Hollywood's 'Black List' Is Out

While everyone outside of the 90210 zip code is discussing the best movies of the year, studio executives are always talking about the best screenplays not yet produced, and most of them use Franklin Leonard’s Black List. Leonard, a 32-year-old midlevel studio executive, started his list six years ago when, frustrated with the bad screenplays he’d been receiving, he sent out an email blast requesting suggestions. Now 300 people work to compile the list, and being mentioned on it can make a writer’s career. Half the top 10 spots on this year's list went to fictionalized accounts of historical events, everything from a buddy comedy based on Karl Rove’s college experience, to a drama about the days immediately following John F. Kennedy’s assassination.