You may know him as Jean-Ralphio from Parks and Rec, or the voice of Sonic the Hedgehog. Friend of The Black List family, Ben Schwartz, joins Kate and Franklin for an insanely funny conversation about his improv adventure on Middleditch and Schwartz, bringing Dewey to life in the DuckTales reboot, his Netflix series, Space Force, and so much more. 

Questions? Comments? Criticism? Hit us up on social media at @theblcklst. This episode was originally released in 2020. In honor of the release of Sonic 3, listen back to a fun conversation with a talented guy. To learn more about The Black List, visit www.blcklst.com.

Mentions: 

+Middleditch and Schwartz: http://www.netflix.com/title/81122572

+DuckTales: http://rottentomatoes.com/tv/ducktales

+Space Force: http://netflix.com/title/81021929

[Encore] Writer and director of The Farewell, Lulu Wang, joins Kate and Franklin to talk about navigating the indie film marketplace, drawing inspiration from her classical piano training, streaming vs. theatrical distribution, and so much more.

Questions? Comments? Criticism? Hit us up on social media at @theblcklst.

This episode originally aired in 2020, behind a paywall. To learn more about The Black List, visit www.blcklst.com.

Mentions:

+The Farewell: rottentomatoes.com/m/the_farewell_2018

Also:

+'Moonlight' Director Barry Jenkins Marries 'The Farewell' Filmmaker Lulu Wang

https://ew.com/moonlight-director-barry-jenkins-marries-the-farewell-filmmaker-lulu-wang-8760124

British screenwriter and playwright Jack Thorne (His Dark Materials, Wonder, Enola Holmes, Crip Tales) has created adaptations of extraordinarily beloved characters and works. He.talks to Franklin Leonard and Kate Hagen about the art and responsibility of storytelling--from adapting Harry Potter and The Cursed Child for the stage, to his perspective on collaboration and authorship. Thorne thinks in terms of empowering key storytellers--aware of how much a face tells the story and how much actors need to be celebrated as authors. Thorne is also a big advocate for fuller disability narratives on screen. Trying to get the industry to take disability seriously remains very hard--a point he and Franklin explore from two different seats about a specific film.

Questions? Comments? Criticism? Hit us up on social media at @theblcklst.

This conversation took place in 2020. To learn more about The Black List, visit www.blcklst.com.

Mentions: 

• His Dark Materials: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/his_dark_materials 
• Enola Homes: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/enola_holmes 
• Harry Potter and the Cursed Child: https://www.harrypottertheplay.com/uk/#  
• CripTales: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/criptales/s01 
• Jack Thorne’s Adaptation of A Christmas Carol Will Stream Live From The Old Vic: https://www.playbill.com/article/jack-thornes-adaptation-of-a-christmas-carol-will-stream-live-from-the-old-vic 

Remember the Oscars best picture flub? Jordan Horowitz is the guy who stopped that train before it wrecked. In this episode, he and his producing-directing. partner (and life partner) Julia Hart tell the story of that wild night when their film La La Land was announced as the winner, but wasn't. They also describe bringing Black women superheroes to life in Fast Color, working together as a couple, and so much more.

Originally released for subscribers only in 2020. Questions? Comments? Criticism? Hit us up on social media at @theblcklst. To learn more about The Black List, visit ​www.blcklst.com​.

Mentions:

+La La Land x Oscars mixup: https://www.forbes.com/sites/natalierobehmed/2017/02/27/the-full-story-behind-the-la-la-land-an d-moonlight-oscars-mix-up/#419bc6d42298

+Fast Color: https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-front-row/fast-color-reviewed-a-superhero-movie-that-pa ys-close-attention-to-ordinary-life

+Miss Stevens: ​https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/miss_stevens

+The Keeping Room: https://www.fastcompany.com/3051556/the-keeping-room-star-brit-marling-and-writer-julia-hart- on-making-a-feminist-western

+Stargirl: ​https://ew.com/movies/stargirl-director-julia-hart-disney-plus/ 

Insecure showrunner Prentice Penny joins Kate and Franklin to talk about his movie-loving roots, his project Brooklyn Nine-Nine, working with Issa Rae, being inspired by Spike Lee, cutting his teeth on television. Plus: the origin story and goals that led him to write and direct the film Uncorked, which presented a different type of father-son relationship.

This conversation took place in 2020. Questions? Comments? Criticism? Hit us up on social media at @theblcklst.

To learn more about The Black List, visit www.blcklst.com. 

Mentions:

+Uncorked review and trailer, in Food and Wine magazine: https://www.foodandwine.com/news/netflix-uncorked-trailer-release 

+Insecure: on HBO: https://www.hbo.com/insecure

The premiere episode of The Black List, reprised! Franklin and Kate kicked off The Black List Podcast with filmmaker and actor Paul Feig (@paulfeig) to discuss the 20th anniversary of Freaks and Geeks, his very first film; They went deep on what makes a great comedy, and about the female characters he loved and creates--and so much more. A classic episode from 2020. Questions? Comments? Criticism? Hit us up on social media at @theblcklst.

To learn more about The Black List, visit www.blcklst.com. 

[Replay] Franklin and Kate welcome Tony-nominated, Grammy-winning actor Andrew Rannells, who shares the journey from his early days in Omaha’s children’s theater scene to the Broadway spotlight in shows like The Book of Mormon. This episode is packed with entertaining behind-the-scenes stories, from collaborating with Lena Dunham on Girls to starring alongside Meryl Streep in Netflix’s The Prom—with a humorous “Best Humblebrag” nod from Franklin! Andrew reveals a movie sequel (including one that others unfairly critique but he stands by as a fave), plus the films that capture his ideas of love and war. Hear the unexpected joy he found while working on The Boys in the Band, and so much more.

Questions? Comments? Criticism? Hit us up on social media at @theblcklst.

This conversation took place in late 2020. To learn more about The Black List, visit www.blcklst.com.

Mentions: 

• The Prom: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_prom_2020 
• The Book of Mormon: https://bookofmormonbroadway.com/press 
• Black Monday: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/black_monday 
• The Boys in the Band: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_boys_in_the_band 

In this episode, screenwriter and 2016 Black List honoree Liz Hannah shares the story behind her acclaimed debut film, The Post. Liz reveals how reading TheWashington Post Publisher Katherine Graham’s memoir years prior sparked the inspiration for the screenplay—and how, from the start, she imagined the iconic role of Graham being played by none other than Meryl Streep. Hosts Franklin and Kate dive into Liz's creative process, discussing her approach to writing across genres, exploring the nuanced "gray area of mental health" on screen, her work on the rom-com Long Shot, and much more. Liz’s recent work on the Kate Winslet-led film Lee is a great reason to listen back to this excellent 2020 conversation.

Originally published in 2020. Questions? Comments? Criticism? Hit us up on social media at @theblcklst.

To learn more about The Black List, visit www.blcklst.com. 

Mentions:

+The Post: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_post

+Long Shot: https://www.lionsgate.com/movies/long-shot

+Mindhunter: https://www.netflix.com/title/80114855

+All the Bright Places: https://www.netflix.com/title/80208802

[REPRISE] From science major to punk rock band member to comedy writer, he is now the co-creator of multiple popular television shows, a producer, screenwriter, and film director. Alan Yang joins the show to talk about his creative journey to Parks and Recreation (an experience he cherishes for the incredible education it gave him) and beyond. He also dives deep on his developing a character-based approach to comedy, directing his film Tigertail, and some of his creative influences. Plus: the reason he thanked white guys in an awards speech.

This conversation took place in 2020. Questions? Comments? Criticism? Hit us up on social media at @theblcklst.

To learn more about The Black List, visit www.blcklst.com. 

Mentions:

+Tigertail: https://www.netflix.com/title/80202958

+Little America: https://deadline.com/2018/06/apple-little-america-immigrant-anthology-series-the-big-sick-writers-lee-eisenberg-alan-yang-1202413632/

+Master of None: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/master_of_none/s01

+Parks and Recreation: https://www.nbc.com/parks-and-recreation

[Encore episode] Russian Doll co-creator Leslye Headland joins Kate and Franklin for a wide, thoughtful take on all the things that excite her about movies and storytelling (Headland is also a playwright). She reflects on the origins of her love of film, including the many things her parents let her stay up to watch, or actors and movies they introduced her to. On the Kubrick film that inspired her to become a filmaker, she says: "I watched it almost every day. I just couldn't get enough of it. ...And I just thought, somehow I'm going to do this. Somehow I'm going to make this happen for myself. I don't know how but I'm going to do it." Plus: what it was like writing for the quirky FX drama Terriers, challenging the overwhelming white maleness of the cinematic canon (think: The Graduate, Taxi Driver) and so much more. 

Questions? Comments? Criticism? Hit us up on social media at @theblcklst.

To learn more about The Black List, visit www.blcklst.com. This episode was originally published behind a paywall in 2020.

Mentions:

+Russian Doll: https://www.netflix.com/title/80211627  

+The Shining: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/shining  

+Terriers: https://www.fxnetworks.com/shows/terriers