Saturday, December 08, 2007

The Black List '07

I'm not sure I've ever actually seen this list before. But from what I gather The Black List has been around for quite a while. Sigh, I hate being behind the times.... Anyhow, The Black List is basically a list of 'hot' movie scripts that are currently floating around Hollywood. These are movie scripts that have a strong association with 2007, have been written, bought and sold, read a lot, or are on the cusp of being developed. They are scripts that have been in bidding wars, and scripts that almost certainly WILL be blockbusters eventually. Sure, some of these scripts will never get made into films, but undoubtedly a few of them will become megahits in the years to come.

The list, is compiled by collecting the suggestions of over 150 of Hollywood film executives, and high level assistants. People picked to participate in the selection process were asked to nominate up to 10 of their favorite scripts. Only scripts with more than one nomination are included in the list.

And that's it. The list has been published online in a few places, but I like IESBs coverage of it as they include slug lines for each of the films. I'm not going to copy the entire list her, but thought I'd mention a few of the scripts that caught my eye. For the full list please go check out IESBs post, it's a pretty fascinating peek into what sort of stuff the power players are looking at right now. It's not a 'best of' list, but just a 'most popular' list. So without further ado, here are my picks for the most interesting film scripts included on The Black List 07.

Just to start with, cause I know you're interested, here are the top three voted for scripts:

44 VOTES - RECOUNT by Danny Strong
“A behind-the-scenes view of the 2000 presidential election and the scandal that ensued in the weeks following.”

43 VOTES - FARRAGUT NORTH by Beau Willimon
“A young, idealistic communications director for a fast-rising politician falls prey to backstabbing and trickery while working on a presidential campaign.”

38 VOTES - PASSENGERS by Jon Spaihts
“A passenger on an intergalactic spaceship is the only one prematurely thawed out from cryogenic slumber … 100 years before anyone else.”

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Now here are a few scripts that really caught my eye. Don't forget, I am mostly interested in genre stuff, for the full list check out IESB.

24 VOTES - THE ROAD by Joe Penhall
“Based on the book by Cormac McCarthy. After a nuclear explosion, a man goes on a nightmarish road trip in order to transport his son to safety, while fending off starving stragglers and marauding packs of cannibals.”

16 VOTES - DUBAI by Adam Cozad
“A young economist is forced to go on the run to prove his innocence after Iranian operatives in Dubai use him as part of a plot to collapse the United States economy.”

13 VOTES - SOURCE CODE by Ben Ripley
“As part of an experimental government program to investigate a terrorist incident, a soldier finds himself living and reliving a series of events that take place on a commuter train just prior to the train exploding.”

11 VOTES - EDWIN A. SALT by Kurt Wimmer
“Centers on Edwin A. Salt, a CIA officer who is fingered as a Russian sleeper spy. He eludes capture by superiors who are convinced he is out to assassinate the president. While trying to reunite with his family, he struggles to prove someone else is the traitor.”

7 VOTES - NEVER LET ME GO by Alex Garland
“Based on the book by Kazuo Ishiguro. Students at an isolated boarding school in the English countryside gradually discover that they are clones who will inevitably be harvested for organs no matter how ‘human’ they are.”

7 VOTES - THE BOOK OF ELI by Gary Whitta
“A lone hero must fight his way across the wasteland of postapocalyptic America to protect a sacred book that holds the key to saving the future of humanity”

6 VOTES - $40,000 MAN by Jonathan Goldstein & Sean Daily
“A legendary astronaut finds himself horribly injured in a crash and is rebuilt by the government to be a bionic man -- but on a budget of only $40,000.”

5 VOTES - VALKYRIE by Chris MacQuarrie
“Severely wounded in combat, Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg returns from Africa to join the German Resistance and help create Operation Valkyrie, the complex plan that will allow a shadow government to replace Hitler's once he is dead. Fate and circumstance conspire to thrust Stauffenberg from one of many in the plot to a double-edged central role. Not only must he lead the coup and seize control of his nation’s government--he must kill Hitler himself.”

5 VOTES - WORLD WAR Z by J Michael Straczynski
“A sober telling of the aftermath of a war fought against a legion of humans who were inflicted with a virus, died and were re-animated into flesh-eating zombies.”

5 VOTES - ZOMBIELAND by Rhett Reese & Paul Wernick
“After a zombie plague ravages America, a pair of ‘odd couple’ survivors team up to find purpose and combat the living dead in the post-apocalyptic Southwest.”

4 VOTES - 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA by Craig Titley
“A mad scientist has created a monster-like looking submarine that sails underneath the oceans. "

4 VOTES - BROTHERS IN ARMS aka HILL 427 by Noah Lukeman
“The true story of a long-shot American army rescue mission 60 miles behind German lines during World War II to free General Patton’s sonin-law from a POW camp.”

3 VOTES - CLASH OF THE TITANS by Travis Beacham
“Zeus’s son, Perseus, journeys to save Princess Andromeda. During his adventure, he must complete various tasks set out by his father, including capturing Pegasus and slaying Medusa.”

3 Votes - JEFF THE IMMORTAL by Chris Bishop
“A slacker discovers that he is the lastest in a long line of immortal warriors who must fight to achieve his destiny.”

2 VOTES - GIANT MONSTERS ATTACK JAPAN by JF Lawton
“Prompted by a corporate transfer, a father and son move to Japan and find that all the fantastic elements of the son’s favorite Japanese movies – Godzilla, giant robots, secret ninja cults, etc. – are a real and borderline mundane aspect of everyday Japanese life. Adjusting proves difficult, hijinks ensue.”

2 VOTES - JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA by The Mulroneys
“The exploits of the Justice League of America, an organization made up of the world's greatest superheroes: Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Flash and Green Lantern.”

2 VOTES - NO MAN’S LAND by Jeffrey Nachmanoff
“Fifty years after an alien race takes over earth, a human detective investigates a rape/murder case and ultimately discovers the aliens’ true intentions.”

2 VOTES - UNIQUE by Michael Cooney
“Jon Geoffries discovers the Earth has a twin, a parallel world in another dimension. The worlds are closely linked, explaining such phenomena as deja vu and love at first sight, with people having counterparts on both Earths. However, a few are born "unique," with no doppelgangers, and can travel between worlds. Geoffries is one such person and soon finds himself a target of enemies who want to exploit his connection.“

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So there you go, that's 21 film scripts that I think sound cool. It's a pretty interesting list. Who knows what will happen with the films in question though. Yes a few of them are already being made, but whether the rest will is up in the air. Also, even if they do get made who can say if they'll be any good. Sometimes its pretty different seeing the words on a page as compared to the big screen. What works in one doesn't always work in the other.

Still, if we can get even a few of these rolling, I for one will be pretty stoked.

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