The Screenwriter's Guide to Adapting IP

This week on On Story, a conversation with Nicole Perlman and Jodi Hildebrand on their experiences as writers and producers working with existing intellectual property, or IP.

Nicole Perlman is best known for working as a co-writer on Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy, and Captain Marvel, as well as Detective Pikachu. For eight years, Perlman has worked as a Creative Advisor at the Sundance Screenwriting Labs, in addition to mentoring for Global Media Makers, Women in Film, the BlackList, and more. She is currently developing television projects for Fox Searchlight, Amazon Studios, and Netflix.

Jodi Hildebrand is a film and TV producer, who currently runs the Scripted Television and Film team at Conde Nast Entertainment. In this role, Hildebrand works with writers from publications like The New Yorker, and Vanity Fair, on adapting their articles for film or television. Hildebrand recently produced the 2018 film adaptation of Peter Rabbit, and its sequel, Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway.

AFF moderator Paul Alvarado-Dykstra sat down with Perlman and Hildebrand for a conversation on the ins-and-outs of working with existing IP, from respecting the lived experiences of the protagonist in a true story, to optioning the rights to your favorite book.

Clips of Guardians of the Galaxy courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.

Clips of Luke Cage courtesy of Disney+.

Clips of Thor: Ragnarok courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.