A movie based on JK Rowling's early struggle to pen the Harry Potter series has been named among the top unproduced screenplays in Hollywood's annual 'Black List'.
The script, titled When Lightning Strikes by writer Anna Klassen, follows the Harry Potter author at 25, as she "weathers first loves, unexpected pregnancies, lost jobs and depression" on her way to penning the iconic book series.
The selections were announced by stars including Jake Gyllenhaal, Patricia Arquette, and Game of Thrones' Sophie Turner on Twitter on Tuesday.
The Black List, based on a survey of over 275 Hollywood studio and production executives, looks to discover the most popular screenplays currently doing the rounds in the movie industry.
The selection, as the Black List's founder Franklin Leonard noted on Twitter, boasted a record number of scripts penned by women writers, with just under half the films mentioned featuring female protagonists.
There's something happening here. @theblcklst #BlackList2017 pic.twitter.com/Ljwgz1LH6q??? Franklin Leonard (@franklinleonard) December 11, 2017
In total, 76 screenplays earned a mention in this year's list, with a number already slated to hit the big screen soon.
It has proven pedigree, with Oscar winners for best picture Slumdog Millionaire, The King's Speech and Spotlight among those previously featured on the list.
This year's top-ranked script, earning 68 mentions from respondents, was Ruin by Matthew and Ryan Firpo, a film about an ex-Nazi captain hunting down the surviving members of his former death squad.
It edged out Let Her Speak, a biopic on politician Wendy Davis, whose filibuster to block a Texas bill aimed at restricting women's abortion rights sparked international headlines in 2013.
The list also included strong praise for Keeper of the Diary, a screenplay about the publication of The Diary of Anne Frank, and Newsflash, based on Walter Cronkite's report on the death of John F Kennedy, which recently announced the unlikely casting of Seth Rogen as the revered broadcaster.
There were also nods for a film about Elon Musk's tech rise, and a script titled Escape, about a convict shipped to Australia who flees prison into the wild bush in a bid to reconnect with his family.
Last year's Black List, topped by a Madonna biopic that drew the ire of the pop singer, also included current Oscar favourites The Post, starring Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep, and Margot Robbie's I Tonya.
.@TheAcademy, @GoldenGlobes, @BAFTA, & @SagAwards winner for BOYHOOD, @pattyarquette for WHEN LIGHTNING STRIKES by @AnnaJKlassen #BlackList2017 pic.twitter.com/8fNbPAfFTb??? The Black List (@theblcklst) December 11, 2017
There's something happening here. @theblcklst #BlackList2017 pic.twitter.com/Ljwgz1LH6q??? Franklin Leonard (@franklinleonard) December 11, 2017
#BlackList2017, in full, is now available at our website: https://t.co/8jNzBkppa4 pic.twitter.com/TCMdRyCCuj??? The Black List (@theblcklst) December 11, 2017
