2025 Black List: Hollywood’s Best Un-Produced Scripts have Hollywood buzzing
Matisse Haddad’s Best Seller dominates the 2025 Black List with 48 votes. Discover which unproduced screenplays have Hollywood buzzing and deals already brewing.
The 21st annual Black List just crowned its champion, and the winner’s story hits close to home for anyone navigating creative ambitions.
Matisse Haddad’s Best Seller dominated this year’s compilation of Hollywood’s most beloved unproduced screenplays, securing 48 mentions from nearly 500 film executives, the kind of industry endorsement that turns spec scripts into bidding wars. The screenplay dives into New York’s cutthroat literary world through a struggling writer pressured by her successful novelist husband to start a family. With Peter Rice and Jason Reitman attached to produce, this isn’t just another script on a list; it’s a project with serious momentum that captures the zeitgeist of creative women forced to choose between their work and what society expects of them.
What Makes the Black List the Cannes of Unproduced Scripts
For those unfamiliar, Franklin Leonard’s Black List has become Hollywood’s most reliable crystal ball since 2005. It’s not quite the Sundance Grand Jury Prize, but landing on this list carries similar weight, scripts featured here have won Oscars, launched careers, and become cultural touchstones.
Think of it as the industry’s annual “scripts we can’t stop thinking about” compilation, compiled through executive voting rather than festival juries.
This year’s list showcases 74 scripts by 86 writers, proving that the best seller mentality extends beyond bookstores to screenwriting. The democratization of storytelling shines through with six writers securing spots without representation: Greg Levine (Flamer), Richard Martin (Geezers), Lauren Kilbride (Sister), Trevor James (Heartland Express), Noah Sellman (Last Stop in the Desert), and Jacob Marx Rice (The Valley of Hinom). Their inclusion adds flavor to an industry often criticized for gatekeeping, showing that great stories find their audience regardless of who’s championing them.
The Scripts That Have Hollywood Buzzing
Ward Kamel’s Equity claimed second place with 35 mentions, while Read Masino and Cassidy Alla’s Rush nabbed third with 34.
But the real surprise?
Jackson Kellard making his fourth Black List appearance with serial killer script Trace after placing in 2024 and twice in 2023. That’s the kind of consistency that would make any Telluride programmer jealous.
“Twenty-one years into this experiment, it still feels a little miraculous that something that started as an email in 2005 is now a global community of people sharing the stories they can’t stop thinking about,” Leonard said in his statement. “This year’s scripts, probably unsurprisingly, seemed preoccupied with what happens when the systems we live in – economic, political, algorithmic – stop working the way they’re supposed to and, fortunately, with how we might build something better anyway.”
The list reveals fascinating trends about what’s resonating with executives.
Twenty-nine returning writers made the cut, with 11 achieving the hat trick of three placements. Matthew Carnahan, who appeared on both the inaugural 2005 list and last year’s edition, returned with Serpent Girl—proving that longevity in this industry requires the relatability and resilience of a marathon runner, not a sprinter.
From Black List to Big Screen: The Deals Already Brewing
Deadline broke news on at least eight scripts before they landed on this year’s list, demonstrating the feeding frenzy around quality material. Siena Butterfield and Erika Vázquez’s Fixation is set up at New Regency with Made Up Stories producing. Morgan Lehmann’s wonderfully titled Untitled Erotic Teen Fan Fiction Movie found a home at A24 with Fruit Tree and Ley Line producing, because of course A24 would snag that one.
Halil Ozsan’s Alpha landed at Netflix with Taron Egerton in talks to star, while William Gillies’ Incidents sold to Searchlight with House Productions attached. Sophie de Bruijn’s Early Action went to Apple with The Walsh Company producing, and Isaac Louis Garcia’s Cut Outs set up shop at New Line with BoulderLight Pictures. Mark Townend’s Renegotiate found backing from Lionsgate with CineMachine and Range producing, and current Temple Hill exec John Fischer’s Crush sparked a bidding war that 20th Century Studios won.
These deals showcase how the best seller phenomenon works in Hollywood, once a script gains traction on the Black List, it becomes the literary equivalent of a hot restaurant opening in Brooklyn or a sold-out film market screening.
For aspiring screenwriters, these success stories offer more than inspiration, they provide a roadmap. The Black List’s flavor has always been discovering voices that traditional development might overlook, creating opportunities for fun-loving storytellers willing to take risks.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Black List
What is the Black List and how does it work?
The Black List is an annual survey of Hollywood executives who vote for their favorite unproduced screenplays of the year. Founded by Franklin Leonard in 2005, it identifies scripts that industry insiders “can’t stop thinking about,” even if they haven’t been produced yet. Nearly 500 film executives participated in this year’s voting.
How can screenwriters get their scripts on the Black List?
Writers can’t submit directly to the annual voted list, but the Black List also runs a year-round hosting service where writers can upload scripts for evaluation by professional readers. High-scoring scripts gain visibility with industry professionals, though the annual “voted” list remains the most prestigious recognition.
Does being on the Black List guarantee a movie gets made?
No, but it significantly increases the odds. Many Black List scripts have been produced and gone on to win Academy Awards, including Slumdog Millionaire, The King’s Speech, and Spotlight. The list serves as a quality signal to producers, agents, and studios.
Your Next Favorite Film Started Here
The 2025 Black List reminds us that great storytelling still matters in an industry increasingly dominated by IP and algorithms. From struggling writers navigating fertility pressure to serial killers and erotic fan fiction, this year’s scripts tackle what Leonard called our broken systems while imagining something better.
Whether Best Seller becomes the next literary adaptation to sweep awards season or another script on this list surprises everyone, the Black List continues proving that the best stories, the ones we truly can’t stop thinking about—eventually find their way to screens. Keep these titles on your radar; you’ll want to say you knew about them before they became the talk of Toronto or Venice.