The end of the year holiday season brings one special time for movie fans – Awards Season. It’s that time of year when critics groups, the various craft guilds and finally the Motion Picture Academy of Arts and Sciences all begin the process of nominating and voting on the best films of the last twelve months. (And as a newly mined member of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, I voted in my first critics group poll, the results of which you can see here.)
As the studios begin their For Your Consideration campaigns, hoping to get the voting members of the various award-granting groups to vote for their films, they begin making available the screenplays for the movies that they feel deserve some consideration for writing awards. Often this means, making them publicly available online as part of their FYC push. So if you are someone who likes to read screenplays and not necessarily someone who is part of any prize-giving organization, this time is a great time to get access to the scripts of some of the best films of the past year.
As we try to do every year, here is a round-up of what is available out there online right now. (And we will update as more become available.) All the scripts are in .pdf format and will probably only be available through the awards season, so click and save if you’re interested in having a copy to read later on down the road.
Amazon Studios
All The Old Knives – March 22, 2021 Unspecified Draft Screenplay by Olen Steinhauer, Based On The Book By Olen Steinhauer
Argentina, 1985 – Undated Draft Screenplay by Santiago Mitre and Mariano Llinás
Catherine Called Birdy – Undated Draft, Screenplay by Lena Dunham, Based On The Book By Karen Cushman
Emergency – April 9, 2021 Blue Draft, Screenplay by K.D. Davila
Good Night Oppy – Undated Draft Screenplay By Ryan White and Helen Kearns
Master – February 26, 2021 Revised 2nd Yellow Draft Screenplay By Mariama Diallo
My Policeman – Undated Draft Screenplay By Ron Nyswaner, Based On The Book By Bethan Roberts
Nanny – September 6, 2022 Unspecified Draft, Screenplay by Nikyatu Jusu
Thirteen Lives – Undated Draft Screenplay by William Nicholson, Story By Don Macpherson And William Nicholson
Focus Features
The Northman – Undated Draft Written By Sjon & Robert Eggers
Tar – Undated Draft Screenplayt by Todd Field
MGM
Bones And All – July 23, 2021 Shooting Script, Screenplay By David Kajganich, Based On The Novel By Camille DeAngelis
Netflix
The Good Nurse – Undated Draft Screenplay By Krysty Wilson-Cairns, Based On The Book By Charles Graeber
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio – Undated Draft Written By Guillermo del Toro and Patrick Hale, Based on Pinocchio by C. Collodi
Lady Chatterley’s Lover – Undated Draft Screenplay By David Magee, Based On The Novel By D. H. Lawrence
White Noise – Undated Draft Screenplay By Noah Baumbach, From The Novel By Don DeLillo
Searchlight Pictures
The Banshees of Inisherin – June 29th, 2021 Unspecified Draft Screenplay by Martin McDonagh
Empire Of Light – April 8, 2022 Shooting Draft Screenplay By Sam Mendes
The Menu – October 29, 2021 Revised Draft Screenplay By Seth Reiss & Will Tracy
Sony Classics
Living – Undated Draft Screenplay By Kazuo Ishiguro, Based On The Original Screenplay Ikiru By Akira Kurosawa, Shinobu Hashimoto And Hideo Oguni
The Son – Undated Draft Screenplay By Florian Zeller and Christopher Hampton
20th Century Studios
Amsterdam – Undated Draft by David O. Russell
United Artists
Three Thousand Years of Longing – Undated Draft Screenplay By George Miller & Augusta Gore
Till – August 29, 2021 Revised Draft Screenplay By Michael Reilly & Keith Beauchamp and Chinonye Chukwu
The Woman King – Undated Draft by Dana Stevens Story by Maria Bello & Dana Stevens
Universal Pictures
The Fabelmans – Undated Draft Screenplay By Steven Spielberg & Tony Kushner
She Said – Undated Draft Screenplay By Rebecca Lenkiewicz, Based On The New York Times Investigation By Jodi Kantor, Megan Twohey And Rebecca Corbett And The Book She Said By Jodi Kantor And Megan Twohey
Women Talking – August 16, 2021 Revised Draft Screenplay By Sarah Polley, Based On The Book By Miriam Toews
Warner Brothers
The Batman – Feb 9, 2020 Shooting Draft Screenplay by Matt Reeves & Peter Craig, Previous Revisions Matt Reeves, Matt Reeves & Mattson Tomlin
