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Disney is setting sail with Moana once again, this time in vibrant live action. The studio has teamed with Dwayne Johnson to develop a live-action remake of its 2016 animated musical sensation.

Johnson plans to return to the role of Maui, the grandiose demigod of the wind and sea. He will produce via his Seven Bucks Productions along with Dany Garcia and Hiram Garcia. Beau Flynn produces via Flynn Picture Co. Jared Bush, who wrote the screenplay for the original movie, is back to write the remake, along with Dana Ledoux Miller. No director is involved at this stage of development.

Disney CEO Bob Iger and Johnson shared the news during Disney’s annual shareholders meeting Monday.

“This story is my culture, and this story is emblematic of our people’s grace and warrior strength,” said Johnson. “I wear this culture proudly on my skin and in my soul, and this...

Exclusive: The Current War and The Giver scribe Michael Mitnick has been set to write Jim Henson biopic Muppet Man for Disney and The Jim Henson Company, we can reveal.

Currently in development, the live-action film will chart the life and times of the legendary puppeteer, creator of The Muppets, Fraggle Rock and many of the Sesame Street characters, as well as director of cult films such as Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal.

The movie will home in on Henson’s journey to convince broadcasters that The Muppets was a great idea and how he worked to get the characters on air where they became a comedy staple.

Henson’s daughter Lisa Henson, currently in production on Guillermo del Toro’s upcoming Pinocchio for Netflix, is producing for The Jim Henson Company.

Playwright and screenwriter Mitnick is rewriting a previous version of a script by Adrift scribes Aaron and Jordan Kandell.

Twin screenwriters Aaron and Jordan Kandell have sold an original comedy pitch to Robert Zemeckis’ production company ImageMovers. The project is in early discussions with Apple Studios as a distribution partner, sources said.

Zemeckis will develop and produce the film, titled “Mr. Lucky,” which sources compared to emotional and comedic romps like “Planes, Trains and Automobiles.”

The film, inspired by a true story, is described as a high concept rom-com that explores luck, and how tragedy and triumph, disaster and fortune are all in the way we choose to view them. Jack Rapke and Jackie Levine are producing for ImageMovers.

The Kandells, who just signed with Range Media Partners, are the writers behind the Oscar-nominated Disney pic “Moana” and the 2018 film “Adrift,” starring Shailene Woodley and Sam Claflin. They have a number of notable upcoming projects through their banner Twin Ink.

This includes: “Supernormal,” a Netflix comedy starring Josh Gad,...

Aaron and Jordan Kandell , the identical twin brother screenwriters and producers, have signed with Range Media partners.

Operating through the banner Twin Ink, their previous credits include Disney’s award winning animated film “Moana” and the 2018 feature “Adrift,” starring Shailene Woodley and Sam Claflin — helping the duo establish a reputation for world-building around projects inspired by true stories and four-quadrant family fare.

“Institutions don’t matter, relationships do, and for the past decade we have formed an unbreakable bond with Tanya Cohen, a tireless cheerleader and champion who we will follow to the ends of the earth,” the brothers told Variety, referencing the former WME partner who recently moved to Range. “Fortunately this move only required crossing Wilshire. We are honored to be a humble drop in the sea of talent Range Media Partners represents, and excited to join a family of fierce and fearless advocates. Without Rich Cook our...

Stars: Sam Claflin, Shailene Woodley, Grace Palmer, Jeffrey Thomas, Elizabeth Hawthorne, Kael Damlamian, Luna Campbell, Siale Tunoka | Written by Aaron Kandell, Jordan Kandell, David Branson Smith | Directed by Baltasar Kormákur

Setting off on the journey of a lifetime across the Pacific Ocean, Tami Oldham (Shailene Woodley) and Richard Sharp (Sam Claflin) are pushed to their limits as they sail directly into one of the most catastrophic storms in recorded history. In the aftermath, Tami awakens to find Richard badly injured and their boat in ruins. With no hope for rescue, Tami must find the strength and determination to save herself and the only man she has ever loved. Adrift is an unforgettable story about the resilience of the human spirit and the remarkable power of love.

Everest director Baltasar Kormákur’s Adrift is a competent and thrilling adventure that both satisfies with high-velocity tension and accentuates the horrors at sea,...

[Editor’s note: This article contains spoilers and reveals the ending of “Adrift.”]

“Adrift” is hardly the kind of movie you might expect to be harboring a massive plot twist. A waterlogged survival thriller about a young woman who’s stranded at sea for 41 days with nothing but her wits and a jar of peanut butter to keep her alive, on the surface it seems like pretty straightforward stuff. We’re talking about a sturdy, tactile little film in which the average scene consists of Shailene Woodley sticking her eye into a sextet or trying to conquer her character’s vegetarianism so that she can stomach a spare tin of Spam — it’s not exactly an episode of “Westworld.”

Besides, there isn’t really much of a mystery about what’s going to happen in the end. “Adrift” tells the harrowing true story of Tami Oldham, and was adapted from a memoir written by Oldham herself, so it’s probably safe to...

In “Adrift,” young sailors in love with world travel and each other (Shailene Woodley and Sam Claflin) agree to pilot a yacht across the South Pacific for $10,000. They fancy 30 days of watching sunsets. What they get is a Category 5 hurricane.

Tami Oldham Ashcraft recounted the real-life ordeal she and fiancé Richard Sharp endured in Fall 1983 in “Red Sky at Mourning: A True Story of Love, Loss, and Survival at Sea.” The self-published memoir was found by identical twin screenwriters Aaron and Jordan Kandell. They abandoned plans for an original maritime tale, wanting instead to adapt Ashcraft’s text, and envisioning their friend Woodley as its indefatigable heroine.

Read More: ‘Adrift’ Review: Shailene Woodley Rescues a True Life Survival Thriller from Drowning at Sea

When Woodley was 18 and filming Alexander Payne’s “The Descendants” in the brothers’ native Hawaii, Jordan’s wife was the teacher hired by the studio to help...

Stories of people stranded in the wilderness have always been natural fodder for movies, as ideas of being lost in the jungle or shipwrecked at sea tap into a natural anxiety about the smallness of our place in the world, and the uneasy need for co-dependence that it inspires. And yet, without diminishing some formative examples, or paving over the past’s most hideous aberrations (George C. Scott’s “The Savage Is Loose” springs to mind), it seems as though the whole “lost adventurers” genre is just starting to find itself. “Adrift” may be the first of these movies that actually explains this recent phenomenon.

And it’s been a long time coming: In just the last eight years or so, we’ve seen mainstream American movies about a dude getting wedged beneath a rock (“127 Hours”), an older dude getting stuck in wolf country (“The Grey”), and an even...

It seems like every other year, Shailene Woodley gets a feature piece here on the site. Some of that may just be due to when her films opt to come out, but I think there’s more to it than that. Frankly, she’s just such an interesting and talented actress, one goes back to her works a lot. This week, she has a new movie opening in Adrift, which I saw last night and really puts her front and center, but in general, it feels like she’s the sort of talent that bears fruitful discussions. So, that’s what we’ll be doing once again. One of these days she’ll be an Oscar nominee. I still firmly believe in that. This time around, she stars in Adrift, as previously mentioned. It’s a survival drama mixed with a tale of true love. Stx Films describes it as...

Hollywood has had a fairly predictable approach to the combination of boat, sun, sea and starlet, and that is to emphasize skin over substance, and leave the derring-do to the men. But that equation has been getting reworked of late, and the endurance grit of women has edged to the forefront. There are, of course, the shark ordeals both real (“Soul Surfer”) and popcorn-flavored, the gender-equal action ethos of James Cameron, and Disney’s sumptuously empowering Polynesian girl adventure “Moana.”

But the one genre that’s eluded showcasing a strong woman is the lost-at-sea yarn, which has given us memorable adventures in this young century for Tom Hanks (“Castaway”), Robert Redford (“All Is Lost”), and an Indian boy paired with a digital tiger (“Life of Pi”), while largely avoiding stranding a female in open waters for an existentially punishing length.

Until “Adrift,” that is. The poster, which features Shailene Woodley...

Was “Solo: A Star Wars Story’s” disappointing opening a case of franchise fatigue or the result of tentpole overcrowding at the box office? Its sophomore weekend could help crystallize what went wrong and where the “Star Wars” spinoff goes from here.

A strong holdover from the Han Solo origin story would signal that perhaps moviegoers were still barbecuing or catching up on “Deadpool 2” over the holiday weekend, rather than dismissing the storied franchise’s latest outing. The “Star Wars” installment is eyeing between $50 million and $60 million at the domestic box office over the weekend. Even if it reaches the higher part of that range, it’s unlikely “Solo” will hit the second-weekend totals of its predecessors. The first “Star Wars” anthology film, “Rogue One,” made $64 million in its second weekend in 2016, while 2017’s “The Last Jedi” earned $71 million in its sophomore weekend.

Disney and Lucasfilm’s second anthology...

In some ways, Shailene Woodley feels as though she “can’t relate” to conversations surrounding the need for more powerful female roles in Hollywood. For the “Adrift” star, portraying a 24-year-old woman who survived 41 days stranded at sea is just another example of the many resilient women she’s played throughout her career.

What sets her character Tami Oldham‘s story apart, however, is that her tale really happened. At the Los Angeles premiere of “Adrift” on Wednesday, Woodley, her co-star Sam Claflin, and director Baltasar Kormakur discussed telling the true tale of a woman’s unflinching heroism on the open ocean in the most authentic way possible — by filming at sea.

“These stories are always important to tell,” Woodley told Variety on the red carpet. “This movie was important to tell in the ’80s; it was important to tell in the ’90s, and it didn’t get made, and...

“We’re not gonna die out here.” Coming off one of the most ruthless hurricane seasons in memory, here is the new trailer for Adrift, the survival-at-sea drama starring Shailene Woodley and Sam Claflin from director Baltasar Kormákur. Landlubbers who blanch at the thought of facing a wave the size of an office building might want to look elsewhere.

The based-on-a-true-story logline: As free-spirited sailors Tami Oldham (Woodley) and Richard Sharp (Claflin) set out on a journey across the ocean, they couldn’t anticipate that they would be sailing directly into one of the most catastrophic hurricanes in recorded history. In the aftermath of the storm, Tami awakens to find Richard badly injured and their boat in ruins. With no hope for rescue, Tami must find the strength and determination to save herself and the only man she has ever loved.

Aaron Kandell & Jordan Kandell and David Branson Smith wrote...

Josh Gad has a new superhero project that he's been shopping around Hollywood called Super-Normal and it just landed at Netflix. He will star in the project alongside Daisy Ridley and Luke Evans. He previously worked with both actors on Murder on the Orient Express and Beauty and the Beast. They make for a pretty radical cast!

The movie is being written by brothers Aaron and Jordan Kandell, who previously worked on Disney's Moana. There are no plot details, but THR says, "Super-Normal is intended to be a character-driven, subversive take on a genre that Hollywood and the rest of the world loves too much."

With Gad being the brains behind the series, there's no doubt this will end up being a fun comedic twist on the superhero genre. ...

Netflix has picked up Super-Normal, the hot superhero package that has Josh Gad, Daisy Ridley and Luke Evans attached to star.

Gad is producing the project with Dan Lin, who produced Death Note for Netflix and is known for the Lego movies. Jonathan Eirich of Lin Pictures is also producing. Brothers Aaron and Jordan Kandell, who worked on Disney's Moana, are writing the script.

Gad took on a superheroic role for the project as well, originating the idea, then developing it with the Kandells. He then roped in his friends Ridley, with whom he stars in Murder on the Orient...

Netflix has picked up Super-Normal, the hot superhero package that has Josh Gad, Daisy Ridley and Luke Evans attached to star.

Gad is producing the project with Dan Lin, who produced Death Note for Netflix and is known for the Lego movies. Jonathan Eirich of Lin Pictures is also producing. Brothers Aaron and Jordan Kandell, who worked on Disney's Moana, are writing the script.

Gad took on a superheroic role in the project as well, originating the idea, then developing it with the Kandells. He then roped in his friends Ridley, with whom he stars in Murder on the Orient...

Superhero Comedy: Daisy Ridley (Murder on the Orient Express, above) and her Murder costar Josh Gad, as well as Luke Evans, are all attached to star in a project described as "a character-driven comedy that takes an original spin on the superhero genre." The project, which is still in its early days, originated with Gad, who came up with the idea and then brought the actors together along with writers Aaron and Jordan Kandell (Moana). [Deadline]   Out of Blue: James Caan (The Good Neighbor, above) and Jacki Weaver (Equals) have joined the cast of Out of Blue. Patricia Clarkson and Toby Jones star in the crime drama, which follows a homicide detective (Clarkson) who must investigate a shooting of an astrophysicist. The film is currently in production under the...

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Superhero Comedy: Daisy Ridley (Murder on the Orient Express, above) and her Murder costar Josh Gad, as well as Luke Evans, are all attached to star in a project described as "a character-driven comedy that takes an original spin on the superhero genre." The project, which is still in its early days, originated with Gad, who came up with the idea and then brought the actors together along with writers Aaron and Jordan Kandell (Moana). [Deadline]   Out of Blue: James...

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Welcome to Rumorville! Here you can learn about casting news that’s about to break in Hollywood. These speculations might be only rumors, but that doesn’t mean you can’t follow the trail all the way to the audition room. Aaron and Jordan Kandell pitchDeadline reported that a comedy pitch from Aaron and Jordan Kandell should be going to a studio very soon. The last project from the team was “Moana,” and they sold a script, “Adrift,” which is in production, to Stx with Shailene Woodley starring. This pitch already has “Star Wars” star Daisy Ridley attached, as well as “Beauty and the Beast” costars Josh Gad and Luke Evans. The movie is an “original spin on the superhero genre.” The duo used a team of casting directors to cast “Moana,” so this project will likely take a different approach, but with stars already attached, casting might begin quickly...

Exclusive: The hot new pitch du jour that studios are circling is an untitled comedy that will be written by Aaron & Jordan Kandell, who worked on Moana and whose last spec script, Adrift, netted an Stx deal with Baltasar Kormakur directing Shailene Woodley in the survival tale. The new pitch has Josh Gad, Luke Evans and Star Wars‘ Daisy Ridley attached and it is expected to land quickly. I’m told the best way to describe it is a character-driven comedy that takes an…...

Miles Teller has got some time to kill before he teams up with Nicolas Winding Refn to shoot the Amazon series “Too Old To Die Young” this fall. So, he’s going reunite with a familiar face to make a survival drama.

Teller and Shailene Woodley, who starred together in “The Spectacular Now” and some “Divergent” movies, are gearing up for “Adrift.” Baltasar Kormákur ( “Everest”) will directed the Aaron and Jordan Kandell,penned script that tells the true story of Tami Oldham and her fiancé, Richard Sharp, who set sail from Tahiti, encounter a massive hurricane which destroys their vessel, and leaves Tami fighting to survive on her own in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

Continue reading Miles Teller Reteams With Shailene Woodley For Survival Drama ‘Adrift’ at The Playlist.

Joseph Baxter Apr 11, 2017

Stars of the troubled Divergent films, Miles Teller and Shailene Woodley, now circle the survival drama Adrift...

The Divergent films kicked off with an auspicious 2014 offering set in a proven dystopian genre, adapting the allegorical Ya novels by Veronica Roth.

See related Grudge Match poster: Robert De Niro's head, not his body

However, they never quite ignited a lucrative Hunger Games-like fire as hoped and subsequent sequels in 2015’s Insurgent and 2016’s Allegiant arrived with minimal fanfare, resulting in an the would-be conclusion Ascendant essentially being shelved in favour of a television pilot being developed.

But now, two of the series' stars Miles Teller and Shailene Woodley are set to reunite; they're circling a film called Adrift.

According to THR, Miles Teller is in negotiations to co-star in this survival drama, with the already-cast Shailene Woodley, who boarded the project back in February.

While the would-be...

Seventy-three unproduced screenplays comprise this year’s Black List, an annual ranking of well-regarded scripts that have yet to make the leap from page to screen. More than 250 executives in the film industry voted on this year’s edition, and their consensus is that Elyse Hollander’s Madonna biopic “Blond Ambition” is the “most liked” of them.

Previous screenplays that have appeared on the Black List and gone on to be produced include “Spotlight,” “Arrival” and “Manchester by the Sea.” Full list below:

“Blond Ambition” by Elyse Hollander (48)

“Life Itself” by Dan Fogelman (35)

“The Olympian” by Tony Tost (35)

“The Post” by Liz Hannah (35)

“Voyagers” by Zach Dean (28)

“In the Blink of an Eye” by Colby Day (25)

“O2” by Christie LeBlan (22)

“Untitled Lax Mandis Project” by Seth Spector (22)

“Dark Money” by Matt Fruchtman (21)

“Letters from Rosemary Kennedy” by Nick Yarborough (21)

“Linda and Monica” by Flint Wainess (20)

“Hala” by Minhal Baig (19)

“The...

STXfilms, a division of Stx Entertainment, is in final negotiations to produce and distribute Adrift, the buzzy survival story that will star Shailene Woodley.

Everest director Baltasar Kormakur is attached to helm the film, which is based on the true story of a woman who sets off on a sailing trip to Tahiti with her fiance. But after a massive storm, the woman finds herself alone at sea with her boat in ruins. The story follows her attempts to save herself on a 1,500 mile journey to Hawaii.

Aaron and Jordan Kandell, who worked on Disney’s animated hit Moana, wrote...

A dramatic spec script from Moana writers Aaron and Jordan Kandell is drawing a lot of attention – including the attachment of Divergent actress Shailene Woodley, and possibly of director Baltasar Kormakur. The female led survival tale, titled Adrift, is currently courting financiers and distributors, with those involved hoping that deals will be locked down before the coming holiday break.

Adrift is based on the apparently true story of a couple that found extreme danger as they engaged in their shared expertise on the high seas. Experienced and expert sailors – Tami Oldham and Richard Sharp – were engaged to be married when they set out to achieve their dream of sailing round the world together. Just days after departing Tahiti, however, they sailed straight into a giant hurricane. Waking alone, and seriously injured, Tami finds her boat ruined, with no masts, communications, or means of navigation. She then endures a 41 day journey...

Actress Shailene Woodley has been making headlines for her political activism surrounding the Dakota Access pipeline lately, but now it appears the Divergent series star has a new movie lined up that has the potential to earn her some more acclaim for her work in front of the camera. Deadline reports that she'll star in Adrift, a new shipwreck film that's being referred to as "Gravity on the high seas."

Adrift is the true story of Tami Oldham and her fiancé, Richard Sharp, two young lovers and expert sailors who set out from Tahiti to sail around the world. Unfortunately, they sailed directly into a massive hurricane in the middle of the Pacific Ocean when they were over a thousand miles from land, and during the chaos, Tami was knocked unconscious. When she woke up, the boat was destroyed and both the life raft and Richard were gone. (Stop reading...

Exclusive: While movie business transactions have been sluggish since Thanksgiving, it looks like there will be a last rush of deal-making before the holidays set in. The hot package that has buyers salivating right this moment: Several distributors are engaged on Adrift, a drama spec by Aaron & Jordan Kandell that has Snowden‘s Shailene Woodley attached to star with Baltasar Kormakur looking to make it his next directorial outing next spring. Producers had been vying to…...

It seems like I write this at least once or twice a year, but Disney is poised to have another big hit on their hands. They continually churn out enjoyable fare, especially with their animated musical offerings. On Wednesday, their latest hits in Moana, which very much feels like it’s a successor to Frozen. Featuring songs from Lin-Manuel Miranda and a winning bit of voice work from Dwayne Johnson, it’s poised to be a big deal during Thanksgiving. Family fare always has a leg up, and this will be no exception. It’s going to contend for awards, that’s for sure, but it will also make a mint at the box office first, and that never hurts. Audiences are in for a treat. The movie is essentially standard issue Disney princess stuff, though there’s a bit of tinkering with that premise. Young Moana (Auli’i Cravalho...

The summer movie season continues this week with the releases of Finding Dory and Central Intelligence. In the meantime, the latest Trailer Trashin’ column takes a look at the first teaser trailer for Disney’s upcoming animated film Moana.

Premise: In ancient Oceania in the South Pacific, the young princess Moana Waialiki (voice of Auli’i Cravalho) is a born navigator who sets sail in search of a fabled island. During her journey, she teams up with her hero, the legendary demigod Maui (voice of Dwayne Johnson).

My take: Two-thousand sixteen is a big year for fans of Walt Disney Animation Studios, because two films are being added to Disney’s animated features canon this year, the already-released Zootopia and the upcoming Moana. This has only happened twice before in the history of Disney; in 2000, when Dinosaur and The Emperor’s New Groove both came out, and way back in...

20th Century Fox preemptively acquired a pitch from Aaron and Jordan Kandell. The modern story explores what happens to famed fairy-tale characters after "happily ever after" ends. It's a big family movie, according to sources. Chernin Entertainment is producing. The Kandell brothers, who are identical twins, have several projects in development. Their script Stranded is at Paramount with Dolphin Tale director Charles Martin Smith attached to direct. Their script The Golden Record was on the Black List and they have another untitled script at Warner Bros. The Kandell brothers are repped by Verve and Hopscotch Pictures.

read more...

Exclusive: In an aggressive pre-emptive bid, 20th Century Fox has acquired an original pitch by identical twin screenwriters Aaron and Jordan Kandell, for mid-to-high six figures. Chernin Entertainment is producing. I’m hearing that it’s a modern fairy tale with the tone of The Lego Movie. Deal moved quickly after Fox heard the idea. An offer was on the table before the writers had left the lot. Daria Cercek will point for the studio and David Ready and Jenno Topping for Chernin. This marks the first pitch sale for the Kandell brothers, who have several major projects in development around town. These include their original screenplay Stranded, which has Dolphin Tale director Charles Martin Smith attached to helm for Paramount Pictures; a big-scale project for Warner Bros and Heyday; and the Black List script The Golden Record. The Kandells are represented by Verve Talent Agency, manager Sukee Chew of...

We didn’t know it when docu-helmer Errol Morris (The Thin Blue Line, The Unknown Known) signed up for it last July, but by the looks of several industry players, he might have landed on the best screenplay of the bunch.

The annual “The Black List” unveiled its “favorite unproduced screenplays” of the year, and ranking at the top with a slim margin of a lead was Andrew Sodroski’s Holland, Michigan – a project that should begin lensing in April of next year with Naomi Watts possibly toplining. The second place top vote-getter got a lot more than a set of steak knifes this year. The out-of-nowhere, complete obscurity to huge pay day Section 6 by first time scribe Aaron Berg garnered huge interest towards the end of the year and should be jettisoned into production by the Universal folks – look for big name talent to be attached sometime in...

With all the mindless sequels and reboots that Hollywood has churned out over the last few years, it’s always nice when something original and well-written can break through and get a studio release. Unfortunately, many quality scripts can spend years without ever reaching the right executive to give it the green light. In an effort to make the process a little bit better, former production executive Franklin Leonard started The Black List in 2004. Today, the site announced its ninth annual list of the best unproduced scripts.

To come up with the list, nominations are received from over 250 executives. If a film gets 6 nominations, it gets a spot on the list. The more executives that nominate it, the higher on the list it is. Production for last year’s top film, Draft Day, is underway with the theatrical release scheduled for April, so there’s a pretty good chance that...

What’s poppin’ cool kids! Well, let me tell ya!

In my opinion, the Hottest list in Hollywood to be on, The Black List, has just announced their 2013 winners! The Black List is the best unproduced screenplays of the year, as voted on by over 250 film execs. This year 72 scripts made the cut in the 2013 edition of the yearly ranking compiled since 2004 by baller Franklin Leonard.

Congrats to all the writers that made the list! I’m especially proud of my close dear friend, Latino screenwriter Hernany Perla who made the list!

The winners are…

Mississippi Mud by Elijah Bynum

Patient Z by Michael Le

Make A Wish by Zach Frankel

Randle Is Benign by Damien Ober

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

Queen Of Hearts by Stephanie Shannon

Holland, Michigan by Andrew Sodroski

Hot Summer Nights by Elijah Bynum

Dude by Oliva Milch

Pan by Jason Fuchs

Superbrat by...

Withough further ado, the cover of #BlackList2013, designed by Glen Charbonneau. Let's get started. pic.twitter.com/5G0V1kGsXd— The Black List (@theblcklst) December 16, 2013

While Prisoners, Saving Mr. Banks, and The Spectacular Now have generated positive reviews at the box office, they also share one common distinction: They were all recognized on Franklin Leonard’s Black List, an annual compendium of the year’s most-liked un-produced screenplays as determined by the hundreds of executives in Hollywood that spend their lives reading scripts.

Leonard, 35, began the list in 2005 on a lark. As a young development executive about to leave for winter vacation,...