10 Best Films Made From Black List Screenplays

Writer-director Damien Chazelle first got the idea for his sophomore film Whiplash while trying to get what would become his third film La La Land off the ground, later admitting he penned Whiplash’s script in frustration at not being able to find a studio willing to finance his musical so decided to write something on a smaller scale.

Drawing on his own experience as a drummer in what he’s described as a “very competitive” high school jazz band led by a tyrannical teacher not too unlike J. K. Simmons’ character in the movie, Chazelle penned Whiplash’s script in 2012 after which it attracted the attention of Right of Way Films and Blumhouse Productions who helped Chazelle turn around 15 pages of his script into a short film.

After a successful premiere at Sundance, Bold Films stumped up enough cash to turn the short into a feature length film and thus Whiplash – which went on to be nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay at the 2015 Academy Awards – was born.