There was definitely strong competition but Get Out has been named the best screenplay of the 21st century.
The Writer Guild of America West crowned Jordan Peele’s screenplay as they updated their list of the 101 Greatest Screenplays of the 21st century (so far), as per The Independent.
“As the number one vote-getter, Get Out is this list’s version of Casablanca,” the screenwriter-led union said in a statement. “Imagine Jordan Peele pitching his concept to Jack Warner, and it immediately becomes apparent why comparing screenplays across Hollywood epochs is a non-starter.”
Get Out was the breakout horror film of 2017. It followed Chris Washington, played by Daniel Kaluuya, a young Black man who uncovers shocking secrets when he meets the family of his girlfriend, Rose Armitage, played by Allison Williams.
The film earned Peele the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay, also being nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor (Daniel Kaluuya). It was also a big commercial success, grossing $255m worldwide on just a $4.5m budget.
Other classic screenplays on WGA’s list include 2004’s Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, 2010’s The Social Network, 2019’s Parasite, and 2016’s Moonlight.
Peele and Kaluuya know when something works – they’re working with each other again for Peele’s next film, titled Nope, which will also star Steven Yeun and Keke Palmer.
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Get Out might have brought Kaluuya to a wider audience but that didn’t mean he got an invite to the Sundance Film Festival back in 2017.
“They didn’t invite me bro. They didn’t invite me,” he told Graham Norton on his talk show. “On Sundance world premiere, I was in Atlanta because I was shooting (Black Panther).
I was chilling and I was like, okay, my schedule is open, and then I just didn’t get the invite man. I wasn’t invited. So I was just in my bed, someone texted me and was like, ‘It went really well!”
What would be your greatest screenplay of the 21st century?
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Check out the trailer for Get Out:
