Screenplayed Breakdown

Michael Sarnoski joins The Screenplayed Breakdown to discuss The Death of Robin Hood , a new reimagining of the legendary outlaw starring Hugh Jackman and Jodie Comer. Michael discusses his lifelong fascination with the Robin Hood myth and why he chose to tell the character's final chapter. Michael breaks down his writing process, from his vomit pass first drafts to discovering characters orga...

Megan Gallagher joins The Screenplayed Breakdown to discuss Peacock’s hit thriller series 'All Her Fault,' starring Sarah Snook. As the show’s lead writer and showrunner, Megan breaks down the process of adapting Andrea Mara’s bestselling novel into an eight-episode television event and reveals how major storylines, characters, and twists were developed specifically for the series. Megan d...

In this episode, Andrew Guest joins the Screenplayed Breakdown to discuss Marvel's new show, Wonder Man. Andrew is the showrunner of the series and brings with him a wealth of television experience, having worked on landmark comedies including 30 Rock and Community before moving into the Marvel universe with Hawkeye. Andrew reflects on the experience of working within the Marvel machine, inclu...

In this episode, Oren Uziel joins the Screenplayed breakdown to talk about his journey from failed attorney to Hollywood screenwriter, the making of Spider-Noir and what it took to get Nicolas Cage on board, his thoughts on breaking into the industry without a film school background, and where he sees the future of writing in the age of AI. Oren is the showrunner and creator of Prime Video and MGM...

Drew Goddard joins The Screenplayed Breakdown to discuss 'Project Hail Mary, ' a new film starring Ryan Gosling directed by creators of the 'Spiderverse' franchise Phil Lord and Christopher Miller. Drew's script is adapted from the book of the same name by Andy Weir. Drew discusses the challenge of writing a script with minimal characters and dialogue, as well as adapting such...

Seinfeld writer and Curb Your Enthusiasm director Jeff Schaffer joins The Screenplayed Breakdown for an in-depth discussion of how one of television’s most influential comedies is actually made. Drawing on three decades of collaboration with Larry David, Schaffer explains why Curb is built without a traditional script, how stories are constructed through outlines rather than dialogue, and why Larr...

Noah Baumbach and Emily Mortimer discuss learning rigor from Wes Anderson, how defending murderers can make someone a better writer, and why first drafts are supposed to be difficult. In a loose, wide-ranging conversation, they break down how Baumbach’s early, half-formed ideas slowly turned into a finished script through collaboration, argument, and repetition. Baumbach reflects on working with W...

In this episode, Jenny Han, creator and showrunner of 'The Summer I Turned Pretty,' pulls back the curtain on how the series was built with patience, emotional confidence, and a deep trust in the audience. She talks about writing “lean,” letting quiet moments breathe, and resisting the urge to chase shock in favor of something more lasting. The result is a show that unfolds gently, rewardi...

Writer-directors Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, the writers of A Quiet Place and the filmmakers behind Heretic starring Hugh Grant, discuss writing more than 40 scripts that went nowhere to landing one of the most successful modern thrillers, they explain why failure was the key to their breakthrough. They reveal how A Quiet Place evolved into a near-silent studio blockbuster, how real-life experienc...

Oscar-nominated director Bing Liu joins us to break down how he made the leap from skate videos to award-winning documentaries like 'Minding the Gap' and now his first narrative feature, 'Preparation for the Next Life.' We talk about how he pitches studios, builds truthful performances, rewrites in the edit, and stays inspired through years of “hurry up and wait.” Listen to the pod...

On this episode of The Screenplayed Breakdown, we speak with 4 of the 13 credited 'Borat 2' writers. They share with us the struggles of writing and filming a movie in the real world that's performed by unsuspecting people, and the insane obstacles they faced. 

On this episode of The Screenplayed Breakdown, Darius talks about the ten years it took to complete 'Sound of Metal' and the 2,000+ pages he and his brother, Abraham wrote for the film. He tells us about his experience as a first-time director, and teaches us to "Enjoy the not knowing". 

On this episode of The Screenplayed Breakdown, we speak with actor and comedian, Andy Samberg, and writer, Andy Siara, about their film, 'Palm Springs'. Samberg and Siara talk about the benefits of shooting a film on a low budget and the importance of not selling out the tone of the film or its characters.   

*SPOILER WARNING* On this episode of the Screenplayed Breakdown, we speak with Golden Globe-nominated director Emerald Fennell and Academy Award-nominated actor Carey Mulligan about their new film, ‘Promising Young Woman.’ Emerald explains how she blends comedy with a serious issue, and Carey tells us about working with a first-time director on a big production. 

On this episode of The Screenplayed Breakdown, we speak with director and co-writer, Shaka King, on his new movie, 'Judas and the Black Messiah'. Shaka talks about structuring a true-life story, the struggles of selling his first feature, and the racism he experienced in the industry. 

On this episode of The Screenplayed Breakdown, we speak with Pixar writer, Mike Jones, about life, death and digging deep within ourselves. Mike tells us about the Pixar process, what the “brain trust” is and his collaboration with Pete Docter and Kemp Powers on their latest film, 'Soul’.

On the first episode of The Screenplayed Breakdown, we speak with Academy Award-winning director Kevin Macdonald and Golden Globe nominee Tahar Rahim about their new film, “The Mauritanian.” Kevin Macdonald also talks about his first big directing role on the set of “The Last King of Scotland” and his transition from documentaries into features. Tahar Rahim explains the challenges of acting in mul...