{"id":15650,"date":"2025-06-19T12:56:00","date_gmt":"2025-06-19T12:56:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/?p=15650"},"modified":"2025-06-19T12:56:01","modified_gmt":"2025-06-19T12:56:01","slug":"the-black-list-franklin-leonard-based-on-true-story-hollywood","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/2025\/06\/19\/the-black-list-franklin-leonard-based-on-true-story-hollywood\/","title":{"rendered":"The Black List&#8217;s Franklin Leonard on the power of &#8216;Based on a true story&#8217; in Hollywood"},"content":{"rendered":"    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">On the latest episode of the <a href=\"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.buzzsprout.com\/2449998\/episodes\">Nieman Storyboard podcast<\/a>, The Black List founder and CEO <a href=\"https:\/\/www.franklinleonard.com\/\">Franklin Leonard<\/a> joins Storyboard Editor <a href=\"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/authors\/mark-armstrong\/\">Mark Armstrong<\/a> for a conversation about the state of storytelling in Hollywood, and how true stories intersect with entertainment.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>Leonard was working as a development executive for Leonardo DiCaprio&#8217;s production company when he started <a href=\"https:\/\/blcklst.com\/\">The Black List<\/a> 20 years ago, first as a survey of the best unproduced screenplays. The list became an immediate sensation, getting passed around Hollywood, and it has since grown into a company and online community for people to upload and review unproduced screenplays and unpublished novels.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>Hundreds of scripts from the annual Black List survey have been produced as feature films and earned Academy Award nominations \u2014including more than 50 wins and four Best Pictures: &#8220;Spotlight,&#8221; &#8220;Slumdog Millionaire,&#8221; &#8220;The King&#8217;s Speech,&#8221; and &#8220;Argo.&#8221;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-spacer mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<div style=\"height:39px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-html mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<div id=\"buzzsprout-player-17361171\"><\/div><script src=\"https:\/\/www.buzzsprout.com\/2449998\/episodes\/17361171-the-black-list-s-franklin-leonard-on-the-power-of-based-on-a-true-story-in-hollywood.js?container_id=buzzsprout-player-17361171&#038;player=small\" type=\"text\/javascript\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>[ Follow us in <a href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/nieman-storyboard\/id1804505440\">Apple Podcasts<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/4cN4SOwf5Am05PoA9wckcA\">Spotify<\/a>, or your <a href=\"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.buzzsprout.com\/2449998\/episodes\">favorite podcast app<\/a>. ]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-spacer mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<div style=\"height:39px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>Leonard says the business of filmmaking has changed dramatically in the past 20 years, but the principles of storytelling remain the same. And he credits the writers, explaining that \u201c\u200ait&#8217;s not The Black List that gets these things made. It&#8217;s the writing that gets these things made. It&#8217;s just The Black List that gets these things read. \u2026<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>&#8220;\u200aI am awed by people who can walk into a room by themselves and sit with a laptop or a legal pad or a pile of paper and will worlds into existence,&#8221; he said. &#8220;It is truly godlike, and it is, I know from my own experience, brutally painful.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>Many of those same screenplays and films have been &#8220;based on a true story,&#8221; and they first started out as news stories, longform magazine features, podcasts, or books. (&#8220;Argo,&#8221; for example, first began as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wired.com\/2007\/04\/cia-rescue-americans-from-tehran\/\">a story by Joshuah Bearman in Wired magazine<\/a>.) Leonard and Armstrong talk about how journalism and Hollywood can intersect&nbsp; \u2014 whether it&#8217;s reporters trying their hand at screenwriting, working with producers to adapt their stories for film and TV, or even becoming the main characters in films like &#8220;Spotlight,&#8221; about the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bostonglobe.com\/news\/special-reports\/2002\/01\/06\/church-allowed-abuse-priest-for-years\/cSHfGkTIrAT25qKGvBuDNM\/story.html\">Boston Globe&#8217;s investigation of abuse in the Catholic Church<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>The search for &#8220;IP,&#8221; or intellectual property, from true stories can also backfire. For example, former football star Michael Oher <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/08\/18\/magazine\/blind-side-michael-oher.html\">sued his former guardians and criticized his depiction in<\/a> and earnings from the Oscar-winning film &#8220;The Blind Side,&#8221; based on writer Michael Lewis&#8217;s 2006 book.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>Leonard is also a television and film producer, and he has worked in feature film development at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.universalpictures.com\/\">Universal Pictures<\/a> and several production companies. He\u2019s been a juror at the <a href=\"https:\/\/festival.sundance.org\/\">Sundance<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tiff.net\/\">Toronto<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mumbaifilmfestival.com\/\">Mumbai <\/a>Film Festivals, a contributing editor at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vanityfair.com\/?srsltid=AfmBOopErdihMrkU8_oOyzsneAYo_GJbqi1KD2vyTBaeBQZINl_Jb6V3\">Vanity Fair<\/a>, an advisor for the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.metmuseum.org\/press-releases\/advance-details-of-in-america-an-anthology-of-fashion-2022-news\">2022 Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute Exhibition &#8220;In America,&#8221;<\/a> and a member of the<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bafta.org\/\"> British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA)<\/a> and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.oscars.org\/\">Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences (AMPAS).<\/a>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>The excerpts below are edited for length and clarity.<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-heading   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">On the freedom (and pain) of being a writer:<\/h2>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-quote mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>\u200aI am awed by people who can walk into a room by themselves and sit with a laptop or a legal pad or a pile of paper and will worlds into existence. It is truly godlike, and it is, I know from my own experience, brutally painful. \u2026 I just think it&#8217;s really important that we acknowledge that. I don&#8217;t think we talk enough about that. We know how hard it is to be an athlete. We know how hard it is to be an actor because we see those things in front of our faces, but we don&#8217;t see what it takes to write something great. But that doesn&#8217;t mean that it&#8217;s any less remarkable.<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n\n\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>One of the advantages that writers have is that you don&#8217;t need anybody else to do your work. If you&#8217;re a writer and you need a job, you can lock yourself in a room and write a script and sell it. And I think the ability to do that is something that I think even some writers underappreciate. There&#8217;s always going to be a market for that because there&#8217;s a desperate need for good stories well-told that studios can then sell to an audience.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-heading   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">On The Black List\u2019s origin and accidental virality:<\/h2>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-quote mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>\u200aI felt like I was doing a bad job because I wasn&#8217;t finding a lot of [scripts]&nbsp; that I could walk into [my boss\u2019s] office and say, &#8220;Read this.&#8221; I knew that either I was bad at my job, which was finding good scripts, or the job itself was just reading and passing on mediocre-to-bad scripts. And either way it was something that I needed to solve. \u2026 I guess I kind of defaulted to this sort of strategic thinking that I picked up when I was a business analyst at McKinsey &amp; Company right out of college. I contacted 75 of my peers anonymously via email. I said, &#8220;Send me a list of your 10 favorite unproduced screenplays. In exchange I will share with you the combined list that everybody mentioned.&#8221; Copied and pasted those responses into a spreadsheet. Literally Microsoft Excel. Ran it through a pivot table, outputted it to PowerPoint, slapped a quasi-subversive name on it, and emailed it back out from my anonymous email address. I think it was Blacklist2005@hotmail or something. And it went viral in the industry almost immediately.<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-heading   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">&#8216;Based on a true story&#8217; and IP in Hollywood:<\/h2>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-quote mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>\u200aI think the &#8220;Based on a true story&#8221; thing is just a subset of the IP conversation, right? The reason why &#8220;Based on a true story&#8221; is compelling to Hollywood is the same reason why Marvel is compelling to Hollywood, or why people want to make the Hot Wheels movie. I know people will sort of clutch their pearls about that, but it&#8217;s the same dynamic.<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n\n\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>And the question is, how many people know this true story? That&#8217;s really how valuable the element is. \u2026 It&#8217;s potentially complicated. There are always rights issues, and is this part of the public domain? How are we going to treat the true-life subjects of this story, if they&#8217;re still alive or if they&#8217;re not alive? How are we going to handle their progeny? There are upsides, but there are also challenges.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n\n\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>\u200aThis will be my big confession time: narrative nonfiction is really my go-to as a reader personally. Ryszard Kapu\u015bci\u0144ski \u2026 I&#8217;ve read everything he&#8217;s written. Two of my favorite screenplays that were on The Black List [were] the Jackie Kennedy biopic script that became the movie [&#8220;Jackie&#8221;] with Natalie Portman by Noah Oppenheim, who was a journalist himself, \u200aand David Seidler&#8217;s \u201cThe King&#8217;s Speech.\u201d \u200aDavid Seidler got permission to write the story of \u201cThe King&#8217;s Speech,\u201d I believe, from the Queen Mother, but literally had to wait until she died before he was allowed to do anything with it.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-heading   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">On the intersections of journalism and storytelling:<\/h2>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-quote mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>\u200a[Director and writer Anthony Minghella said], <em>\u201c<\/em>On some level what you want to do with any story that&#8217;s based on a true thing or a novel is to deeply consume it and have reverence for it, and then you have to put it aside and retell the emotional story as accurately as you can<em>.<\/em>\u201d<em> <\/em>Those aren&#8217;t his exact words&nbsp; \u2014 that was what I took from it&nbsp; \u2014 but that rang really true to me. And oftentimes that&#8217;s hard for a journalist because you&#8217;ve been educated as journalists to report the facts. And that&#8217;s not the job of a screenwriter. That&#8217;s not the job of a television writer. The job of a film and television writer is to take the audience on an emotional journey.<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n\n\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>So reconciling those two things can be difficult. And to be clear, I do think that if you&#8217;re [writing] a movie or television show based on a true story, there are obligations. And there are no official rules on it, but I think that tension, the goal of journalism to tell the truth and the goal of film and television to tell an emotional truth, they&#8217;re often aligned, but they&#8217;re very often in conflict, and navigating those things can be a real challenge, especially if you come from one camp and want to transition to the other.<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-heading   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Leonard\u2019s advice to writers:<\/h2>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-quote mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>\u200aThe best advice I&#8217;ve ever heard for being a screenwriter is [from Scott Myers], and it&#8217;s six words: read scripts, watch movies, write pages. I&#8217;m always loath to be prescriptive about, \u201cWell, listen to this person or read this person or watch this.\u201d I think it&#8217;s just to read and watch a lot. The best writers I know are voracious readers, and they&#8217;re omnivorously voracious. They read high and low. They read deeply on many, many different subjects. And I think the same thing is true of filmmakers. The filmmakers that I love watch everything.<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-heading   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Watch List:<\/h2>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    <div class=\"\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-list mb-4 list max-w-screen-full mx-auto pl-5 \">\n            \n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=sRhTeaa_B98\">&#8220;Lazy Sunday&#8221;<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/XNcs9DrKYRU?si=aakoT6EookkmzI2I\">Lars and the Real Girl<\/a>\u201d (2007)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/NSXx3alPd44?si=vPbdu7r9nJK-KnNC\">Juno<\/a>\u201d (2007)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/j2jRs4EAvWM?si=a2bbHVGinuxBKFmF\">The Imitation Game<\/a>\u201d (2014)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/LSnFhU5T6Wk?si=A1n3Arivt9-Mnhcr\">Reel Pieces: \u201cThe Imitation Game&#8217;s\u201d Benedict Cumberbatch with Annette Insdorf<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/-s22_Mvikl8?si=v6Q4bHyEHE7ViRlW\">Hope Springs<\/a>\u201d (2003)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/corporate.mattel.com\/news\/mattel-films-and-warner-bros-pictures-announce-jj-abrams-bad-robot-will-produce-hot-wheels-live-action-motion-picture\">Hot Wheels<\/a>\u201d movie<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/bK6ldnjE3Y0?si=C-_XPJ13JPF9Nl72\">Oppenheimer<\/a>\u201d (2023)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/tvj-pV_6_10?si=9qJrzr0_ghGiAh2t\">92\/Y The Paris Review Interview Series: Ryszard Kapu\u015bci\u0144ski<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/search?q=jackie+kennedy+biopic&amp;sca_esv=881644282a8af5f4&amp;rlz=1C1SQJL_enUS918US918&amp;sxsrf=AE3TifOfLxDBA6vcTC-LVjS8HXO1KJ6gcg%3A1750117216709&amp;ei=YKtQaNSLK43mkPIP99XziQw&amp;ved=0ahUKEwjUu5HYjveNAxUNM0QIHffqPMEQ4dUDCBA&amp;uact=5&amp;oq=jackie+kennedy+biopic&amp;gs_lp=Egxnd3Mtd2l6LXNlcnAiFWphY2tpZSBrZW5uZWR5IGJpb3BpYzILEC4YgAQYkQIYigUyBhAAGBYYHjIGEAAYFhgeMgYQABgWGB4yBhAAGBYYHjIIEAAYFhgKGB4yBhAAGBYYHjIGEAAYFhgeMgYQABgWGB4yBhAAGBYYHjIpEC4YgAQYkQIYigUYlwUY3AQY3gQY4AQY9AMY8QMY9QMY9gMY9wPYAQFI0xFQlQRYqRBwAngBkAEAmAF4oAG7BaoBAzQuM7gBA8gBAPgBAZgCCaAC-wXCAgoQABiwAxjWBBhHwgIEECMYJ8ICCBAAGIAEGKIEwgIFEAAY7wXCAgcQABipBhgewgILEAAYgAQYkQIYigXCAgUQLhiABMICCxAAGIAEGIYDGIoFwgIpEC4YgAQYkQIYigUYlwUY3AQY3gQY4AQY9AMY8QMY9QMY9gMY9wPYAQGYAwCIBgGQBgi6BgYIARABGBSSBwM1LjSgB8xLsgcDMy40uAfqBcIHBTItNy4yyAc4&amp;sclient=gws-wiz-serp#fpstate=ive&amp;vld=cid:de631bf2,vid:g9pW3B8Ycc4,st:0\">Jackie<\/a>\u201d (2016)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/gSw6ei5tdbg?si=ZF6dMKa4neOsFzlC\">The King\u2019s Speech<\/a>\u201d (2010)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/XHk5kCIiGoM?si=Zw4kEcmiuXQ0fUGx\">Star Wars\u201d<\/a> (1977)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/0X94oZgJis4?si=k4On931yJ5qgrR-R\">Gone with the Wind<\/a>\u201d (1939)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/KBzbyIPWVT4?si=O45X6iAEOykJM6Qy\">The Ten Commandments<\/a>\u201d (1956)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/bKGxHflevuk?si=s2pHnH9F2Dlo_tlH\">Sinners<\/a>\u201d (2025)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/p2HUQFu0TtE?si=B1T7aTCOIq33Iljr\">The English Patient<\/a>\u201d (1996)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/ej3ioOneTy8?si=6FazkOZrjcbDJJn7\">The Martian<\/a>\u201d (2015)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/kJdNBEHTGPg?si=aOJfhnIt6gQGEwIt\">The Fast and The Furious\u201d<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-heading   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Reading List: Authors, Books, Stories, and Filmmakers Mentioned&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    <div class=\"\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-list mb-4 list max-w-screen-full mx-auto pl-5 \">\n            \n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/blcklst.com\/\">The Black List<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/2025\/04\/17\/nieman-storyboard-guide-to-books-on-storytelling\/\">The Nieman Storyboard Guide to Books on Storytelling<\/a> (Mallary Tenore Tarpley, 2025)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/local\/great-reads\/la-et-c1-franklin-leonard-black-list-20141215-story.html\">Franklin Leonard\u2019s Black List can help green-light screenplays<\/a> (Josh Rottenberg, Los Angeles Times, 2014)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/tetw.org\/Great_Articles_that_Became_Films\">\u201c40 Classic Articles That Became Films\u201d<\/a> (The Electric Typewriter)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/thegotham.org\/press\/franklin-leonard-and-the-black-list-to-receive-2024-gotham-awards-anniversary-tribute-in-honor-of-platforms-20th-year\/\">Franklin Leonard and The Black List to Receive 2024 Gotham Awards Anniversary Tribute in Honor of Platform\u2019s 20th Year <\/a>(The Gotham, 2024)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hbs.edu\/faculty\/Pages\/item.aspx?num=51874\">The Black List<\/a> case study (Henry McGee, Harvard Business School, 2016 &amp; revised 2017)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mrgrahammoore.com\/\">Graham Moore<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/magazine\/story\/2016\/07\/hollywood-young-hillary-rodham-clinton-biopic-movie-film-young-il-kim-screenplay-script-screenwriter-214028\/\">Writing \u201cRodham<\/a>\u201d (Young Il Kim, Politico Magazine, 2016)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/name\/nm3363032\/\">Ryan Coogler<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/name\/nm0594503\/\">Hayao Miyazaki<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/bookshop.org\/p\/books\/the-english-patient-michael-ondaatje\/6703086\">The English Patient<\/a>\u201d (Michael Ondaatje)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sellingyourscreenplay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/screenplay\/scripts\/The-English-Patient.pdf\">The English Patient\u201d screenplay<\/a> (Anthony Minghella)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/08\/18\/magazine\/blind-side-michael-oher.html\">\u201c\u2018The Blind Side\u2019 Made Him Famous. But He Has a Different Story to Tell\u201d<\/a> (Michael Sokolove, New York Times Magazine, 2024)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.anonymouscontent.com\/6316\/howie-sanders-and-kassie-evashevski-join-anonymous-content-establish-literary-rights-division\/\">Howie Sanders<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/name\/nm0000996\/\">LeVar Burton<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/wmebookdepartment.com\/eric-simonoff\">Eric Simonoff\u00a0<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tananarivedue.com\/\">Tananarive Due<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/name\/nm1334526\/\">Simon Kinberg<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/bookshop.org\/p\/books\/the-martian-andy-weir\/228860\">The Martian\u201d<\/a> (Andy Weir)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/assets.scriptslug.com\/live\/pdf\/scripts\/the-martian-2015.pdf\">The Martian\u201d screenplay<\/a> (Drew Goddard)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/bookshop.org\/p\/books\/aristotle-s-poetics-aristotle\/9453791\">Aristotle\u2019s \u201cPoetics<\/a>\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/bookshop.org\/p\/books\/the-protagonist-s-journey-an-introduction-to-character-driven-screenwriting-and-storytelling-scott-myers\/17110305\">\u201cThe Protagonist\u2019s Journey\u201d<\/a> (Scott Myers)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/name\/nm0345174\/\">Luca Guadagnino<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/name\/nm0634240\/\">Christopher Nolan<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-heading   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Show Credits<\/h2>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-image mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.buzzsprout.com\/2449998\/episodes\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/app\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Nieman-Storyboard-Podcast_Square-Logo-Sharp-A-1024x1024.png\" alt=\"Nieman Storyboard podcast\" class=\"wp-image-15145\" style=\"width:338px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/app\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Nieman-Storyboard-Podcast_Square-Logo-Sharp-A-1024x1024.png 1024w, https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/app\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Nieman-Storyboard-Podcast_Square-Logo-Sharp-A-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/app\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Nieman-Storyboard-Podcast_Square-Logo-Sharp-A-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/app\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Nieman-Storyboard-Podcast_Square-Logo-Sharp-A-768x768.png 768w, https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/app\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Nieman-Storyboard-Podcast_Square-Logo-Sharp-A-1536x1536.png 1536w, https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/app\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Nieman-Storyboard-Podcast_Square-Logo-Sharp-A-2048x2048.png 2048w, https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/app\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Nieman-Storyboard-Podcast_Square-Logo-Sharp-A-40x40.png 40w, https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/app\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Nieman-Storyboard-Podcast_Square-Logo-Sharp-A-600x600.png 600w, https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/app\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Nieman-Storyboard-Podcast_Square-Logo-Sharp-A-100x100.png 100w, https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/app\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Nieman-Storyboard-Podcast_Square-Logo-Sharp-A-200x200.png 200w, https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/app\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Nieman-Storyboard-Podcast_Square-Logo-Sharp-A-180x180.png 180w, https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/app\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Nieman-Storyboard-Podcast_Square-Logo-Sharp-A-360x360.png 360w, https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/app\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Nieman-Storyboard-Podcast_Square-Logo-Sharp-A-115x115.png 115w, https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/app\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Nieman-Storyboard-Podcast_Square-Logo-Sharp-A-230x230.png 230w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>Hosted and produced by Mark Armstrong<br>Associate producer: Marina Leigh<br>Episode editor: Kelly Araja<br>Audience editor: Adriana Lacy<br>Promotional support: Ellen Tuttle<br>Operational support: Paul Plutnicki, Peter Canova<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>Nieman Foundation curator: Ann Marie Lipinski<br>Deputy curator: Henry Chu<br>Music: \u201cGolden Grass,\u201d by Blue Dot Sessions (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sessions.blue\/\">www.sessions.blue<\/a>)<br>Cover design by Adriana Lacy<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>Nieman Storyboard is presented by the <a href=\"https:\/\/nieman.harvard.edu\/\">Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">***<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<div class=\"block block-subscribe full-width\">\n            <h2 class=\"subscribe-title\">Subscribe to Storyboard<\/h2>\n        \n            <div class=\"subscribe-content\">\n            <p>Get insights into the craft of journalism and storytelling in your inbox, delivered on Fridays.<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    \n                <div class=\"subscribe-embed\">\n                            <div class=\"mt-5\">\n                 <div translate=\"no\" class='mailmunch-forms-widget-1154494'><\/div>\n\n                <\/div>\n               \n                    <\/div>\n    \n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The producer and founder reflects on 20 years of celebrating and supporting screenwriters, and how true stories become entertainment<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":15651,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[443,7],"tags":[429,462,425,453,463],"topics":[],"authors":[442],"issue":[],"class_list":["post-15650","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-podcast","category-5-questions","tag-books","tag-filmmaking","tag-podcasts","tag-screenwriting","tag-television","authors-marina-leigh"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>The Black List&#039;s Franklin Leonard on the power of &#039;Based on a true story&#039; in Hollywood - Nieman Storyboard<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The producer and founder reflects on 20 years of celebrating and supporting screenwriters, and how true stories 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class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/niemanstoryboard.org\\\/2025\\\/06\\\/19\\\/the-black-list-franklin-leonard-based-on-true-story-hollywood\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/niemanstoryboard.org\\\/2025\\\/06\\\/19\\\/the-black-list-franklin-leonard-based-on-true-story-hollywood\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Mark Armstrong\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/niemanstoryboard.org\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/dbd266fce594ab446e7429e65afc4ee1\"},\"headline\":\"The Black List&#8217;s Franklin Leonard on the power of &#8216;Based on a true story&#8217; in 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