Final Draft Blog

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Read interviews with the pros, catch up with industry news, and listen to Write On: A Screenwriting Podcast by Final Draft.

Rising Through the Ranks: Jake Lawler on falling in love with the leap

June 27, 2022

Jake Lawler brings all the focus and determination from his history as a professional athlete to his current career in the writers’ room. “I wish 10yr old me could see how good it gets, but I know I’m making him proud,” Lawler tweeted after landing i...

Phantom of the Open:' Simon Farnaby shares his adaptation process with screenwriters

June 23, 2022

“This story means a lot to me,” director and writer Simon Farnaby tells Final Draft about his latest movie, Phantom of the Open, which is the true-life story of shipyard worker Maurice Flitcroft (played by Mark Rylance) who dared to dream and somehow...

Minx' showrunner Ellen Rapoport gives us lessons in boldness

June 21, 2022

If you have yet to watch Minx, you are in for a treat. The two-hander featuring a pair of mismatched lovers of freedom who start a female-driven porn mag with a feminist message is definitely one of the most fun comedies of the year. The show tells t...

‘Shining Girls’ creator on adapting her favorite novel for Apple TV+

June 21, 2022

There are a lot of serial-killer shows on television but Shining Girls is unique. The film is based on Lauren Beukes's novel and is not afraid to dive into the aftermath of trauma. The show is helmed by Silka Luisa (Halo). The piece embraces the chan...

Write On with 'We Are Lady Parts' Creator Nida Manzoor

June 21, 2022

Created, written, and directed by Nida Manzoor, We Are Lady Parts follows a British punk rock band consisting entirely of Muslim women as they strive for musical success.

Writer-Director Mali Elfman on her Tribeca debut 'Next Exit'

June 21, 2022

Next Exit is a sci-fi dramedy that debuted at 2022’s Tribeca Film Festival and follows the “what next” of characters Rose and Teddy, two strangers who end up sharing a rental car to drive across the country to meet with Dr. Stevenson for their rendez...

The creators of 'Fairfax' on clout culture and season 2

June 17, 2022

Celebrating the start of its second season, Final Draft sat down with Matt Hausfater, Aaron Buchsbaum and Teddy Riley, creators of the animated show Fairfax, a critically claimed “irreverent” comedy following the day-to-day life of thirteen-year-old ...

Good Luck to You, Leo Grande' is a masterclass for screenwriters on collaborating

June 17, 2022

Good Luck to You, Leo Grande might be one of the best movies to sprout from early pandemic shooting times, and it has nothing to do with the pandemic. It’s a one-location look at intimacy and how we allow ourselves to give into it, or barely give it ...

Only Murders in the Building' showrunner gives season 2 the 'Who dunnit' treatment

June 16, 2022

When we last left Hulu’s hit comedy Murders in the Building, viewers watched their beloved investigators Charles (Steve Martin), Mabel (Selena Gomez), and Oliver (Martin Short) become murder suspects themselves. Showrunner and co-creator John Hoffman...