The Black List Podcast

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