The Black List: Where Are The Top Scripts Of Previous Years Now?

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by Oliver Lyttelton
December 17, 2012 4:01 PM
4 Comments

2008

1. "The Beaver" - Kyle Killen
Initially linked to Steve Carell, the film was eventually directed by Jodie Foster, starring Mel Gibson as the depressive who becomes controlled by his therapeutic beaver puppet. But the film was released not long after Gibson's racist phone calls were leaked, and it died at the box office as a result.

2. "The Oranges" - Jay Reiss & Ian Helfer
Premiering at TIFF in 2011, this indie comedy was directed by TV helmer Julian Farino, with Hugh Laurie, Leighton Meester, Catherine Keener, Allison Janney and Oliver Platt among the cast. But word was lukewarm, and it only slunk into theaters this October.

3. "Butter" - Jason Micallef
Boy, not a great year for the Black LIst , this one. "Butter" became a hot property, and the political satire was unveiled by the Weinstein Company at TIFF in 2011, directed by British helmer Jim Field-Smith, with the cast including Jennifer Garner, Ty Burrell, Hugh Jackman, Olivia Wilde and Rob Corddry. Curiously, it hit theaters the same day as "The Oranges," and actually did worse -- taking only $100K to the other film's $300K.

4. "Big Hole" - Michael Gilio
A modern day Western about an elderly WW2 vet-turned-rancher who sets off in search of a man who ripped him off. Gore Verbinski attached himself to direct, but it never moved forward.

5. "The Low Dweller" - Brad Inglesby
Initially eyed by Ridley Scott and Leonardo DiCaprio, the film finally got before cameras this year, under the new title "Out Of The Furnace." Scott Cooper ("Crazy Heart") directs, with Christian Bale, Casey Affleck, Zoe Saldana, Woody Harrelson, Willem Dafoe, Forest Whitaker and Sam Shepard among the excellent cast. Ingelsby's latest script, "Hold On To Me," will shoot next year with Robert Pattinson and Carey Mulligan

6. "Fuckbuddies" - Liz Meriwether
A genuinely funny comedy about sex friends, "Fuckbuddies" was gutted, had the edges filed down and PG-13ified to become terrible Natalie Portman/Ashton Kutcher comedy "No Strings Attached." Don't weep too much for Liz Meriwether though; she's the creator and showrunner of hit Tv sitcom "New Girl"

7. "Winter's Discontent" - Paul Fruchbom
A comedy about a sexully frustrated 70something in a retirement home, Paul Fruchbom's script was picked up by Columbia back in 2008, and Larry Charles came on to direct the next year, but it never seemed to get any further

8. "Broken City" - Brian Tucker
Thought by many to be too dark to ever get made, "Chinatown"-esque noir "Broken City" finally hits theaters next month, with Mark Wahlberg, Russell Crowe, Kyle Chandler and Catherine Zeta-Jones starring in a film directed by Allen Hughes. Will it have been toned down? We'll find out in a few weeks.

9. "I'm With Cancer" - Will Reiser
After a difficult production -- director Nicole Holofcener and star James McAvoy dropped out -- this comedy, eventually retitled "50/50," and based on Reiser's real-life experiences, went before cameras thanks to director Jonathan Levine, and stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen and Anna Kendrick. It was well reviewed, but had disappointing box office.

10. "Our Brand Is Crisis" - Peter Straughan
A remake of the 2005 documentary about U.S. campaign consultants at work in the Bolivian presidential election of 2002, this was set up at George Clooney's Smoke House, with "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" writer Peter Straughan, who also penned "The Men Who Stared At Goats" for Clooney, penning the script. There's been no word since it was originally announced, but as "Argo" proved, there's always a chance it could come back around.

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4 Comments

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Leonardo | January 7, 2013 4:21 AMReply

The years with the most produced scripts are: 2005 (6), 2008(6), 2010 (5) and 2007 (4)
The Years witht least produced scripts are: 2006 (3), 2009 (2) and 2011 (0)

i hope one day all this scripts will see the light of the day, the stories sound great.
4 | December 18, 2012 10:46 PMReply

Seven Psychopaths was mentioned all the way back in 2006, as was a totally different adaptation of Life of Pi
Alan | December 18, 2012 2:29 AMReply

What the hell happened to the original State of Play script? I read it recently and it became clear to me why Pitt left the project: all the character detail and intrigue was excised in favor of the director's lame hectoring about modern journalism.
Gabe Toro | December 17, 2012 4:34 PMReply

Effin' brilliant, Oli.