The Complete 2012 Black List - 'Draft Day,' 'Seuss' & Hillary Clinton Are on Top

'The King's Speech'

The 2012 Black List of the best unproduced screenplays is now listed below. It comes from the suggestions of nearly 300 industry execs. To make the list, each script must receive six separate mentions. The Black List does not present itself as a "best of" list, but rather something like a "most liked" list. Needless to say some of the best scripts are en route to eventual production. But the Black List puts the spotlight on many worthy projects that could use the additional cred and support.

The screenplays were first announced one at a time via Twitter. They are listed below with the number of mentions, via Deadline. (Pictures are of previous Black Listed films.)

65
DRAFT DAY 
Rajiv Joseph, Scott Rothman


On the day of the NFL Draft, Bills General Manager Sonny Weaver has the opportunity to save football in Buffalo when he trades for the number one pick. He must quickly decide what he’s willing to sacrifice in pursuit of perfection as the lines between his personal and professional life become blurred.
Agency: Gersh, CAA
Agents: Lee Keele (Joseph), Chris Till, Bill Zotti (Rothman)
Management: Kaplan/Perrone (Joseph & Rothman)
Managers: Josh Goldenberg, Aaron Kaplan
Production: Montecito Pictures

43
A COUNTRY OF STRANGERS Sean Armstrong


Based on true events. Inspector Geoff Harper conducts a forty year search for the Beaumont Children, three siblings taken from an Australian beach in January of 1966.
Agency: Verve
Agents: Aaron Hart, Adam Levine, Rob Herting, Bill Weinstein
Management: Principato-Young Management
Managers: Peter Dealbert, Susan Solomon

43
SEUSS
 Eyal Podell, Jonathan Stewart


As a young man, Ted Geisel meets his future wife Helen, who encourages his fanciful drawings, and in the 1950s when Ted is struggling professionally, Helen helps inspire the children’s book that will become his first big hit, “The Cat in the Hat.”
Agency: Verve
Agents: Bryan Besser, Zach Carlisle, Rob Herting
Management: Industry Entertainment
Manager: Michael Botti, Jess Rosenthal

39
RODHAM
 Young Il Kim


During the height of the Watergate scandal, rising star Hillary Rodham is the youngest lawyer chosen for the House Judiciary Committee to Impeach Nixon, but she soon finds herself forced to choose between a destined path to the White House and her unresolved feelings for Bill Clinton, her former boyfriend who now teaches law in Arkansas.
Agency: UTA
Agents: Barbara Dreyfus, Jenny Maryasis
Management: The Arlook Group
Managers: Richard Arlook, Jason Hong
Production: The Arlook Group, Temple Hill Entertainment

35
STORY OF YOUR LIFE
 Eric Heisserer


Based on the short story by Ted Chiang. When alien crafts land around the world, a linguistics expert is recruited by the military to determine whether they come in peace or are a threat. As she learns to communicate with the aliens, she begins experiencing vivid flashbacks that become the key to unlocking the greater mystery about the true purpose of their visit.


Agency: UTA
Agents: Barbara Dreyfus, Jon Huddle
Management: Art/Work
Manager: Julie Bloom
Financier: Film Nation
Production: Film Nation, Lava Bear, 21 Laps Entertainment