The Black List 2015 has chosen projects about war hero presidents and Hollywood primates as the best unmade screenplays of the year.
Among the top scripts announced Monday were “Bubbles,” about a baby chimp adopted by Michael Jackson and “Mayday 109,” about JFK’s battle on a downed patrol torpedo boat in WWII.
The Jackson chimp drama is billed as a first-person narration from Bubbles’ own point of view, detailing “his life within the King of Pop’s inner circle through the scandals that later rocked Jackson’s life and eventually led to Bubbles’ release.”
“Mayday,” by Samuel V. Franco and Evan Kilgore, is described as “a young John F. Kennedy struggles to save the crew of his PT Boat after it is sunk by a Japanese warship during World War II.”
“I Believe in America,” by Terry Clyne, sells itself as a “behind-the-scenes look at the making of ‘The Godfather’, revealing that the creative forces behind one of the finest American films ever made were all as cunning and ruthless as the mobsters portrayed in Mario Puzo’s bestseller.”
The list is compiled from the suggestions of over 250 film executives, the organization said, “each of whom contributed the names of up to ten of his or her favorite scripts that were written in, or are somehow uniquely associated with, 2015.”
Titles had to be mentioned at least six times to rate. Read top 25 Black List films, in order of votes received:
“Bubbles,” by Isaac Adamson Votes: 44 Logline: “A baby chimp is adopted by the Pop star Michael Jackson. Narrating his own story, Bubbles the Chimp details his life within The King of Pop’s inner circle through the scandals that later rocked Jackson’s life and eventually led to Bubbles’ release.”
“Stronger” by John Pollono Votes: 40 Logline: “The true story of Jeff Bauman, who after losing his legs in the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, was an integral part of helping police to locate the suspects.”
“Rocket* by Jeffrey Gelber and Ryan Belenzon Votes: 37 Logline: “Roger “The Rocket” Clemens, one of the greatest pitchers of all time, has 4672 strikeouts, 354 wins and a record 7 Cy Young awards. This is the story of why he is not in the Hall of Fame.”
“The Libertine” by Ben Kopit Votes: 37 Logline: “After the Head of the French National Assembly is placed under house arrest for accusations of sexual assault, he must live in a guarded apartment with his estranged wife until the case comes to a close.”
“Crater” by John J. Griffin Votes: 34 Logline: “On the moon, five teens take an unauthorized and adventure-filled road trip, just before one of them is to be sent away on a seventy-five year journey to another planet, leaving behind his best friends.”
“Miss Slone” by Jonathan “Jonny” Perera, Votes: 31 Logline: “A powerful lobbyist sacrifices her career on Capitol Hill so she can push through an amendment enforcing stricter federal laws regulating guns.”
“True Fan,” by John Whittington Votes: 28 Logline: “After interfering with a foul ball during a Chicago Cubs playoff game, Steve Bartman was tortured and stalked by die hard Cub fans for potentially costing them their first National League pennant since 1945. Years later, in a new town with a new identity–but depressed, overweight and working a dead end job–Steve meets a woman who gives him a new lease on life and reason to live.”
“Pale Blue Dot” by Brian C Brown and Elliot DiGuisseppi Votes: 26 Logline: “Twelve months after returning from a space mission, decorated astronaut Laura Pepper is arrested for the attempted murder of a fellow astronaut.”
“Reagan” by Mike Rosolio Votes: 25 Logline: “When Ronald Reagan falls into dementia at the start of his second term, an ambitious intern is tasked with convincing the commander in chief that he is an actor playing the president in a movie.”
“Bump” by Ori Guendelman and Rob McClelland “ Votes: 21 Longline: “After an accidental hit and run, a young lawyer’s entire life unravels over the span of one night as he attempts to dispose of a corpse that turns out to be much more than an innocent victim.”
“Eli” by David Chirchirillo Votes: 21 Logline: “Having moved into a “”clean house”” to treat his auto-immune disorder, eleven year old Eli begins to believe that the house is haunted. Unable to leave, he soon realizes that the house, and the doctor who runs it, are more sinister than they appear.”
“Septillion to One” by Adam Perlman and Graham Sack Vote: 20 Logline: “While a former FBI agent is working in the fraud unit of the Texas State Lottery investigating a woman who has mysteriously hit the lottery jackpot three times, he falls in love.”
“White Boy Rick” by Logan and Noah Miller Votes; 20 Logline: “True story of Richard Wershe Jr., the only successful white boy gangster/drug kingpin in an African American dominated 1980’s Detroit ghetto.”
“Boomtown” by Matt King Vote: 18 Logline: “A slick corporate investigator with a closely guarded secret discovers a sinister criminal conspiracy in North Dakota oil boom country.”
“Dreamland” by Nicolaas Zwart Votes: 18, Logline: “With his family’s farm on the precipice of foreclosure, fifteen year old Eugene Evans is determined to capture a fugitive bank robber and collect the bounty on her head. Against all odds, he beats out the FBI and the local police to capture her, only to discover that all may not be what it seems. “
“The Fisherman” by Will Dunn Votes: 18 Logline: “A fisherman sails out of Martha’s Vineyard in search of the shark that killed his fellow sailors while they were stranded in the water for four days after their ship was attacked by a Japanese submarine.”
“The Water Man”by Emma Needell Votes: 18 Logline: “A young boy tries to save his mother from terminal cancer by seeking out the town’s bogeyman, The Water Man, who is fabled to have conquered death.”
“All the Money in the World” Votes: 17 Logline: “The story of Getty kidnapping crisis encompassing the Red Brigades, the Italian tabloids and the Vatican.”
“Boy” by Mattson Tomlin Votes: 17 Logline: “A teenage boy is born with special abilities and spends his childhood switching names and cities so as to keep his identity hidden. When he loses control and accidentally kills his father, he and his mother have to go on the run.”
“The Shave” by Thomas White and Miles Hubley Votes: 17 Logline: “A dirty cop, exonerated in the murder of a high school honor student, visits the boy’s father at his barbershop, and while receiving a straight razor shave, listens to him recount the story of his son’s life.”
“Do No Harm,” by Julia Cox Votes: 16 Logline: “An ambitious surgeon’s life takes a dangerous turn when she indulges in an affair with a doctor whose god complex challenges her own.”
“Hammerspace” by Mike Van Waes Votes: 16 Logline: “A terminally-ill teenager looking for answers about his missing father finds a key that unlocks an opening to an alternate animated dimension and a new friend who helps him repair his broken family.”
“The Wretched Emily Derringer” by Chris Thomas Devlin Votes: 16 Logline: “Gleefully terrifying her small town as a serial killer known as ‘The Misfit Butcher,’ 13-year-old Emily Derringer becomes annoyed when a new killer comes to town and residents begin attributing his sloppy murders to the Misfit Butcher. In a macabre coming of age story, Emily must deal with her competition while also taking on the other trials and tribulations of junior high school life.”
“Pandemonium, Splendidly Managed” by Brett Conrad Votes: 15 Logline: “A local Phoenix newscaster at the pinnacle of local celebrity slowly descends into the depths of madness as he sees his world around him start to crumble piece by piece all while trying to become a game show host in Los Angeles.”
“The Virginian” by Michael Russell Gunn Votes: 15 Logline: “Based on the novel by Owen Wister, a young, down-and-out George Washington, desperate to join the British Army, accepts a dangerous mission to conquer a French fort and save the American colonies. “
Oscars 2016 Contenders Party Report: Premieres, Parties, and People (Updating Photos)
At Robert Evans' Woodland Estate in Beverly Hills, documentarians huddled to celebrate Brett Morgen and "Montage of Heck" on Thursday, November 5. The intimate crowd of 25 was dense with doc A-listers: Lauren Greenfield ("Queen of Versailles"), Morgen, Amy Berg (upcoming Janis Joplin doc "Janis") and Liz Garbus ("Nina Simone").
Grey Photography
Amidst framed pictures with Evans pals like Michael Jackson, Jack Nicholson, Brett Ratner, and fellow Paramount studio chiefs like Sumner Redstone and Brad Grey, Morgen surveyed the crowd. "It's nice to see so many other documentarians here...campaigning for their own films," he deadpanned. Kirby Dick and Abigail Disney were also on scene.
Grey Photography
Sam Mendes and Harrison Ford stare each other down at the Britannia Awards on October 30. Mendes was honored with the John Schlesinger Britannia Award for Excellence in Directing presented by The GREAT Britain Campaign and Ford was honored with the Albert R. Broccoli trophy “for worldwide contribution to entertainment.”
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Meryl Street was going right to the top at the Britannia Awards: British Consul General Chris O’Connor. When accepting her award, Streep thanked the British government for giving her several work permits.
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Mark Ruffalo points out the real Michael Rezendes at the Boston premiere of "Spotlight" on Wednesday, October 28. Ruffalo plays the Boston Globe investigative reporter in the buzzy pic out November 6.
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Director Tom McCarthy and Open Road CEO and President Tom Ortenberg made the trip to Boston, after the film's NYC premiere earlier in the week.
Paul Marotta/Getty Images for Warner Brothers
Boston royalty John Henry (Owner, Boston Globe, Boston Red Sox, and more) with wife Linda Pizzuti.
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Earlier, Ruffalo hosted GQ Publisher Howard Mittman's Gentleman's Fund event in NYC.
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Abigail Disney's "Armor of Light," an engaging documentary of Capitol Hill Tea Partiers' far-right evangelical Reverend Rob Schenck's inability to reconcile being "pro-life" and "pro-gun," to the chagrin of his passionate base, had its L.A. premiere at the DGA on Wednesday, October 13. (His constituency thinks the "NRA is a liberal organization," Schenck (far right) said.) Diane Warren (bottom right, with Disney) got an early look before the film opens on October 30.
Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic
The "Truth" comes out....for its Academy screening. Star Cate Blanchett headlined the L.A. reveal of the film on Monday night, October 5. The James Vanderbilt-directed drama with Robert Redford and Elisabeth Moss is a contender tackling Dan Rather's censured report on President George W. Bush's military service. Sony Pictures Classics releases it in NYC and LA on October 16.
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The producers' billing block on the film includes Brett Ratner, Andrew Spaulding, and Doug Mankoff ("Nebraska"). The reception in the lobby featured regular SPC partners Ketel One and STK Out.
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The guestlist for Davis Guggenheim's "He Named Me Malala" L.A. premiere? 7,000 high school aged L.A. girls, who filled the Microsoft Theatre on Tuesday morning September 29 at the event hosted by Megan Chernin's L.A. Fund. Peter Chernin, host Megan Chernin, J.J. Abrams, Katie McGrath, and Gracie Abrams helped kick off the "Girls Build L.A. Challenge" at the event, leading in to October's "Girls Empowerment" month.
John Salangsang (3); Instagram/MTouceda (bottom right)
Later on the same day, Fox Searchlight brought "He Named Me Malala" to a LACMA screening with Film Independent, where the Oscar winning Guggenheim sat down with Elvis Mitchell.
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David Nevins and Brian Grazer (left, center) hosted a private advance screening of Amy Berg's doc "Prophets Prey" at the UTA Theater on the night after the Emmys. Previous Oscar nominee Berg's film, an investigation into Warren Jeffs and the cult of the FLDS, goes in to theaters on Sep. 25 for an Oscar qualifying run.
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"Showtime" family Dax Shepard and Kristen Bell came to the screening. Amy Berg introduces the Showtime Documentary Films production which will come to the cabler on October 10. Bottom right, Exec Producer Brian Grazer
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Oscar contenders were pouring out at the 2015 Toronto Film Festival.
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No party for "Black Mass" at TIFF, but Johnny Depp looked intimidating and Amber Heard looked ready for festivities arriving at Monday's premiere in Toronto. With the film opening this Friday, in a non-festival week, it would have likely premiered south of the border on the same night.
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"Spotlight" star Michael Keaton with Anonymous Content's Steve Golin at the two-floor sprawling Soho House party for the ripped from the headlines film getting awards buzz. Vulture called it "The Best Picture Front-Runner".
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Ray Donovan has a word for his "Spotlight" director Tom McCarthy at the Grey Goose hosted after party.
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Anonymous Content main man Michael Sugar and wife Lauren Sugar at the "Spotlight" party. Sugar is a producer on "Spotlight".
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"Juno" pals Jason Reitman and J.K. Simmons reconnected at Simmons' post-premiere party for "The Meddler" at Soho House on Monday, September 14.
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Making mom proud: "The Meddler" director Lorene Scafaria gets the ultimate hug-of-approval.
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Ratner and Rather: The director and the news legend connected at the "Truth" party at Patria.
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Catherine Hardwicke took off her "Miss You Already" baseball hat she had been wearing for Women In Film and Tiffany's panel on Monday, Sep 14. "The Duff" Producer Susan Cartsonis and "Grey Gardens" writer and now "Into the Forest" director Patricia Rozema participated.
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Olivia Wilde won the inaugural IMDB "Starmeter" award at TIFF 2013. On Monday night, "Room" director Lenny Abrahamson presented it to his lead, Brie Larson.
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Lots of buzz around "Our Brand is Crisis". Participant CEO Jeff Skoll and producer George Clooney at Participant's party.
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"Selma" director Ava DuVernay and Participant EVP Jonathan King at Participant's bash.
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Nicholas Hoult rocked a "deliriously funny" turn in "Kill Your Friends," as an A&R man in navigating the Brit-Pop explosion of 1997.
One Shot George
"Twenty Feet from Stardom" Oscar winner Morgan Neville (right) is back with another music doc: "Keith Richards: Under the Influence". They celebrated at TIFF at Nikki Beach's popup at the Spoke Club.
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The party you wanted to be at on Saturday night: HFPA and InStyle at the Windsor Arms. Zoe Kazan, Paul Dano, and Susan Sarandon at the cross-industry party.
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Carmen Ejogo with "The Danish Girl" lead and reigning Best Actor.
George Pimentel/Getty Images for HFPA
Learn this name: Jacob Tremblay. He stars with Brie Larson in "The Room". One awards commentator called him a "lead pipe cinche" for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nom.
Two rhyming directors in the awards mix: Tom Hooper ("The Danish Girl") and Scott Cooper ("Black Mass").
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The Oscar winning Hooper with his Oscar nominated "The Kings Speech" actor Geoffrey Rush.
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Matt Damon met Torontonians before "The Martian" premiere on Friday night, September 11. Multiple awards commentators said the same thing -- his campaign is "blasting off."
"The Martian" co-star Chiwetel Ejiofor (an Oscar nominee two seasons ago) gives Wireimage founder Jeff Vespa an "Is that so?" at the Guess Portrait Studio on Sept. 11.
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WME co-CEO Patrick Whitesell with Jake Gyllenhaal inside Soho House after the "Demolition" premiere on TIFF's opening night. Highly praised, "Demolition" will be looking at Oscars 2017, as it does not arrive in theaters until April 2016.
Stephanie Keenan/Getty Images for Grey Goose
Elizabeth Olsen goes "Jaws" on co-star Tom Hiddleston's cake at the Addison on Sept. 11 while celebrating "I Saw the Light," the Hank Williams biopic.
Todd Williamson/Getty Images for Sony Pictures Classics
Meanwhile, Sony Pictures Classics Co-President Tom Bernard was equally loose at the "I Saw the Light" party.
Todd Williamson/Getty Images for Sony Pictures Classics
Cannes hit "Sicario" touched down on Sept. 11 on the west side of the Atlantic. Oscar winner Benicio del Toro leads the cast, which includes Emily Blunt and Josh Brolin. The after party at Soho House was part of Grey Goose's series of high-profile bashes.
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More in Emmys territory than Oscars, the Property Brothers Jonathan and Drew Scott (as well as off-screen bro J.D., left), hosted TIFF honcho Cameron Bailey at the Producers Ball on Friday night of opening weekend.
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Jonathan and Drew Scott taste-test the Level Over and Samsung VR as Oscar contenders filtered through the Samsung space for interviews by Fandango's Dave Karger.
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Christopher Simon acts like he just married Catherine Hardwicke, whose "Miss You Already" hit the fest.
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The scene inside the Guess Portrait Studio on opening weekend.
Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for Guess
Naomi Watts and Elle Fanning prepare to take a selfie the morning after Fox Searchlight's "Demolition" opening night festivities.
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Fox Searchlight's David Greenbaum with Heather Lind, who plays Julia in "Demolition."
Stephanie Keenan/Getty Images for Grey Goose
Chris Cooper also partied at Soho on Thursday night.
Stephanie Keenan/Getty Images for Grey Goose
Jason Reitman grips director Jean-Marc Vallee, who previously wowed TIFF with "Dallas Buyers Club" two seasons ago. Reitman is an executive producer on "Demolition."
Stephanie Keenan/Getty Images for Grey Goose
Gyllenhaal has a first-look deal with Bold Films (President Gary Michael Walters is center). Denis Villeneuve also made the Soho House after party hosted by Grey Goose.
Stephanie Keenan/Getty Images for Grey Goose
Vallee with screenwriter Bryan Sipe. Sipe's script appeared on the Blacklist, the collection of hot unproduced film lit.
Stephanie Keenan/Getty Images for Grey Goose
Grey Goose's global face Joe McCanta (the chemist behind the awards season cocktails) chats with Monica Bacardi at Soho House.
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Oscar winner Jean Dujardin popped in to Fandango and Samsung Galaxy's Studio on Friday.
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At the Venice Film Festival, Sunrise and Mark Ruffalo celebrated "Spotlight." Moet & Chandon and Chopard threw a bash at PalazzinaG.
Marilynne Mungovan
Dujardin's former co-star in "The Artist," Berenice Bejo, toasted "The Childhood of a Leader" at the Venice Film Festival, with Elizabeth Banks, Odessa Young, and more at the PalazzinaG.
Marilynne Mungovan
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Top pics from inside the bashes as fall festivals and premieres bring out awards contenders, pretenders and hopefuls for the Oscars on February 28, 2016
At Robert Evans' Woodland Estate in Beverly Hills, documentarians huddled to celebrate Brett Morgen and "Montage of Heck" on Thursday, November 5. The intimate crowd of 25 was dense with doc A-listers: Lauren Greenfield ("Queen of Versailles"), Morgen, Amy Berg (upcoming Janis Joplin doc "Janis") and Liz Garbus ("Nina Simone").