The 16th edition of the "Black List" features 80 unproduced screenplays. Here are the first 12, indexed alphabetically, from A to B.
Looking for some weekend reads? I think we can help you with that.
Read and download all of the "Black List: 2020" screenplays and scripts. Maybe not all in one day, though.
For Your Consideration, we have the first 12 scripts cataloged and indexed alphabetically for quick access. Including Scott Conroy's "1MDB," Evan Twohy's, "Bubble & Squeak," and everything in between.
If you're a young writer looking for study guides, you've found the right place. These "Black List: 2020" scripts were chosen by 375 film-industry executives.
What is "Black List" you ask? To find out how it all works, scroll down a little bit.
Unsure about exactly what is the "Black List"? Read on.
Consider the name ironic.
This isn't a list of scripts written by those who are unwelcome in the industry. Rather, the "Black List" is a compilation of "most liked" unproduced screenplays from a particular year. Screenwriters, young and old, repped or voiceless, submit their works for consideration.
Annually, since 2005, film industry executives read hundreds of screenplays and choose which ones are their favorite. Referred to as a "mention" (a vote, basically), favored scripts with the most mentions are featured on, in this regard, the "Black List: 2020." And, you may have already noticed that a great number of screenplays featured on The List have since been produced.
Past picks include "The King's Speech," and "Promising Young Woman."
1MDB
Written by: Scott Conroy
Mentions: 10
The incredible true story of the multi-billion dollar Malaysian government corruption scandal which led to the conviction of Prime Minister Najib Razak and almost $5 billion in settlements paid out by Goldman Sachs.
Annalise & Song
Written by: SJ Inwards
Mentions: 10
Annalise is a girl who quite literally "sees the world differently" than everyone else and finds herself a lonely, misunderstood outcast who keeps her "cursed sight" a secret as a consequence. But everything changes when Annalise meets her new neighbor, Peter Song -- a fellow teenager whom everyone else sees as a disfigured boy, but whom Annalise sees entirely differently.
Bella
Written by: Jason Markarian
Mentions: 7
Set against the backdrop of an unprecedented crime wave that gripped New York City in the 80s, a hyper-stylized action thriller about a cop’s daughter who, after her father clings to life following an assassination attempt, goes on a rampage to unearth her father’s assassin and weed out deep-rooted corruption in the NYPD.
A Big, Bold, Beautiful Journey
Written by: Seth Reiss
Mentions: 14
After both attending the same wedding solo, David and Sarah embark on a big, bold, beautiful journey with a little help from their 1996 Passat GPS and a little bit of magic for the road trip of their lives.
Bikram
Written by: Silpa Kovvali
Mentions: 11
Based on an unbelievable story, BIKRAM chronicles the rise and fall of celebrity yoga guru Bikram Choudhury through the eyes of his young wife Rajashree, who engineers his ascent to fame and fortune, then fights to salvage their empire when his crimes bring it crumbling to the ground.
Birdies
Written by: Colin Bannon
Mentions: 16
When Tabitha, a struggling foster kid, wins a contest to become part of the BIRDIES, a popular daily YouTube channel featuring the radiant and enigmatic Mama Bird and her diverse brood of adopted children, she soon learns that things get dark when the cameras turn off.
The Black Belt
Written by: Randall Green
Mentions: 15
Eighth grader Simon Paluska dreams of being a Taekwondo Black Belt, but he’s not allowed to take lessons. So he buys a Black Belt on Amazon for twenty-five bucks. Then, he has to use it.
Blood Ties
Written by: Aaron Katz
Mentions: 10
Based on the New Yorker article by Nathan Heller. A true-crime thriller based on the story of two brilliant college lovers convicted of a brutal slaying. An obsessed detective investigates the true motives that led to a double homicide, and the decades of repercussions that follow.
Borderline (2022)
Written by: Jimmy Warden
Mentions: 11
A bodyguard protects a pop superstar and her athlete boyfriend from a determined stalker in 1990s Los Angeles. IMDb
The Boy Who Died
Written by: Monisha Dadlani
Mentions: 10
A young girl creates a robot version of Harry Potter while her father simultaneously is treating Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe for a terminal disease.
Bring Me Back
Written by: Crosby Selander
Mentions: 22 (6th overall in 2020)
When a woman on an interstellar voyage falls in love with someone during a cryosleep simulation, she attempts to discern whether the man is a real passenger on the ship or just a figment of her imagination.
Bubble & Squeak
Written by: Evan Twohy
Mentions: 21 (7th overall in 2020)
Two newlyweds traverse a fictional country on their honeymoon but slowly realize they’re yearning to take separate journeys.
