Script Apart with Al Horner

A long time ago in a galaxy not so far away, writer-director Dan Gilroy became captivated by the machinations of power; how throughout history, authoritarian figures have seduced electorates, seized control of nations and eroded important pillars of democracy – leading resistance fighters to push back across punishing decades of struggle. It’s a tale as old as time in our history books – but not necessarily in our movies and TV shows, which haven’t always shown just how bruising and thankless rebellion actually is. That is, until Andor – the acclaimed Star Wars TV show created by Dan’s brother Tony Gilroy, which Dan is one of the key writers on. The 66-year-old was recently nominated for an Emmy for his work on the recent second season of the show, which concluded the gripping story of Cassian Andor – a complex hero first introduced in 2016’s Rogue One. The show’s electrifying portrait of a band of spies operating in the shadows to try and overthrow the Empire was sophisticated and in the eyes of many viewers, incredibly timely, too. Today on Script Apart, Dan joins Al to dig into what Andor was really all about. The warnings he hoped his episodes would provide, about how fascism functions. The truth about who Cassian was, played by Diego Luna. The truth about who Imperial bureaucrat Syril was, played by Kyle Soller. Why if the show extended further, we may well have seen Emperor Palpatine. Excitingly, you’ll also hear in detail about an episode of Andor that Dan wrote but never made the screen – an episode he says would have been like Ridley Scott’s Alien, with fan-favourite robot K2SO playing a Xenamorph-like role. And of course, because 2014’s Nightcrawler, which Dan wrote and directed, is one of the great undersung thrillers of all time, there’s a sprinkling of chat about that film too.Script Apart is hosted by Al Horner and produced by Kamil Dymek. Follow us on Instagram, or email us on thescriptapartpodcast@gmail.com.To get ad-free episodes and exclusive content, join us on Patreon.Get in-depth feedback on your screenplay by visiting ScriptApart.com/coverage. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to Eddington – population: all of us. The new film from writer-director Ari Aster transports audiences to a town on the brink of combustion that, in a way, we’ve all been residents of for five years now. Look out your window right now and there may not be a New Mexico mountain range hugging the horizon like in the Eddington of Aster’s movie. But chances are you’ve absolutely felt it in the air – the same dread, the same fury, the same entropy and exhaustion that pollutes that dustbowl town.May 2020 – when Eddington takes place – was a time of neighbours split into culture war factions, with a steady hum of social media misinformation fueling their paranoid obsessions. We were already tipping towards that new age of civic hostility before the pandemic, mask mandates and the death of George Floyd, the auteur will tell you. But that year saw us cross a precipice that we’ve yet to turn back towards. Maybe we’re unable to.Which is what makes Eddington – Ari’s fourth film, starring Joaquin Phoenix, Pedro Pascal and Emma Stone – feel so vital and yes, so scary. The filmmaker’s first two features, Hereditary and Midsommar, saw him heralded as the new king of horror. It took his first film set in the real world – his first movie with nothing supernatural or occult-themed about it – to deliver arguably his most terrifying scares. His previous films, 2023’s Beau Is Afraid included, were nightmares his audiences were allowed to wake up from. Can you really say the same, stepping out of the cinema after seeing Eddington?Script Apart is hosted by Al Horner and produced by Kamil Dymek. Follow us on Instagram, or email us on thescriptapartpodcast@gmail.com.To get ad-free episodes and exclusive content, join us on Patreon.Get in-depth feedback on your screenplay by visiting ScriptApart.com/coverage. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

All aboard the Cat Bus for a moving conversation about one of the greatest animations of all time – and the emotional madness of trying to bring that tale to the stage in London’s West End. If you’re in London at the moment, you need to see the current theatrical adaptation of My Neighbour Totoro currently showing in the West End. Produced by the Royal Shakespeare Company with puppet designs by Jim Henson's Creature Shop, this magical re-telling of the iconic Studio Ghibli animation was written by our guest today, Tom Morton-Smith – a storyteller whose past work includes Oppenheimer (not the Christopher Nolan movie, but an acclaimed stage drama) and Ravens, a Cold War thriller set at the 1972 World Chess Championship. Taking on Totoro was an undertaking as big and daunting as the titular forest spirit himself. Set in post-war Japan, Hayao Miyazaki’s story told the tale of a father and his two daughters who move to the edge of an enchanted forest, to be closer to the hospital where the girls’ mother is undergoing medical care. As uncertainty gathers, strange creatures reveal themselves to little Satsuki and Mei – leading them on an adventure of wonder and awe. In the spoiler conversation you’re about to hear, Tom details how he translated that wonder and awe to the stage. He’s also open about his persoal experience, writing the play amid huge change in his family life. The grief and loss – or potential for loss – that sits in the background of the Totoro story is something Tom was moving through himself as he sat down to pen this adaptation.We break down the tale’s themes of environmentalism and the kindness we owe to each other. We also get into the darkness of Ghibli that is often erased or reduced in how the west talks about films like this one. Finally, we talk about “ma” – the Japanese word for “emptiness” – that Miyazaki fills Totoro with, and why it might just be the secret to the joy of this film, now more than ever, in a frantic, digital world. Script Apart is hosted by Al Horner and produced by Kamil Dymek. Follow us on Instagram, or email us on thescriptapartpodcast@gmail.com.Screenwriters – get comprehensive feedback on your latest script from Al Horner by visiting ScriptApart.com/coverage.To get ad-free episodes and exclusive content, join us on Patreon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gerard Johnstone, director of M3GAN and its sequel, dives into the blend of horror and humor that makes these films unique. He discusses the evolution of M3GAN from a killer doll to a larger-than-life spectacle, tackling themes like AI's implications on parenting and warfare. Johnstone elaborates on the emotional storytelling made relevant by today's tech anxieties, sharing personal anecdotes that shaped character arcs. Plus, hear about the challenges of sequel filmmaking and the amusing prospect of transforming iconic films with a comedic twist!

Join Charlie Brooker, the mastermind behind the chilling anthology series Black Mirror, as he unpacks the show’s evolution and its eerie relevance to today’s tech landscape. He discusses the creative journey behind iconic episodes, like the heartfelt 'San Junipero', showcasing a shift from horror to poignant narratives. Charlie also reflects on how audience feedback has influenced storytelling and the show's commentary on the dark side of technology, making us question if we're already living in a Black Mirror episode.

As the Talking Heads once nearly sang: “And may find yourself beamed up into a spacecraft. And you may find yourself pretending to be the leader of Earth. And you may find yourself hanging out with weird and wonderful beings from outer-space, going up against intergalactic warlords and maybe learning a thing or two about belonging along the way.” Yes, it’s an Elio special on today’s Script Apart, as we venture across the cosmos with the Pixar film’s co-directors, Domee Shi and Madeline Sharafian.Elio tells the story of a child who longs to be abducted by aliens. Still reeling from the loss of his parents and struggling to adjust to living with his well-meaing aunt, the character embarks on an adventure that changes how he sees life back on Earth. It was written by Julia Cho, Mark Hammer and Mike Jones, from a story by Madeline, Domee and Adrian Molina.Domee you may know as the director of Turning Red, which we covered on this show in 2022. Madeline, meanwhile, is the director behind Burrough, a beautiful Pixar short film from a couple of years ago (this is her first feature). In the spoiler conversation you’re about to hear, we discuss initial drafts of this story in which Olga was Elio’s mother, rather than his aunt. I ask about how the film grapples with loneliness; the process of creating the magical worlds that Pixar movies so often invite filmgoers into, whether that’s Monstropolis or Coco’s Land of the Dead; and of course, the meaning of that Carl Sagan speech asking “Are we alone?” that close the film.Script Apart is hosted by Al Horner and produced by Kamil Dymek. Follow us on Instagram, or email us on thescriptapartpodcast@gmail.com.Screenwriters – get comprehensive feedback on your latest script from Al Horner by visiting ScriptApart.com/coverage.To get ad-free episodes and exclusive content, join us on Patreon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Acclaimed writer-director Alex Garland, known for hits like Ex Machina and Annihilation, discusses his latest film, 28 Years Later, alongside longtime collaborator Danny Boyle. The conversation dives into the film's deeper themes of memory, survival, and the impact of societal shifts such as Brexit. Garland reflects on the evolution of his characters, from the haunting alphas to the unique mythology surrounding them. He also explores the emotional weight of mortality in storytelling, creating a thought-provoking sequel that pushes horror into new territory.

Havoc is the new film from Welsh writer-director Gareth Evans, and it does exactly what it says on the tin. Starring Tom Hardy as a jaded cop at the heart of a conspiracy in an unnamed, crime-ridden American city's underbelly, it packs some of the most frenetic action scenes of the year so far – but then again, what did you expect? Gareth is the filmmaker behind 2011's The Raid, 2014’s The Raid 2 and the TV show Gangs of London – each of which is renowned for its dizzying fight choreography.In the spoiler conversation you’re about to hear, Gareth tells me about his love for characters who have something to atone for. We get into an early, more commercial draft of the film in which Walker wasn’t the estranged father he is in the finished film, and break down how he constructed the movie’s jaw-dropping club fight sequence. Plus, hear how his own experience of parenthood fed into the writing of Havoc. That last bit is surprisingly tender for a film in which a character gets harpooned in the head.  Script Apart is hosted by Al Horner and produced by Kamil Dymek. Follow us on Instagram, or email us on thescriptapartpodcast@gmail.com.Screenwriters – get comprehensive feedback on your latest script from Al Horner by visiting ScriptApart.com/coverage.To get ad-free episodes and exclusive content, join us on Patreon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Did you think Script Apart was going to let the 30th anniversary of one of the most iconic teen films ever just pass us by? In the words of Cher Horowitz – “as if.” On today’s episode, we’re joined by Amy Heckerling, the writer-director who, three decades ago this summer, gave Jane Austen’s Emma a Beverly Hills makeover to remember. You may also know her for Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Look Who’s Talking and Vamps, but Clueless is the film that she’s best-known for – a Nineties treasure trove of high school hilarity that’s still beloved today. So much so that a musical adaptation, also written by Amy, just opened in London’s West End. In the conversation you’re about to hear, Amy tells Al about the spirit of kindness that runs through the movie. We get into the TV pilot for Clueless – then titled No Worries – that was turned down across Hollywood, and discuss what was going on in Amy’s life at the time of writing Clueless. The story of the film is one of a sunny optimist named Cher who’s ready to take on the world. For Amy, though, that was hardly the case as she wrote the hit comedy. “I was feeling very depressed, which is how most stories start,” she teased in an interview in 2016. In this episode, she tells us why. Support for this episode comes from Final Draft.Script Apart is hosted by Al Horner and produced by Kamil Dymek. Follow us on Instagram, or email us on thescriptapartpodcast@gmail.com.Screenwriters – get comprehensive feedback on your latest script from Al Horner by visiting ScriptApart.com/coverage.To get ad-free episodes and exclusive content, join us on Patreon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today on Script Apart – one of cinema’s great monster movies. The terrifying creature at this movie’s core, though, didn’t have trailing tentacles, bloodshot eyes or reptilian skin. Instead of sharp teeth, it wore a sharp suit – Valentino pinstripe, perfectly pressed. This monster owned a gleaming Rolex, lived in an elegant condo and smiled politely through slap-up dinners with his fellow Wall Street sleazes. At night, he stalked the streets of New York, maiming sex workers and murdering the homeless, to a soundtrack of Huey Lewis and the News. And twenty-five years on, he’s arguably more fearsome than ever in his relevance to our own world. Yes, joining Al Horner for a metaphorical reservation at Dorsia this week is author, actress and screenwriter Guinevere Turner, who co-wrote American Psycho. Guinevere teamed up with someone who would become a long-time collaborator, director Mary Harron, to adapt Bret Easton Ellis’ controversial novel about a deranged investment banker named Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale). In the spoiler conversation you’re about to hear, Guinevere tells me about the parts of herself she perhaps threaded into her and Mary's version of the story, either consciously or subconsciously – as revealed in her 2023 memoir, When The World Didn’t End, she grew up in a cult that promised followers they’d be whisked off in a spaceship to Venus, and there’s cult-like framing of money and materialism in American Psycho that perhaps was no accident. We get into her and Mary’s treatment of Patrick as an “alien who’s crash-landed to Earth,” learning to fit in through the pop culture he engages in. You’ll also hear about Bret Easton Ellis’s version of the film that ended with Patrick Bateman singing a musical tribute to New York, and what Guinevere’s take is on the upcoming remake, reported to be directed by Luca Guadagnino. For more from Guinevere, whose other work includes The L Word, Go Fish, The Notorious Bettie Page and 2018’s Charlie Says, pick up When The World Didn’t End, which is a great read – and head to our Patreon page! We’re running an exclusive series on our Patreon called One Writing Tip, in which great writers share one piece of advice they swear by that they think all emerging writers should know. And for more from us at Script Apart, hit subscribe if you haven’t already.Script Apart is hosted by Al Horner and produced by Kamil Dymek. Follow us on Instagram, or email us on thescriptapartpodcast@gmail.com.Support for this episode comes from Final Draft.To get ad-free episodes and exclusive content, join us on Patreon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.