John and Craig look at three extraordinary news stories and ask, How Would this be a Movie? Stories include the United Healthcare CEO assassination, a small town’s process for licensing fortune tellers, and a harrowing I.V.F. mixup.

We also follow up on AI, Flightplan’s source material, Craig’s Belfast accent, and answer a listener question on the order of surnames for writing partners.

In our bonus segment for premium members: Hey Alexa, play John and Craig’s conversation about home automation. I don’t think she heard– HEY ALEXA, PLAY JOHN AND CRAIG’S CONVERSATION ABOUT HOME AUTOMATION.

Links:

The Wheel Spins by Ethel Lina White
The Conundrum of the Workshops by Rudyard Kipling
OpenAI’s controversial Sora is finally launching today. Will it truly disrupt Hollywood? by Wendy Lee for LA Times
I Went to the Premiere of the First Commercially Streaming AI-Generated Movies by Jason Koehler
A timeline of the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson and search for his killer by Michael R. Sisal and Cedar Attanasio for Associated Press
How do you license a fortune teller? by Paul Debole
An I.V.F. Mix-Up, a Shocking Discovery and an Unbearable Choice by Susan Dominus for NYT Magazine
Monsters, Aliens, and Holes in the Ground by Stu Horvath
Your Consciousness Can Connect With the Whole Universe by Manasee Wagh for Popular Mechanics
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Craig Mazin on Threads and Instagram
John August on BlueSky, Threads, Instagram, and Mastodon
Outro by Matthew Chilelli (send us yours!)
Scriptnotes is produced by Drew Marquardt and edited by Matthew Chilelli.

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

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The wheel spins

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