The Black List is about to get a lot more scientific.
The annual list of the best unproduced screenplays has become an industry staple, helping to garner attention for the likes of "The Wrestler," "Juno," and "Slumdog Millionaire," not to mention a whole slew of this year's awards contenders such as "The Ides of March" and "The Descendants."
But Black List aficionados won't have to wait as long to find out what scripts deserve the greenlight.
Instead of a single list every calendar year, the rankings will be updated in real-time, providing a rundown of Hollywood’s most liked scripts at any given moment. This week Black List founder Franklin Leonard and co-founder and Chief Technology Officer Dino Sijamic announced the launch of an online members’ community that will make algorithmic screenplay recommendations based on individual users tastes.
The principle is similar to the popular recommendations feature on sites such as Netflix and Pandora.
“It’s a natural extension of the work we were already doing with the annual list, celebrating great writing and drawing Hollywood’s attention to it and those capable of it," Leonard said in a statement. "Hopefully the benefits that the list has brought screenwriters at the end of each year can continue similarly year round.”
Not everyone can get in on the voting, however.
Membership in this newest venture will be a closed community of active Hollywood moviemakers but far larger than the number of eligible voters for the annual Black List, which stands around 500.
