The Black List Podcast

[Reprise] Franklin and Kate are joined by the incredible Radha Blank—director, playwright, rapper, and friend of The Black List. Her debut feature, The 40-Year-Old Version, premiered at Sundance and earned her the Directing Award, making an unforgettable mark on the industry. The film is a deeply personal and hilarious take on reinvention and artistic expression. Radha takes us through her journey—from playwriting and rapping to stepping behind the camera for her first feature. We also dive into her early cinephile roots, exploring the films that shaped her storytelling, from The Landlord to Cinema Paradiso. Plus, she shares the moment she realized film was her true calling, and how her mother’s love of cinema influenced her creative path.Questions? Comments? Criticism? Hit us up on social media at @theblcklst.This conversation took place in 2021. To learn more about The Black List, visit www.blcklst.com.Mentions: The 40-Year-Old Version: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_forty_year_old_version

[Encore! ¡Otra!] Two powerhouse talents, one unforgettable episode. When The Black List teamed up with Hulu to launch the first-ever Latinx List, it was only natural for Franklin and Kate to sit down with two of the initiative’s driving forces: Gloria Calderón Kellett (One Day at a Time) and Tanya Saracho (Vida). In this classic conversation, the acclaimed showrunners discuss how their friendship fuels creativity, their commitment to uplifting the next generation of Latinx storytellers, and the impact of authentic representation in Hollywood.Questions? Comments? Criticism? Hit us up on social media at @theblcklst.This was recorded in 2020. To learn more about The Black List, visit www.blcklst.com.Mentions: +Deadline, The Black List, Latin Tracking Board, NALIP, And Untitled Latinx Project Unveil Latinx TV List: https://deadline.com/2020/06/the-black-list-latin-tracking-board-nalip-remezcla-untitled-latinx-project-unveil-inaugural-latinx-tv-list-diversity-inclusion-representation-1202972696/ +One Day at a Time: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/one_day_at_a_time +Hollywood Reporter, ‘One Day at a Time,’ ‘Star Trek’ Sub for Returning Originals on CBS Fall Schedule: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/one-day-at-a-time-star-trek-sub-for-returning-originals-on-cbs-fall-schedule +Vida: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/vida +Variety, ‘Vida’ Creator Tanya Saracho Signs Overall Deal With UCP: https://variety.com/2020/tv/news/vida-tanya-saracho-overall-deal-ucp-1234740022/

[Listen again]. Filmmaker Alice Wu joins Franklin and Kate to discuss her journey back into Hollywood as a queer Asian-American storyteller. She shares how Chinese-language films shaped her love of cinema, her time away from the industry, and the creative process behind The Half of It—a fresh take on the teen romantic triangle movie. From Saving Face, which was a huge hit at Sundance, to The Half of It landing on the Black List, Alice’s path is as inspiring as her films. Questions? Comments? Criticism? Hit us up on social media at @theblcklst.This episode was originally published in 2020. To learn more about The Black List, visit www.blcklst.com. Mentions:+Saving Face: www.rottentomatoes.com/m/saving_face +The Half of It: www.netflix.com/title/81005150

Gremlins, Goonies, Home Alone, Mrs. Doubtfire—iconic films that few of us haven't seen. But how did they come to be? In this episode, Kate sits down with legendary filmmaker Chris Columbus to explore his journey from aspiring screenwriter to Hollywood heavyweight. Columbus shares how his college screenplay sold for just $5K, the professor who told him success was 50% talent, 50% luck, and the serendipitous moment when Steven Spielberg discovered his Gremlins script. Plus, behind-the-scenes stories from Home Alone, Mrs. Doubtfire, and collaborating with Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell on The Christmas Chronicles 2.This conversation took place in, and was 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.

Jay Ellis (Top Gun: Maverick, Insecure) joins Kate and Franklin for their signature movie survey, diving into the films that shaped him—from Spaceballs (his surprising answer for what made him fall in love with movies) to He Got Game and White Men Can't Jump. They also talk about his experience starring in Top Gun: Maverick, how fatherhood has changed his perspective, his Insecure directorial debut, and more. Plus, a deep dive into basketball movies and '90s sports film nostalgia.

Franklin and Kate sat down with comedy legend Ed Helms to explore his journey from Saturday Night Live-fueled interest in high school, to performing with the Upright Citizens Brigade as a young adult to making waves on The Daily Show during the George W. Bush era. They discuss how those experiences shaped his perspective on political comedy today, dive into his roles in blockbuster hits like Vacation and The Hangover trilogy, and chat about his Netflix project, Coffee & Kareem. Plus, don’t miss the surprising twist: Ed Helms isn’t just a comedic genius—he’s also a talented bluegrass musician.Questions? Comments? Criticism? Hit us up on social media at @theblcklst.This conversation was recoreded in 2020. To learn more about The Black List, visit www.blcklst.com. Mentions:+Coffee & Kareem: https://www.netflix.com/title/80220009 +Upright Citizens Brigade: https://ucbcomedy.com +The Daily Show: http://www.cc.com/shows/the-daily-show-with-trevor-noah.

In honor of her electric performance of a Michael Jackson cover--to honor the late great Quincy Jones, at this year's Grammys ceremony, we're bringing back her conversation with Franklin and Kate from a few years ago. The trio talk about how her music has informed her film career, her childhood memories of Steel Magnolias, seeing herself onscreen in Sister Act 2, and so much more.Questions? Comments? Criticism? Hit us up on social media at @theblcklst.This encore episode's conversation took place in 2020. To learn more about The Black List, visit www.blcklst.com. Mentions:+Homecoming: https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B085SVBCBP/ref=atv_dp_share_cu_r +Steel Magnolias: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/steel_magnolias  +Sister Act 2: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/sister_act_2_back_in_the_habit

Be Water filmmaker Bao Nguyen joins Kate and Franklin to talk about bringing Bruce Lee to a new generation, his Saturday Night Live documentary, depictions of the Vietnam War on screen, and a lot more deep cut film talk.Questions? Comments? Criticism? Hit us up on social media at @theblcklst.This conversation originally took place in 2020. To learn more about The Black List, visit www.blcklst.com.Mentions: +Be Water: espn.com/mma/story/_/id/29249053/be-water-how-watch-stream-espn-bruce-lee-documentary +Live From New York!: rottentomatoes.com/m/live_from_new_york

Film historian and cultural commentator Karina Longworth joins Franklin and Kate to talk about her love for Judy Garland, the imaginative world of Film social media, and her iconic podcast, You Must Remember This, and more. In honor of the season premiere of YMRT (the 21st season!), we bring back this excellent interview. Meanwhile, we send out our thoughts to the entire community of greater Los Angeles during this catastrophic wildfire event.Questions? Comments? Criticism? Hit us up on social media at @theblcklst.This conversation took place 2020. To learn more about The Black List, visit www.blcklst.com.Mentions: +You Must Remember This: http://youmustrememberthispodcast.com

What do the NBA, the Chicago Bulls, and Michael Jordan all have in common? Iconic storytelling, brought to life by Jason Hehir, the director of The Last Dance—a documentary miniseries that became a cultural phenomenon during the early months of the Covid lockdown. In this conversation, Franklin and Kate dive deep with Jason to uncover how he got Michael Jordan to finally open up, the parallels between hip-hop and the NBA’s meteoric rise to global fame, and the art of humanizing larger-than-life sports legends. They also discuss Jason’s unique approach to portraying mythic figures, handling critique from none other than Ken Burns, and the challenge of crafting a hit documentary while the world is already watching your hit documentary.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: +The Last Dance, http://www.netflix.com/gb/title/80203144+ESPN: The Last Dance, https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/28973557/the-last-dance-untold-story-michael-jordan-chicago-bulls

Her film Nightbitch arrives on Hulu this week; revisit a captivating interview with director and actor Marielle Heller. Too often seen as understated and underappreciated, Heller is undeniably a filmmaking powerhouse. In this conversation, she reflects on her theater roots, the challenges of navigating gender dynamics in the industry, and the experience of directing Tom Hanks in A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood. Known for eliciting memorable performances from actors like Amy Adams (Nightbitch) and Melissa McCarthy (Will You Ever Forgive Me?), as well as Hanks, Heller sees herself as the "authenticity police," to make sure every moment feels true. Clearly, it's working. 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.More Info:+Nightbitch: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/nightbitch+Diary of a Teenage Girl: http://rottentomatoes.com/m/the_diary_of_a_teenage_girl+Can You Ever Forgive Me?: http://rottentomatoes.com/m/can_you_ever_forgive_me+A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood: http://rottentomatoes.com/m/a_beautiful_day_in_the_neighborhood+The Queen's Gambit (Actor): https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the_queens_gambit

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_2018Also:+'Moonlight' Director Barry Jenkins Marries 'The Farewell' Filmmaker Lulu Wanghttps://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