The Black List Podcast

[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...

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 thin...

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 coupl...

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. Q...

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? Cr...

[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 —...

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 di...

[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...

[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 he...

With what feels like a very Bowen Yang autumn, we revisit this great convo he had with Franklin and Kate. Among the topics: early comedic discoveries, including SNL and a movie that made him fall in love with the medium. Plus: his Canadian upbringing, his academic vs. extracurriculars at NYU, the real world consequences of political comedy, and so much more. And if you didn't catch his profile in...

[Encore] Academy Award winner Akiva Goldsman ( A Beautiful Mind , I, Robot , The Da Vinci Code screenplay, multiple Star Trek and Batman scripts, and more) joins Franklin and Kate to talk about his beginnings in Brooklyn, how his early family life influenced his writing career, and his memories of Joel Schumacher on the late 90s Batman films. Plus, the writing teachers he studied with at NYU (incl...

[Encore] Roxane Gay, NYT bestselling author and columnist, talks to Franklin and Kate about her time writing Marvel comic books, representations of fat characters in media, her love for the Fast and Furious franchise, and so much more.  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....

[Encore] There's one guarantee about having, or listening to, a conversation with Seth Rogen. Laughter will ensue. This episode is no exception. Among the topics he covers with Franklin and Kate: the legacy of Freaks and Geeks, his writing process with longtime collaborator Evan Goldberg, and becoming one of Hollywood’s leading men. He also shares more about his advocacy for cannabis and Alzheimer...

Welcome to the ultimate cinephile's salon, where our co-hosts and two dear friends talk movies of all stripes, paired with some rich personal stories. Open up your "to watch" list and settle in. Franklin and Kate are joined by fellow film lovers Lauren Brown and Boris Khentov. The crew reflects on the films that grounded their childhoods, helped them grieve, and brought great joy to their lives du...

This week, writer and director Lee Isaac Chung joins Kate and Franklin to talk about the trip to Rwanda that changed his filmmaking trajectory, his deep admiration for Charlie Chaplin and Wong Kar-wai, the making of his film and 2020 Sundance festival winner, Minari , and so much more.  Questions? Comments? Criticism? Hit us up on social media at @theblcklst. This conversation took place in 2...

Kate sits down with the legendary filmmaker Chris Columbus to talk about his beginnings as a screenwriter, directing beloved family films like Home Alone and Mrs. Doubtfire , collaborating with Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell in The Christmas Chronicles 2 , and more behind-the-scenes stories.   Questions? Comments? Criticism? Hit us up on social media at @theblcklst. This conversation first took...

This week, Tony-nominated actor Andrew Rannells joins Franklin and Kate to talk about his beginnings in children's theatre in Nebraska, Broadway and The Book of Mormon, working alongside Meryl Streep in the forthcoming Netflix film, The Prom, 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 week, two-time Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Kirby Dick joins Kate and Franklin to talk why he “doesn’t love movies,” how he thinks about the concept of truth, the #MeToo movement and his documentary, On The Record (co-directed by Amy Ziering, HBO Max), and so much more.  Questions? Comments? Criticism? Hit us up on social media at @theblcklst. This conversation took place in 2021. T...

British screenwriter and playwright Jack Thorne joins Kate and Franklin to talk about bringing Harry Potter and The Cursed Child to the stage, his advocacy for fuller disability narratives on screen, season two of His Dark Materials , and so much more.  Questions? Comments? Criticism? Hit us up on social media at @theblcklst. This conversation took place in 2020. To learn more about The Black...

As much watching, reading and listening time as we all had during the first year of the pandemic, you probably missed something great. Rewind your mind and pick up some gems from the pros. Franklin and Kate talk to each other about the things they loved in 2020. From Animal Crossing and Sarah Cooper's comedy special, to Ted Lasso and Michaela Coel's I May Destroy You , you'll have some new gems to...

This one's very special and very spooky. Kate talks to Barbara Crampton, BJ Colangelo, and Gigi Saul Gurerro about their lives in the horror community, what they're working on, what types of stories they'd like to see told about women in horror, and so much more. Questions? Comments? Criticism? Hit us up on social media at @theblcklst. This conversation from 2020 is still a banger. To learn more a...

Friend of The Black List director Radha Blank joins Kate and Franklin to talk about her Sundance award-winning feature, The 40-Year-Old Version (Netflix), the leap from playwriting and rapping into filmmaking, growing up in an intentional arts community, and so much more. Questions? Comments? Criticism? Hit us up on social media at @theblcklst. This conversation took place in 2021. To learn more a...

The Bronx is in the building! This week, Franklin and Kate talk to Showtime's late-night hosts Desus Nice and The Kid Mero about their favorite films, the power of the Bodega Hive, their process as co-writers (shout out to Google Docs!) of their book, God-Level Knowledge Darts: Life Lessons from the Bronx , and so much more.  Questions? Comments? Criticism? Hit us up on social media at @thebl...

As Saturday Night Live kicked off a new season, writer and comedian Bowen Yang joined Kate and Franklin to talk about his Canadian upbringing, why Mean Girls made him fall in love with filmmaking, the real world consequences of political comedy, and so much more. Questions? Comments? Criticism? Hit us up on social media at @theblcklst. This conversation took place in 2021. Learn more about The Bla...

The Black List partnered with Hulu to launch the inaugural Latinx List. Around the time it happened, it only made sense that Franklin and Kate talk to two of the initiative's chief architects: Gloria Calderón Kellett (One Day at a Time) and Tanya Saracho (Vida). The showrunners talk about how their friendship nurtures creativity, cultivating the next generation of Latinx talent, and so much more....