5AM StoryTalk Reflections: Hundreds of Screenplays All in One Place

A collection of personally curated script collections to download and study

Nov 22, 2024

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On the third Friday morning (EST/PST) of every month, 5AM StoryTalk Reflections shines a spotlight on a single theme that this Substack has explored during its existence. Today, I’ll be sharing screenplay collections I’ve personally curated to help you in your creative journey. Each one is connected by genre, theme, or screenwriter type - which will hopefully help you pinpoint the right kind of titles to learn from and inspire you as you work on your next script.

It’s important to state again here, as I do as often as I can at 5AM StoryTalk, that you cannot become a good screenwriter if you do not read a lot of screenplays. It’s really that simple. Now, get to work - enjoy!

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Read the 10 Feature Screenplays the WGA Thinks Are the Best of 2023

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Mar 11

Read the 10 Feature Screenplays the WGA Thinks Are the Best of 2023

This past weekend, the 96th Academy Awards took place. While I congratulate everyone who won, I didn’t watch, as is usual for me. It’s just not a ceremony I’ve taken seriously for several years now for a variety of personal reasons. I’d prefer to focus on the Writers Guild of America Awards and other American and international awards that make far more …

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10 Screenplays by the Great Walter Hill to Download and Study

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Apr 15

10 Screenplays by the Great Walter Hill to Download and Study

In the early years of my career, I was asked by my agents if I’d like to co-create a television series with screenwriter, producer, and director Walter Hill. I responded with a string of expletives and the word “yes”. For the next three months, Walter and I got to develop this project together, a Western with a twist, and I still think on this period as one of my favorite experiences as a writer. We spent afternoons in a sun-drenched breakfast nook at his house in Beverly Hills, breaking story and, in between, discussed some of his memories of Hollywood in the sixties and seventies, in particular. The project, which ultimately also had Idris Elba attached — in fact, Idris joined us in all of our pitches — did not sell. Let that be a lesson to you about how there are no sure-things in Hollywood.

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15 Iconic '90s Pilot Scripts to Download and Study

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Mar 29

15 Iconic '90s Pilot Scripts to Download and Study

I’ve been spending a lot of time in the Nineties over the past six months as I prepare to start work on a new project set in the early half of the decade. Part of that process has been revisiting old television series. That’s how I ended up here, sharing

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15 Disaster Film/TV Scripts to Download and Study

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Oct 21

15 Disaster Film/TV Scripts to Download and Study

On irregular Monday mornings (PST), 5AM StoryTalk will share “educational resources” to help you in your creative journey. From curated screenplay collections, to curated film compilations you can watch for free, to advice and other wisdom I’ve collected over my years pursuing the arts — and much more. This is one of them.

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20 Christmas Movie Screenplays to Download and Study for Free

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December 22, 2023

20 Christmas Movie Screenplays to Download and Study for Free

The festive season ain’t for everyone, I get it. But in my life, Christmas has always been a wonderful time of year. This doesn’t mean it doesn’t come without its emotional challenges, especially how it leads to me grieving anew those I’ve lost and mourning family gatherings I will never have again — at least the way I remember them — but the joy that s…

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25 Time-Bending Scripts to Download and Study

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May 27

25 Time-Bending Scripts to Download and Study

We’re told human beings experience their lives in a linear line, here to there in a forward trajectory — the arrow of time as it’s referred to — but I find this an incomplete and inadequate description. We actually experience our lives non-linearly. The past, present, and possible futures mingle promiscuously in our minds, which is how we constantly process the world around us. In any given moment, we’re reacting to the past as much as to what our present decisions might mean for our futures. Our present can even rewrite our memories of the past. Reconnecting with lost memories can change our futures. Consequently, I’ve always wondered why our fictional narratives are so determined to comport to “time’s arrow” rather than how understand our time on Earth - which is out of order.

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25 Biopic Scripts to Download and Study

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Sep 23

25 Biopic Scripts to Download and Study

On irregular Monday mornings (PST), 5AM StoryTalk will share “educational resources” to help you in your creative journey. From curated screenplay collections, to curated film compilations you can watch for free, to advice and other wisdom I’ve collected over my years pursuing the arts — and much more. This is one of them.

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30 Brilliant BBC Drama Scripts to Download and Study for Free

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November 24, 2023

30 Brilliant BBC Drama Scripts to Download and Study for Free

I’ve worked in film and television markets around the globe during my fifteen years as a professional screenwriter. Wherever I go, BBC dramas are consistently considered the gold standard when it comes to TV. Hollywood might produce more great series every year, but it has budgets and sheer output on its …

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35 Coming-of-Age Scripts to Download and Study

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Aug 26

35 Coming-of-Age Scripts to Download and Study

Our relationship with the future begins to rapidly develop as pre-teens. We’re racked by both impatience and excitement for the change it promises. But we also dread it, develop anxiety around it, doubt it and what it will mean for us. This makes sense, of course; the unknown is something we’re biologically predisposed to run away from. What I’m describing is a kind of

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40 Great Action Screenplays to Download and Study for Free

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June 29, 2023

40 Great Action Screenplays to Download and Study for Free

There is no one kind of screenwriting that’s easier than any other, but I do think the action script gets shit on more than any other as simplistic and/or formulaic. There’s a reason why they almost never get nominated for Best Writing Oscars, even though the great ones are just as accomplished as the typically heavy dramas that got…

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40 20th Century Science-Fiction Scripts to Download and Study

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Nov 18

40 20th Century Science-Fiction Scripts to Download and Study

Depending on how you define science-fiction and fantasy, films that fall into these oft-blurred genres currently comprise either seven or eight of the most successful films of all time at the box office. The number one film on that list is Avatar, co-written and directed by James Cameron, which is a hard-core sci-fi epic about how fossil fuel corporations are basically soulless environment-destroying forces. The number three film on the list is its sequel, again from Cameron. In fact, the majority of the top 100 films on it are either sci-fi, fantasy, or some combination of these. What’s even more astounding is how often these genres are still disrespected in artsy circles or by film/TV producers and book editors, but that’s a conversation I’ve already covered recently (you can read about it

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50 Essential 21st-Century One-Hour Pilot Scripts to Download and Study for Free

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September 5, 2023

50 Essential 21st-Century One-Hour Pilot Scripts to Download and Study for Free

Below you will find links to fifty 21st-century one-hour TV pilot scripts every screenwriter should study regardless of where they are in their careers. More than a few of them launched iconic series based on what you’ll read here.

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50 Great Screenplays by Women to Download and Study for Free

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May 14, 2023

50 Great Screenplays by Women to Download and Study for Free

A few months ago, my dear friend writer-director Liz W. Garcia (THE LIFEGUARD) replied on Twitter to a tweet from a male filmmaker recommending a series of “perfect” feature scripts…written exclusively by men. Sadly, it’s far from the first time I’ve seen filmmakers (consciously or unconsciously) omit women from the cinematic conversation.

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50 Great Screenplays by People of Color to Download and Study for Free

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June 4, 2023

50 Great Screenplays by People of Color to Download and Study for Free

Back when I staffed my first television series, I asked to be sent an equal number of submissions from women and, without a specific number in mind, scripts from people of color. This was more than a decade ago, and while I finally got agencies to relent and share

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60 Great Comedy Screenplays to Download and Study for Free

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August 5, 2023

60 Great Comedy Screenplays to Download and Study for Free

Back in June, I shared “40 Great Action Screenplays to Download and Study for Free” on 5AM StoryTalk. My friend, filmmaker Liz Garcia, suggested I do comedy next, so, because I like to keep my friends happy if I can, especially one I love as much as Liz, here you go. Except this time, I couldn’t stop my…

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60 Screenplays About Love and Heartbreak to Download and Study for Free

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Feb 9

60 Screenplays About Love and Heartbreak to Download and Study for Free

Valentine’s Day is around the corner. It’s a manufactured holiday, yes, but let’s just skip the capitalism-is-terrible conversation for now so that I can share with you this bonus feature for 5AM StoryTalk’s paid subscribers - 60 screenplays about love and heartbreak

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100 Horror Screenplays to Download and Study for Free

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October 24, 2023

100 Horror Screenplays to Download and Study for Free

Cinematic horror comes in so many shapes and sizes. It can involve anything from reanimated corpses and stop-motion monsters to unstoppable serial killers and demonic possessions - and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Sometimes it’s painfully grounded in the real world, sometimes it’s operatic and soaked in garishly red buckets of blood, and sometimes it makes you piss yourself with laughter. On occasion, it’s even fun for the whole family. Rules don’t do well in this environment, you might say.

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You might also want to check out these previous editions of 5AM StoryTalk: Reflections:

5AM StoryTalk Reflections: The Art of Interrogating Art

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Sep 27

5AM StoryTalk Reflections: The Art of Interrogating Art

On the third Friday morning (EST/PST) of every month, 5AM StoryTalk Reflections shines a spotlight on a single theme or subject that this Substack has explored during its existence. Today, we’ll be taking a look at the critical role of interrogation in developing and honing your skills as a storyteller.

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5AM StoryTalk Reflections: Will the Horror Ever End?

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Oct 25

5AM StoryTalk Reflections: Will the Horror Ever End?

On the third Friday morning (EST/PST) of every month, 5AM StoryTalk Reflections shines a spotlight on a single theme or subject that this Substack has explored during its existence. Today, we’re going to be taking a look at “Dracula”, a TV series I created for NBC and Sky and which debuted on October 25th, 2013. I’ve been pretty quiet on this subject fo…

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