EPISODE · Jun 1, 2026 · 22 MIN
Why Hollywood Can't Find Good Scripts
from The Journal. · host The Wall Street Journal & Spotify Studios
How to get discovered in Hollywood has been a decades-old struggle. For screenwriters, that game started to change when Franklin Leonard launched the Black List, an annual ranking of the “most liked” but not-yet-produced screenplays. Since 2005, more than 500 of those scripts have become feature films, including several Best Picture Oscar-winners. Ryan Knutson interviewed Leonard about how to fix some of Hollywood’s other challenges at our live show in Los Angeles. Further Listening: - Hollywood Jobs Are Disappearing - Inside the Nasty Fight to Take Over Hollywood - The Journal. - For Riz Ahmed, Life is a Spy Thriller Sign up for WSJ’s free What’s News newsletter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
What this episode covers
How to get discovered in Hollywood has been a decades-old struggle. For screenwriters, that game started to change when Franklin Leonard launched the Black List, an annual ranking of the “most liked” but not-yet-produced screenplays. Since 2005, more than 500 of those scripts have become feature films, including several Best Picture Oscar-winners. Ryan Knutson interviewed Leonard about how to fix some of Hollywood’s other challenges at our live show in Los Angeles. Further Listening: - Hollywood Jobs Are Disappearing - Inside the Nasty Fight to Take Over Hollywood - The Journal. - For Riz Ahmed, Life is a Spy Thriller Sign up for WSJ’s free What’s News newsletter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Why Hollywood Can't Find Good Scripts
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