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Black List 2020 screenplays part1.

Read the "Black List: 2020" Screenplays

The 16th edition of the "Black List" features 80 unproduced screenplays. Here are the first 38, indexed alphabetically, from A to L.

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.

Four Your Consideration, we have the first 40 scripts listed and indexed alphabetically for quick access. From Scott Conroy's' "1MDB", to Alex Russell's thriller, "Lurker", 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.

Discover more about the "Black List: 2020" screenplays

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", favored scripts with the most mentions are featured on, in this regard, the "Black List: 2020".

Some screenplays get optioned by studios and become movies. Past picks include "The King's Speech", "Free Guy" and "Promising Young Woman."

Black List: 2020 Index | Alphabetically From: A - L

    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.

    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.

    A Single Point of Failure

    Written by: Terry Huang

    Mentions: 9

    Journalists race to expose how Boeing knowingly misled regulators, pilots, and airlines to cover up a problematic flight software system on the 737 MAX, leading to two major airplane crashes and the deaths of 346 people. Based on real events.

    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.

    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.

    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.

    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.

    Chang Can Dunk (2023)

    Written by: Jingyi Shao

    Mentions: 28 (2nd overall in 2020)

    A young Asian-American teen and basketball fanatic who just wants to dunk and get the girl ends up learning much more about himself, his best friends, and his mother.

    Cosmic Sunday

    Written by: MacMillan Hedges

    Mentions: 9

    A small percentage of the population is stuck in a time loop and have had to create a society that functions within the same day, repeated day in and day out. One man struggles to find himself for the first time in ages amidst a society clinging to a sense of normalcy.

    Crush On You

    Written by: Shea Mayo

    Mentions: 10

    Summer on a secluded campus takes a dark turn for three college girls when a supernaturally sexy mystery man begins haunting their dreams.

    Dust (2024)

    Written by: Karrie Crouse

    Mentions: 7

    A young mother in 1930s Oklahoma is convinced that her family is threatened and takes drastic steps to keep them safe.

    Earworm

    Written by: Austin Everett

    Mentions: 9

    A former music therapist is recruited to use a mysterious machine to dive into the memories of a serial killer on death row.

    Emancipation (2023)

    Written by: Bill Collage

    Mentions: 8

    Based on a true story, a runaway slave has to outwit bounty hunters and the perils of a Louisiana swamp to reach the Union army and his only chance at freedom.

    Emergency (2022)

    Written by: KD Davila

    Mentions: 21 (8th overall in 2020)

    Ready for a night of partying, a group of Black and Latino college students must weigh the pros and cons of calling the police when faced with an emergency.

    Enemies Within

    Written by: Cat Vasko

    Mentions: 14

    In the 1950’s, Joseph McCarthy and his right hand man Roy Cohn sit at the height of their influence, casting aside democratic norms unchecked - until the Army’s lowest-level lawyer, John G. Adams, stumbles upon the shocking truth behind their power grab, and makes it his mission to reveal this to the public.

    Excelsior!

    Written by: Alex Convery

    Mentions: 9

    The true story of the meteoric rise (and subsequent fall) of Marvel Comics and the star-crossed creators behind the panel: Stan Lee & Jack Kirby.

    Fight or Flight

    Written by: Brooks McLaren, DJ Cotrona

    Mentions: 8

    A mercenary takes on the job of tracking down a target on a plane but must protect her when they’re surrounded by people trying to kill both of them.

    Fish in a Tree

    Written by: Jeff Stockwell

    Mentions: 13

    Based on the eponymous novel by Lynda Mullaly Hunt. A young girl in an intimidating new school finally faces seemingly insurmountable obstacles in her learning and in her social life when she crosses paths with an energetic-but-inexperienced substitute teacher.

    Flight Risk

    Written by: Jared Rosenberg

    Mentions: 9

    An Air Marshal transporting a fugitive across the Alaskan wilderness via a small plane finds herself trapped when she suspects their pilot is not who he says he is.

    Forever Hold Your Peace

    Written by: Emma Dudley

    Mentions: 19 (9th overall in 2020)

    Twenty-four-year-old, quiet, self-conscious Hazel has struggled with her sexuality ever since her conservative dad walked in on her kissing a girl at a middle school sleepover and flipped his absolute shit. On the way back to her hometown for her dad’s wedding, Hazel gets drunk and makes out with an older, attractive female flight attendant. She’s thrilled to have moved past her hang-ups and had some fun until she arrives home and realizes that the flight attendant is her dad’s fiance.

    Frenemy

    Written by: Ariel Sayegh

    Mentions: 7

    A chronicle of the infamous Lindsay Lohan/Paris Hilton feud of 2004-2006 over who would be Britney Spears’ best friend.

    Gabi Seems Different

    Written by: Victoria Bata

    Mentions: 7

    After spending several years recovering from a devastating car crash that pulled her out of the spotlight, Gabi, a famous pop star, gets ready to perform again for the first time. But with the pressure mounting and her memory failing her, the young woman begins to doubt who she really is -- and if Gabi really survived the crash at all.

    Generation Leap

    Written by: John Sonntag, Thomas Sonntag

    Mentions: 7

    After a global pandemic causes NASA to send a crew of astronauts into deep space to find another habitable planet, the crew is unexpectedly awoken from hypersleep and must survive a mysterious new threat that comes from the future generations they sought to save, and the one place they never expected - Earth.

    Get Lite

    Written by: Eric Gross

    Mentions: 7

    Saunders, a headstrong Bronx teenager, is caught between his love of Litefeet subway dancing and his strict father’s insistence on becoming an engineer. After he finagles his way onto a ragtag Litefeet crew, he’s exposed to an electrifying new world as well as a new crush. Now he has to decide who and what he’s willing to sacrifice in order to compete in the biggest dance competition of the year: Kingdome.

    Good Chance

    Written by: Tricia Lee

    Mentions: 7

    A feisty transgender teen helps a church-going, undocumented Asian woman escape deportation, and they form an unlikely friendship that helps them heal the rifts in their own families.

    Gusher

    Written by: Abigail Briley Bean

    Mentions: 12

    Based on the story of Anna Nicole Smith, a shrewd young mother rises out of a small Texas town to become a famous Playboy centerfold, but when she falls in love with an eighty-nine-year-old billionaire, his son and the entire world believe she’s nothing but a gold digger.

    Handsome Stranger

    Written by: Greg Navarro

    Mentions: 7

    Based on the incredible true story of serial killer Paul John Knowles and the week he spent with British journalist Sandy Fawkes in the midst of a murderous killing spree.

    Headhunter

    Written by: Sophie Dawson

    Mentions: 29 (1st overall in 2020)

    A high-functioning cannibal selects his victims based on their Instagram popularity, but finds his habits shaken by a man who wants to be eaten.

    Here Come the Bandits

    Written by: Ethan Dawes

    Mentions: 8

    Mickey Bradley, a wildly talented minor league baseball player in his early twenties who returns home to Los Angeles after an injury and coaches a little league team full of misfits who remind him why he fell in love with baseball in the first place. And there's a sweet romance in there too.

    High Society

    Written by: Noga Pnueli

    Mentions: 9

    A depressed, progressive woman stuck in a conservative small Texas town starts micro-dosing the entire town with marijuana to make them all get along.

    Horsegirl

    Written by: Lauren Meyering

    Mentions: 9

    Living under the full time care of her cancer-stricken mother, a twenty-six-year-old, socially awkward, horse-obsessed woman attempts to prove her independence by winning a hobbyhorse competition.

    I.S.S.

    Written by: Nick Shafir

    Mentions: 7

    At any given moment in time there are roughly six astronauts living on the International Space Station (ISS). The station itself is divided into two segments one half Russian, one half American. When a world war event occurs on Earth, America and Russia find themselves on opposing sides. As such, both nations secretly contact their astronauts aboard the ISS and give them instructions to take control of the station by any means necessary. The six astronauts must each secretly choose between their friendships with each other and their allegiance to their country.

    If You Were the Last (2023)

    Written by: Angela Bourassa

    Mentions: 25 (4th overall in 2020)

    Two astronauts who think they’ve been lost in space forever fall in love, becoming content with their isolated lives, only to suddenly have to return to Earth.

    Lurker

    Written by: Alex Russell

    Mentions: 11

    An obsessed fan maneuvers his way into the inner circle of his hip hop idol and will stop at nothing to stay in.

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