The 2012 Black List of the best unproduced screenplays is now listed below. It comes from the suggestions of nearly 300 industry execs. To make the list, each script must receive six separate mentions. The Black List does not present itself as a “best of” list, but rather something like a “most liked” list. Needless to say some of the best scripts are en route to eventual production. But the Black List puts the spotlight on many worthy projects that could use the additional cred and support.
The screenplays were first announced one at a time via Twitter. They are listed below with the number of mentions, via Deadline. (Pictures are of previous Black Listed films.)
65
DRAFT DAY
Rajiv Joseph, Scott Rothman
On the day of the NFL Draft, Bills General Manager Sonny Weaver has the opportunity to save football in Buffalo when he trades for the number one pick. He must quickly decide what he’s willing to sacrifice in pursuit of perfection as the lines between his personal and professional life become blurred. Agency: Gersh, CAA Agents: Lee Keele (Joseph), Chris Till, Bill Zotti (Rothman) Management: Kaplan/Perrone (Joseph & Rothman) Managers: Josh Goldenberg, Aaron Kaplan Production: Montecito Pictures
43
A COUNTRY OF STRANGERS Sean Armstrong
Based on true events. Inspector Geoff Harper conducts a forty year search for the Beaumont Children, three siblings taken from an Australian beach in January of 1966. Agency: Verve Agents: Aaron Hart, Adam Levine, Rob Herting, Bill Weinstein Management: Principato-Young Management Managers: Peter Dealbert, Susan Solomon
43
SEUSS
Eyal Podell, Jonathan Stewart
As a young man, Ted Geisel meets his future wife Helen, who encourages his fanciful drawings, and in the 1950s when Ted is struggling professionally, Helen helps inspire the children’s book that will become his first big hit, “The Cat in the Hat.” Agency: Verve Agents: Bryan Besser, Zach Carlisle, Rob Herting Management: Industry Entertainment Manager: Michael Botti, Jess Rosenthal
39
RODHAM
Young Il Kim
During the height of the Watergate scandal, rising star Hillary Rodham is the youngest lawyer chosen for the House Judiciary Committee to Impeach Nixon, but she soon finds herself forced to choose between a destined path to the White House and her unresolved feelings for Bill Clinton, her former boyfriend who now teaches law in Arkansas. Agency: UTA Agents: Barbara Dreyfus, Jenny Maryasis Management: The Arlook Group Managers: Richard Arlook, Jason Hong Production: The Arlook Group, Temple Hill Entertainment
35
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.
Agency: UTA Agents: Barbara Dreyfus, Jon Huddle Management: Art/Work Manager: Julie Bloom Financier: Film Nation Production: Film Nation, Lava Bear, 21 Laps Entertainment
33
WUNDERKIND
Patrick Aison
A Mossad employed father and his CIA agent son team up to hunt an escaped Nazi. Agency: ICM Agents: Harley Copen, Bryan Diperstein, Emil Gladstone Management: DMG Entertainment Managers: Chris Cowles, Chris Fenton Financier: Paramount Production: Bad Robot, DMG Entertainment
31
EXTREMELY WICKED, SHOCKINGLY EVIL, AND VILE
Michael Werwie
Based on a true (and ultimately surprising) story, a promising young law student fights an oppressive legal system and growing public scrutiny when his routine traffic stop snowballs into shocking criminal charges, imprisonment, daring escapes, and ultimately acting as his own attorney in a nationally televised murder trial. Agency: UTA Agents: Peter Dodd, David Flynn, Jon Huddle, David Kramer Management: Evolution Entetainment Manager: Stephen Gates, Brad Kaplan Production: Michael Costigan
29
GLIMMER
Carter Blanchard
When three friends go missing on a camping trip in a forest rumored to be haunted, the two left behind discover clues that lead them to a safe deposit box containing video tapes… showing exactly what happened to their friends. Agency: Paradigm Agents: David Boxerbaum Management: Madhouse Entertainment Managers: Ryan Cunningham, Adam Kolbrenner Financier: Dreamworks Production: Madhouse Entertainment
29
ME & EARL & THE DYING GIRL
Jesse Andrews
Based on Andrews’s eponymous novel, a quirky high school student who enjoys making films sparks a friendship with a classmate dying of leukemia. Agency: WME Agents: Anna Deroy, Sarah Self Management: MXN Managers: Michelle Knudsen, Mason Novick Production: Indian Paintbrush
28
DEVILS AT PLAY
James Dilapo
In the Soviet Union in 1937, a worker of the People’s Commissariat for Internal Affairs finds a list of traitors, which he thinks is going to be his way out. Agency: Verve Agents : Aaron Hart, Rob Herting, Adam Levine Management: Kaplan/Perrone Manager: Alex Lerner
26
SWEET VIRGINIA
Paul China, Benjamin China
A former rodeo star unknowingly starts a rapport with a young man who is responsible for all of the violence that has suddenly gripped his small town. Agency: WME Agents: Roger Green, Sarah Self Management: Fourth Floor Productions Manager: Jeff Silver
25
FATHERS AND DAUGHTERS
Brad Desch
A woman recalls her close relationship with her famous novelist father while struggling to overcome her fear of emotional involvement with her first real boyfriend. Agency: ICM Agents: Harley Copen, Bryan Diperstein, Laura Haas Management: Management 360 Managers: Ali Itri, Jill McElroy Production: Busted Shark
23
SHUT IN
Christina Hodson
A woman who tries to raise her catatonic son on her own suddenly discovers a
shocking secret about him.
Agency: CAA
Agents: Jay Baker, Matt Rosen
Financier: Lava Bear Films
Production: Lava Bear Films
22
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. Agency: WME Agents: Roger Green, Sarah Self Management: Anonymous Content Managers: Trevor Adley, Nicole Romano Financier: Wind Dancer Films Production: Gilbert Films, Wind Dancer Films, Anonymous Content
21
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 Colombian drug lords and brings along a novice screenwriter to write the film in Colombia. Agency: UTA Agents: Emerson Davis, Charles Ferraro, Geoff Morley Management: MXN Managers: Michelle Knudsen, Mason Novick
20
AMERICATOWN
Ben Poole
In a China-dominated near future, a former LAPD officer attempts to save his family from destitution in Los Angeles by working for a crime lord in the American ghetto within a thriving Hong Kong. Agency: Verve Agents: Aaron Hart, Rob Herting, Adam Levine Management: Oasis Media Group Managers: David Lonner, Ben Rowe Production: Sean Finegan
20
SAND CASTLE
Chris Roessner
Based on a true story, a group of United States soldiers in Iraq risk their lives to save a local village. Agency: CAA Agents: Jay Baker, Jon Cassir, Matt Rosen Management: Management 360 Managers: Darin Friedman, Ali Itri, Dean Schnider Production: The Mark Gordon Company
20
THE JUDGE
Bill Dubuque
A successful attorney returns to his hometown for his mother’s funeral only to discover that his Alzheimer’s-stricken father is suspected of murder and must represent him in court. The ordeal becomes an emotional journey that makes him a better man. Agency: Paradigm Agent: Trevor Astbury Management: Zero Gravity Management Manager: Eric Williams Financier: Warner Brothers Production: Bid Kid Pictures, Team Downey
19
CLIVE
Natasha Pincus
After an accident causes a successful CEO to lose both legs, he is forced to re-evaluate his life and identity. Agency: Verve Agents: Bryan Besser, Aaron Hart, Rob Herting
19
COMANCHERIA
Taylor Sheridan
Two brothers, one an ex-con and the other a divorced father of two kids, face the foreclosure of their family’s West Texas farm. They team for a skillfully-calculated bank robbing spree that puts them on a collision course with two Texas Rangers determined to take them down. Agency: Gersh Agents: Bob Hohman, Devra Lieb, Bayard Maybank Management: Elevate Entertainment Manager: Jenny Wood Financier: Sidney Kimmel Entertainment Production: Film 44, Sidney Kimmel Entertainment
19
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. Agency: WME Agents: Mike Esola, Cliff Roberts, Sarah Self Management: Aperture Entertainment Manager: Adam Goldworm
19
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. Agency: WME Agents: Daniel Cohan, Cliff Roberts Management: Madhouse Entertainment Manager: Adam Kolbrenner
19
WHIPLASH
Damien Chazelle
Based on the eponymous short film written and directed by Chazelle. Under the director of a prestigious but borderline abusive instructor, a young college student begins to lose his humanity in his quest to become the core drummer of the top jazz orchestra in the country. Agency: Gersh Agents: Sandra Lucchesi, Frank Wuliger Management: Exile Entertainment Manager: Gary Ungar Production: Right of Way Films, Blumhouse
18
GEORGE
Jeff Shakoor
When an acerbic alcoholic finds himself penniless and alone he has no choice but to crash his family’s holiday. Years of alienating them makes for a stiff challenge, but eventually he subtly helps them heal. Agency: CAA Agents: Jon Cassir, John Garvey, Alex Mebed, Martin Spencer Management: Anonymous Content Manager: Luke Rivett Production: Anonymous Content
17
THE FAULT IN OUR STARS
Scott Neustadter, Michael H. Weber
Based on the eponymous novel by John Green, a teenage girl stricken with cancer falls for a boy in her support group and the two form a bond as they deal with their illnesses. Agenc: CAA Agents: Robert Bookman, Bill Zotti Management: Kaplan/Perrone Managers: Aaron Kaplan, Sean Perrone Financier: Fox 2000 Production: Temple Hill Entertainment
17
THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY
April Prosser
A twenty eight year old woman is about to get engaged to her great boyfriend, when the ex she hasn’t gotten over moves back into town. All of a sudden she isn’t sure if her boyfriend is really the one, and so she spends time decorating her ex’s new condo, trying to figure it all out. Agency: UTA Agents: Blair Kohan, Carolyn Sivitz Management: Kaplan/Perrone Manager: Josh Goldenberg
16
THE BALLAD OF PABLO ESCOBAR
Matt Aldrich
After his family is almost killed in a car bombing, Pablo Escobar wages a war with a rival cartel and his own government in an effort to protect his family. Agency: CAA Agents: John Garvey, Stuart Manashil Management: Silent R Management Manager: Jewerl Ross Production: Stone Vilage Productions
16
THE DEVIL AND THE DEEP BLUE SEA
Mark Hogan
During WWII, a a fifteen year old German boy is sent to America to spy for the Fatherland by joining a politically-connected family as an English war orphan. Tension mounts when the boy gets the chance to assassinate President Roosevelt.. Agency: Gersh Agents: Bob Hohman, Devra Lieb, Bayard Maybank Management: Kaplan/Perrone Manager: Alex Lerner Production: Michael Costigan
16
MAN OF TOMORROW
Jeremy Slater
In an alternate 1940s reality, the US Government makes a deal with an indestructible gangster to kill Hilter in exchange for the city of Chicago, which he will build into his own utopia. Unfortunately his model city never comes to fruition and both he and his Bureau liaison get much of the slack for destroying one of America’s greatest cities and now the government wants him dead. Agency: UTA Agent: Charles Ferraro Management: Kaplan/Perrone Manager: Aaron Kaplan Production: Thunder Road Pictures
15
EL TIGRE
Aaron Buchsbaum, Teddy Riley
A family vacation goes horribly awry when the father is mistaken for the most ruthless drug lord in Mexico, El Tigre. Agency: Paradigm Agents: Mark Ross, Ida Ziniti Management: Mosaic Manager: Michael Lasker Financier: Sony Production: Mosaic
15
MURDER CITY
Will Simmons
An ensemble crime story set in Detroit about an ex-con who goes back for one last heist in order to settle his family’s debt. Agency: UTA Agents: Jason Burns, Geoff Morley Management: Energy Entertainment Manager: Brooklyn Weaver
14
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. Agency: WME Agents: Simon Faber, Sarah Self Manager: Tariq Merhab
14
THE SURVIVALIST
Stephen Fingleton
Years after lack of resources result in much of the world’s population dying off, a survivalist is living on a farm alone until a woman and her seventeen year old daughter show up looking for cover. Agency: WME Agents: Philip d’Amecourt, Phil Raskind Production: Goldcrest Films, Robert Jones
13
BLACK BOX
David Guggenheim
When Air Force One crashes, a journalist discovers a cover up after gaining access to the plane’s black box data and must unravel the mystery. Agency: Paradigm Agent: David Boxerbaum Management: Madhouse Entertainment Manager: Adam Kolbrenner Financier: Universal Production: Madhouse Entertainment, Bluegrass Films
13
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. Agency: WME Agents: Rich Cook, Sarah Self Management: DMG Entertainment Manager: Chris Fenton Financier: Good Universe Production Good Universe, DMG Entertainment, Hurwitz & Schlossberg Productions
13
FROM NEW YORK TO FLORIDA
Austin Reynolds
An undisciplined boy is sent to Florida for the summer with his grandparents, and the drive south changes him forever. Agency: Paradigm Agents: David Boxerbaum, Lucy Stille, Ida Ziniti Management: Madhouse Entertainment Manager: Robyn Meisinger
13
HEY, STELLA!
Tom Shephard
The story of how Marlon Brando won the role of Stanley Kowalski in Elia Kazan’s broadway play A Streetcar Named Desire. Agency: WME Agent: Philip d’Amecourt Management: The Safran Company Manager: Tom Drumm
12
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. Agency: ICM Agents: RRobert Lazar, Kathleen Remington Management: MXN Managers: Michelle Knudsen, Mason Novick Production: Ted Kroeber, Sam Worthington, Michael Schwarz, John Schwarz
12
THE DISCIPLE PROGRAM
Tyler Marceca
A man begins an investigation into his wife’s mysterious death, only to find that it goes much deeper than he imagined. Agency: WME Agents: Rich Cook, Philip d’Amecourt Management: Anonymous Content Managers: Bard Dorros, Michael Sugar Financier: Universal Production: Leverage Management
12
JOJO RABBIT
Taika Waititi
After being severely hurt by a grenade at Hitler youth camp, a prideful and nationalistic ten-year old boy discovers that his mother is hiding a fifteen year old Jewish girl in their house. Agency: CAA Agent: Rowena Arguelles Management: Manage-ment Manager: Dan Halsted Financiers: Studio Babelsberg, Unison Films Production: Emanuel Michael, Chelsea Winstanley, Taika Waititi, Lloyd Phillips
11
ALL-NIGHTER
Brad Ingelsby
An aging hitman goes up against his boss over a single night in order to protect his family. Agency: WME Agent: Mike Esola Management: Energy Entertainment Manager: Brooklyn Weaver Financier: Warner Brothers Production: Vertigo Entertainment
11
MCCARTHY
Justin Kremer
It is 1951. Junior Senator Joe McCarthy feels lost. He’s anonymous, just another suit on Capitol Hill. He craves attention and celebrity. He’s desperate to be noticed, to be adored. Inspired by the response of the American public to the House of Un-American Activities Committee, McCarthy decides that communism will be his defining issue. What follows is nearly unthinkable — national fame, a shocking conspiracy, a sitting President afraid to oppose him, and a torrid journey of self destruction and paranoia. Agency; CAA Agents; Jon Cassir, Matt Rosen, Alexandra Trustman Management: Madhouse Entertainment Managers: Chris Cook, Adam Kolbrenner
11
THE WINTER KILLS
Ben Carney
A disgraced cop pursues the serial killer who murdered his partner ten years ago, has resurfaced, and is killing again. Agency: WME Agents: Daniel Cohan, Chris Donnelly, Roger Green Management: Anonymous Content Manager: Chad Hamilton Production: Anonymous Content
11
WHO FRAMED TOMMY CALLAHAN? Harry Kellerman
An elementary school student searches for the truth behind the candy bar ring conspiracy that got his brother expelled. Agency: CAA Agents: John Garvey, Stuart Manashil
10
OUR NAME IS ADAM
T.S. Nowlin
An astronaut travels back in time to enlist the help of his younger self. Agency: WME Agents: Daniel Cohan, Mike Esola Management: Caliber Media Company Manager: Adam Marshall Financiers: Paramount, Skydance Productions Production: Disruption Entertainment
10
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 impending heartbreak. Agency: WME Agent: Danny Greenberg Management: Brillstein Entertainment Partners Manager: Margaret Riley Production: Flynn Picture Co., JC 23 Entertainment
10
SOMACELL
Ashleigh Powell
A female prison guard in the future, where prisoners are rehabilitated with virtual reality, discovers a conspiracy that puts her loyalty into question. Agency: Gersh Agents: Bob Hohman, Devra Lieb, Bayard Maybank Management: Benderspink Manager: Daniel Vang Financier: Warner Brothers Production: Phantom Four
10
UNTITLED COPS SCRIPT
Blake McCormick
Following a costume party where they dressed as cops, two best friends are mistaken for actual police officers and find themselves on the run, after being forced to bring a dangerous criminal back to the station. Agency: UTA Agent: Jason Burns Management: Kaplan/Perrone Managers: Aaron Kaplan, Sean Perrone Financier: Universal Production: Hurwitz & Schlossberg Productions
9
CONVERSION
Marissa Jo Cerar
A preacher’s wife, grieving from the loss of her teenage son and struggling to hold her family together, forms an unlikely friendship with a young street hustler who helps her understand her lost son and survive alcoholic depression. Agency: ICM Agent: Laura Haas Management: Heroes and Villains Entertainment Managers: Markus Goerg, Mikhail Nayfeld Production: State Street Pictures
9
GOODBYE, FELIX CHESTER
Max Taxe
After finding out he has a month left to live, high school junior Felix Chester focuses all of his time and energy on one goal: losing his virginity to his dream girl. Management: Madhouse Entertainment Managers: Ryan Cunningham, Robyn Meisinger
9
PENNY DREADFUL
Shane Atkinson
Desperate to hang on to his pregnant girlfriend, bumbling Dennis gets caught up in a kidnapping scheme gone awry, leaving him saddled with a sociopathic little girl who seemingly calls the shots. Agency: Gersh Agents: Bob Hohman, Devra Lieb, Bayard Maybank Management: Circle of Confusion Managers: Zach Cox, Lawrence Mattis Production: MM Productions
8
BORDER COUNTRY
Jonathan Stokes
A veteran goes to war against a crew of corrupt cops intent on controlling the US/Mexico border. Agency: UTA Agents: Ramses Ishak, Geoff Morley, Michael Sheresky Management: Energy Entertainment Manager: Brooklyn Weaver
8
DOPPELGANGERS
Evan Mirzai, Shea Mirzai
Buttoned-down 20-something Eric isn’t ready to marry his longtime girlfriend Abby. His only way out is through slacker Sam, his identical twin brother, who offers to pose as Eric to do the dumping. But the plan becomes a disaster when Sam realizes Abby is actually really cool–and falls head over heels for her… Production: The Walt Becker Company
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