The Black List 2011: By Agencies

COMMENTS (15)

• When I was a kid, I would read the newspaper ads for the movies at award times. This is back in the 50s and early 60s. Still very young, it always looked to me that the major studios had blocks of voters so that each studio had nominees somehow.

  Comment by Writing Fool — Monday December 12, 2011 @ 11:37am PST  Reply to this post

• And 3 for ICM.Wow that says it all.

  Comment by observer — Monday December 12, 2011 @ 11:55am PST  Reply to this post

• I’m NOT a writer so I have no dog in this show. But after reading this posting (as well as the one listing the individual scripts) doesn’t something seem a bit off here?

  If the top scripts are all scripts repped by major houses how exactly is that fair? Especially with Django listed which is already slated for release in 2012?

  You’re (TBL) telling us that not even one script from some writer at a lower level firm is good?

  Something’s fishy here. (But thanks for the info, Deadline!)

  Comment by NOT a Writer — Monday December 12, 2011 @ 12:57pm PST  Reply to this post

• Of course it’s fishy. It’s all PR nonsense.

  Comment by Youbet — Monday December 12, 2011 @ 1:03pm PST  Reply to this post

• The lower level firms don’t have the power to get the scripts to the big studios and important execs. Those high on the totem pole only want to read scripts from known writers repped by WME and the others. This Black List is Bull Shit. Something like DJANGO, for example, hasn’t gone into production yet but obviously will, so why is it on this list? This should be specs by unknowns, not scripts with producers that are just waiting to go into production.

  Comment by sad but true — Monday December 12, 2011 @ 1:11pm PST  Reply to this post

• So not a single boutique agency has script that people like? Bull—t. And we wonder why box office is spiraling down the drain.

  Comment by Graham — Monday December 12, 2011 @ 1:12pm PST  Reply to this post

  • Verve came in fourth and started out the year with 3 agents before growing to the overwhelmingly large size of six. They are a boutique.

    Comment by Anonymous — Monday December 12, 2011 @ 1:44pm PST  Reply to this post

• As someone who has read a number of these scripts, they aren’t all that great.

  Comment by reader — Monday December 12, 2011 @ 1:38pm PST  Reply to this post

  • Interesting — in your opinion, which scripts would you say are over/underrated?

    Comment by Another reader — Monday December 12, 2011 @ 2:38pm PST  Reply to this post

• Blacklist criticism is the same every year because every year people don’t get it. It is a POLL! Franklin includes screenplays that people vote for. Many of these scripts have no attachments are just circulating around town trying to find a home. If your tiny agency didn’t get your script on this list, it means they didn’t get it in front of enough people and those that saw it didn’t bother to vote. Obviously big studios will toot their own horns and those execs will vote for projects they are developing, so what? I didn’t need this list to tell me that Django Unchained was great, but if I am an agent and see that Maggie or Bastards is an ODA, I may take an interest for my client. Struggling writers who get upset about the results every year are not taking the list for what its original purpose is: a survey to help executives find good writers.

  Comment by Will — Monday December 12, 2011 @ 1:49pm PST  Reply to this post

• This always has been advertised as a most LIKED list. Not a best of. And to be liked you first have to be SEEN by Execs. That’s why they are coming from major agencies.

  Comment by BC — Monday December 12, 2011 @ 2:29pm PST  Reply to this post

• It’s all a freaking monopoly. If you’re on the outside and know no one – don’t bother.

  Comment by BC-1 — Monday December 12, 2011 @ 5:35pm PST  Reply to this post

• Come on BC-1, that’s defeatist. “If you’re on the outside and know no one – don’t bother.” no, if this is your calling and it’s what you are meant to do, you saddle up and get out there and get to know people. If you aren’t in this for the long haul, because you can’t think of anything else you’d rather be doing, then for you people BC-1′s advice is sound – god bless you and I hope you find your happiness elsewhere.

  Comment by shaun — Tuesday December 13, 2011 @ 9:53am PST  Reply to this post

  • WELL SAID:

    “if this is your calling and it’s what you are meant to do, you saddle up and get out there and get to know people.”

    AND THIS:

    “because you can’t think of anything else you’d rather be doing.”

    Because I can’t think of anything else I’D rather be doing but writing.

    Comment by realitycheck — Thursday December 15, 2011 @ 12:16pm PST  Reply to this post

• Do you know what this all means? Not much.

  Comment by KOF — Wednesday December 14, 2011 @ 1:36am PST  Reply to this post