTHER DRUGS
Charles Randolph & Edward Zwick
2007

MANAGEMENT
Stephen Belber
2007

NEVER LET ME GO
Alex Garland
2007

ORPHAN
David Leslie Johnson
2007

RECOUNT
Danny Strong
2007

SALT
Kurt Wimmer
2007

SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
Simon Beaufoy
2007

SOURCE CODE
Ben Ripley
2007

THE ANSWER MAN
John Hindman
2007

THE BOOK OF ELI
Gary Whitta
2007

THE DUCHESS
Jeffrey Hatcher & Anders Thomas Jensen
2007

THE HANGOVER
Jon Lucas & Scott Moore
2007

THE IDES OF MARCH
George Clooney & Grant Heslov
2007

THE NECESSARY DEATH OF CHARLIE COUNTRYMAN
Matt Drake
2007

THE ROAD
Joe Penhall
2007

THE TOWN
Ben Affleck, Peter Craig, & Aaron Stockard
2007

THE WACKNESS
Jonathan Levine
2007

THE WRESTLER
Robert Siegel
2007

VALKYRIE
Christopher McQuarrie & Nathan Alexander
2007

WHIP IT
Shauna Cross
2007

WORLD WAR Z
J. Michael Straczynski
2007

YES MAN
Nicholas Stoller
2007

ZOMBIELAND
Rhett Reese & Paul Wernick
2007

47 RONIN
Chris Morgan
2008

50/50
Will Reiser
2008

A.C.O.D.
Stu Zicherman & Ben Karlin
2008

BAD TEACHER
Gene Stupnitsky & Lee Eisenberg
2008

BROKEN CITY
Brian Tucker
2008

BUTTER
Jason Micallef
2008

COP OUT
Robb & Mark Cullen
2008

EASY A
Bert V. Royal
2008

EVERYTHING MUST GO
Dan Rush
2008

GAY DUDE
Alan Yang
2008

GOING THE DISTANCE
Geoff LaTulippe
2008

INGLORIOUS BASTERDS
Quentin Tarantino
2008

MEMOIRS (AKA Remember Me)
Will Fetters
2008

NO STRINGS ATTACHED
Elizabeth Meriwether
2008

NOWHERE BOY
Matt Greenhalgh
2008

SHERLOCK HOLMES
Anthony Peckham, Simon Kinberg, & Michael Robert Johnson
2008

SLEEPING BEAUTY
Julia Leigh
2008

THE BACK-UP PLAN
Kate Angelo
2008

THE BEAVER
Kyle Killeen
2008

THE DESCENDANTS
Nat Faxon & Jim Rash
2008

THE FOURTH KIND
Olatunde Osunsanmi
2008

THE LOW DWELLER (AKA Dust to Dust)
Brad Inglesby
2008

THE ORANGES
Ian Helfer & Jay Reiss
2008

UNTITLED VANESSA TAYLOR PROJECT (AKA Hope Springs)
Vanessa Taylor
2008

UP IN THE AIR
Jason Reitman & Sheldon Turner
2008

2 GUNS
Blake Masters
2009

30 MINUTES OR LESS
Michael Diliberti
2009

ARTHUR
Peter Baynham
2009

BAYTOWN DISCO (AKA The Baytown Outlaws)
Barry Battles & Griffin Hood
2009

BURIED
Chris Sparling
2009

CEDAR RAPIDS
Phil Johnston
2009

CELESTE AND JESSE FOREVER
Rashida Jones & Will McCormack
2009

DEVILS DOUBLE, THE
Michael Thomas III
2009

DUE DATE
Alan R. Cohen, Alan Freedland, Adam Sztykiel, & Todd Phillips
2009

HANNA
Seth Lochhead & David Farr
2009

I HATE YOU, DAD (That’s My Boy)
David Caspe
2009

MY MOTHER’S CURSE (AKA The Guilt Trip)
Dan Fogelman
2009

NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH (The Watch)
Jared Stern
2009

RED RIDING HOOD
David Leslie Johnson
2009

RESTLESS
Jason Lew
2009

TAKE THIS WALTZ
Sarah Polley
2009

THE HAND JOB (AKA The To Do List)
Maggie Carey
2009

THE HUNGRY RABBIT JUMPS (AKA Seeking Justice)
Robert Tannen
2009

THE KING’S SPEECH
David Seidler
2009

THE LAST STAND
Andrew Knauer
2009

THE SITTER
Brian Gatewood & Alessandro Tanaka
2009

THE SOCIAL NETWORK
Aaron Sorkin
2009

THE TREES
Tyler Hisel
2009

WALL STREET: MONEY NEVER SLEEPS
Allan Loeb
2009

WATER FOR ELEPHANTS
Richard LaGravanese
2009

WETTEST COUNTY IN THE WORLD (Lawless)
Nick Cave
2009

ABDUCTION
Shawn Christensen
2010

ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER
Seth Grahame-Smith
2010

ARGO
Chris Terrio
2010

ATM
Chris Sparling
2010

BETTER LIVING THROUGH CHEMISTRY
David Posamentier & Geoff Moore
2010

CHRONICLE
Max Landis
2010

CRAZY, STUPID, LOVE.
John Requa & Glenn Ficarra
2010

FUN SIZE
Max Werner
2010

GET A JOB
Kyle Pennekamp & Scott Turpel
2010

LOLA VERSUS
Daryl Wein & Zoe Lister-Jones
2010

LOOPER
Rian Johnson
2010

MARGIN CALL
JC Chandor
2010

ONE DAY
David Nicholls
2010

OZ: THE GREAT AND POWERFUL
Mitchell Kapner
2010

PROM
Katie Wech
2010

SAFE HOUSE
David Guggenheim
2010

SERENA
Chris Kyle
2010

SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN
Evan Daugherty
2010

STOKER
Wentworth Miller
2010

THE HUNGER GAMES
Billy Ray
2010

THE IMPOSSSIBLE
Sergio G. Sanchez
2010

WELCOME TO PEOPLE (People Like Us)
Alex Kurtzman & Bob Orci & Jody Lambert
2010

DJANGO UNCHAINED
Quentin Tarantino
2011

GANGSTER SQUAD
Will Beall
2011

THE PRETTY ONE
Jenee LaMarque
2011

What do you think? Leave a comment.