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Screenwriters, Screenwriters, and More Screenwriters! (Part One)

  • Writer: Phil Parker
    Phil Parker
  • Aug 6
  • 10 min read

Updated: Aug 11

screenwriters and more screenwriters title pic

Do you know the screenwriters behind your favorite movies? Some people might know who the directors are, but, frustratingly, screenwriters are often ...well, overlooked. It's a terrible irony, because every unforgettable movie begins with a talented screenwriter crafting a compelling story. And those screenwriters who are super-talented often go on to write several movies that we love!


Get to know your screenwriters.


Below is the first in a series of reference lists of exceptional screenwriters, each responsible for multiple popular and award-winning films spanning genres from the 1930s to today.


Each screenwriter's listing includes:


  • Film titles linked to IMDb or Rotten Tomatoes where you can research cast and crew.

  • A blurb describing the concepts behind the stories.

  • The IMDb or Rotten Tomatoes rating (as of publication).

  • Links to publicly available copies of the screenplays for educational purposes.

  • IMDb links to any additional screenwriters involved.

  • A brief analysis of what we can learn from each screenwriter's body of work..


Why choose THESE screenwriters?


The criteria for choosing which screenwriters to include is simple: They must have three or more films rated a 7.5 or higher on IMDb or 80% or more on the Rotten Tomatoes Popcornmeter. If the screenwriter does have more than three, I've chosen the ones I prefer. My apologies if your favs don't make the list.


And while it's true that screenwriting conventions and styles have changed over the years, that doesn't mean we should ignore screenwriters of the past. Older scripts can still teach us valuable lessons about dialogue, pacing, comedic timing, character arcs, and thematic arguments, so give each screenplay, new or old, a go.


Note: Some of these screenwriters also directed their films, but that's neither here nor there. This blog is about screenwriters and their screenwriting. Also note, these screenwriters are not listed in any deliberate chronological order. Each list in this series will have a mix of the old and the new.


screenwriters recommendation

SCREENWRITERS WHO ROCK!


  1. Billy Wilder


Billy Wilder was a master of tone, able to blend heartbreak and humor with incredible finesse. His characters were often flawed but endearing, caught in dilemmas that were both personal and societal. From noir to screwball comedy to bittersweet romance, Wilder moved between genres effortlessly, always with razor-sharp dialogue and narrative precision. Aspiring screenwriters can learn volumes from his setups and payoffs, his ability to build irony, and his unmatched sense of structure. Wilder won six Academy Awards and remains one of the most influential screenwriters and directors in Hollywood history.





  1. Preston Sturges


One of the first true writer-directors in Hollywood, Preston Sturges brought sharp wit and satirical genius to the screwball comedy era. His scripts were fast-paced, dialogue-rich, and packed with clever reversals. Sturges had a gift for elevating the absurd while still grounding his characters in emotional truth. He was also one of the earliest screenwriters to successfully transition to directing, giving him creative control few enjoyed at the time. For modern screenwriters, he’s a masterclass in balancing tone, rhythm, and character quirk. In just a few years, he wrote and directed a string of hits that earned him an Oscar and cemented his legacy as one of the genre’s most influential voices



  • Hail the Conquering Hero (1945): A soldier discharged from the military for hay fever fabricates receiving a heroic honorable discharge before returning home...

  • Additional screenwriters: None

  • Rating: 84%

  • Download screenplay


  1. Richard Curtis


Few screenwriters are as synonymous with romantic comedy that’s heartfelt, charming, and quintessentially British as Richard Curtis. His stories often celebrate love in all its awkward, imperfect glory, blending laugh-out-loud moments with genuine emotional depth. Curtis has a knack for creating memorable ensembles and iconic monologues, often set against sweeping moments of human connection. For screenwriters, his work offers insight into how to balance sincerity with humor, and how to craft dialogue that’s both relatable and elevated. With global box office hits and enduring cultural impact, Curtis has set the gold standard amongst screenwriters for the modern rom-com.



  • Love Actually (2003): Interwoven stories of love at Christmastime.

  • Additional screenwriters: None

  • Rating: 7.5 IMDb

  • Script download


  • About Time (2013): A man uses time travel to find love and a better life, but most overcome a whole bunch of problems along the way.

  • Additional screenwriters: None

  • Rating: 82% RT

  • Script download


  1. James Cameron


James Cameron is one of the most influential screenwriters in modern cinema, crafting blockbuster scripts that combine large-scale spectacle with human emotion. His writing showcases a mastery of pacing, thematic resonance, and high-stakes conflict, often anchored by strong female protagonists. Cameron’s films, spanning sci-fi, action, and romance, have grossed billions worldwide and earned him multiple Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director for Titanic. Aspiring screenwriters can study his meticulous world-building, seamless integration of action and character development, and ability to deliver emotional payoffs without sacrificing thrills.


  • The Terminator (1984): A cyborg assassin travels back in time to kill the mother of humanity’s future savior.

  • Additional screenwriters: Gale Anne Hurd, William Wisher

  • Rating: 89% (RT)

  • Download screenplay


  • Aliens (1986): A female space freighter pilot joins a team of Colonial Marines to investigate a colony overrun by lethal extraterrestrials that tried to kill her.

  • Additional screenwriters: David Giler, Walter Hill

  • Rating: 94% (RT)

  • Download screenplay


  • Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991): A reprogrammed Terminator must protect a young John Connor from a more advanced killer machine.

  • Additional screenwriters: William Wisher

  • Rating: 95% (RT)

  • Download screenplay


  • Titanic (1997): A seventeen-year-old aristocrat falls in love with a kind but poor artist aboard the luxurious, ill-fated R.M.S. Titanic.

  • Additional screenwriters: --

  • Rating: 7.9 (IMDb)

  • Download screenplay


  • Avatar (2009): A paraplegic Marine dispatched to the moon Pandora on a unique mission becomes torn between following his orders and protecting the world he feels is his home.

  • Additional screenwriters: --

  • Rating: 7.9 (IMDb)

  • Download screenplay


  1. Quentin Tarantino


Quentin Tarantino is one of the most distinctive and celebrated screenwriters spanning the 1990s to the 2020s, with a style defined by razor-sharp dialogue, genre-bending narratives, and bold non-linear structures. His work, often blending crime, revenge, and dark comedy, has won him two Academy Awards for Best Original Screenplay (Pulp Fiction, Django Unchained) and achieved major commercial success. For screenwriters, Tarantino’s scripts are masterclasses in creating unforgettable characters, building tension through conversation, and using structure to surprise the audience. He proves that a unique voice can be just as marketable as a big concept.


  • Reservoir Dogs (1992): The lives of two mob hitmen, a boxer, a gangster’s wife, and a pair of diner bandits intertwine in four tales of violence and redemption.

  • Additional screenwriters: Roger Avary

  • Rating: 94% (RT)

  • Download screenplay


  • True Romance (1993): In Detroit, a pop-culture enthusiast steals cocaine from his new wife's pimp and tries to sell it in Hollywood, prompting the mobsters who own the drugs to pursue the couple.

  • Additional screenwriters: Roger Avary

  • Rating: 93% (RT)

  • Download screenplay


  • Jackie Brown (1997): A flight attendant with a criminal past gets nabbed by the ATF for smuggling. Under pressure to become an informant against the illegal arms dealer she works for, she must find a way to secure her future without getting killed.

  • Additional screenwriters: Elmore Leonard

  • Rating: 85% (RT)

  • Download screenplay


  • Django Unchained (2012): A freed slave teams up with a bounty hunter to rescue his wife from a brutal Mississippi plantation owner.

  • Additional screenwriters: --

  • Rating: 92% (RT)

  • Download screenplay


screenwriters recommendation

MORE SCREENWRITERS WHO ROCK!


  1. Lawrence Kasdan


Lawrence Kasdan is a master storyteller whose screenwriting career spans blockbuster adventure epics and intimate character dramas. Known for his sharp dialogue and deft character development, Kasdan balances spectacle with human emotion in a way that has made his work enduringly popular. His contributions to the Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchises helped define modern blockbuster storytelling, while films like The Big Chill showcase his ability to explore relationships and generational identity. Kasdan’s screenplays have grossed billions worldwide and earned multiple Academy Award nominations. Screenwriters can learn from his skill in marrying high-concept plots with relatable, grounded characters.




  • Body Heat (1981): During an extreme heatwave, a beautiful Florida woman and a seedy lawyer engage in an affair while plotting the murder of her rich husband.

  • Additional screenwriters: --

  • Rating: 81% (RT)

  • Download screenplay



  1. John Logan


John Logan is one of the most versatile screenwriters working today, equally at home in historical epics, psychological dramas, and blockbuster action. His writing is marked by a deep understanding of character motivation and a talent for weaving thematic depth into genre-driven narratives. Logan’s work has been recognized with three Academy Award nominations and significant box office success. Screenwriters can take note of his commitment to character-driven stakes, his mastery of dialogue that reflects inner conflict, and his ability to adapt seamlessly across genres without losing his unique storytelling voice.



  1. Aaron Sorkin


Aaron Sorkin is renowned for his rapid-fire dialogue, intricate plotting, and a knack for turning intellectual battles into riveting drama. From the courtroom fireworks of A Few Good Men to the tech-industry intrigue of The Social Network, Sorkin’s work is marked by verbal sparring, moral dilemmas, and characters with razor-sharp wit. His scripts have earned multiple Academy Award nominations and an Oscar win for The Social Network, alongside critical and commercial success. Screenwriters can learn from Sorkin’s mastery of dialogue-driven storytelling, his ability to sustain tension without relying on action set pieces, and his focus on character-driven conflict.


  • A Few Good Men (1992): Military lawyers uncover a high-level conspiracy while defending Marines accused of murder.

  • Additional screenwriters: —

  • Rating: 89% (RT)

  • Download screenplay



  • The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020): The story of 7 people on trial stemming from various charges surrounding the uprising at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Illinois.

  • Additional screenwriters: --

  • Rating: 90% (RT)

  • Download screenplay


  1. Christopher McQuarrie


Christopher McQuarrie is a master of precision plotting and character-driven action, with a reputation for crafting intelligent, high-stakes thrillers. His breakout screenplay, The Usual Suspects, won him the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay and became a touchstone for twist-driven narratives. In recent years, McQuarrie has redefined the modern action blockbuster through his work on the Mission: Impossible franchise, blending jaw-dropping set pieces with intricate character arcs. His films have grossed hundreds of millions worldwide and earned critical acclaim for their balance of spectacle and story. Screenwriters can learn from McQuarrie’s commitment to narrative clarity, his use of misdirection, and his ability to maintain emotional stakes even in the most adrenaline-fueled sequences.


  • The Usual Suspects (1995): The sole survivor of a pier shoot-out tells the story of how a notorious criminal influenced the events that began with five criminals meeting in a seemingly random police lineup.

  • Additional screenwriters:

  • Rating: 96% (RT)

  • Download screenplay


  • Edge of Tomorrow (2014): A man fighting in a war against aliens must relive the same day every time he dies until he can find a way to stop their power source with the help of an elite soldier.

  • Additional screenwriters: Jez Butterworth, John-Henry Butterworth

  • Rating: 94% (RT)

  • Download screenplay


  • Mission Impossible: Fallout (2018): A group of terrorists plans to detonate three plutonium cores for a simultaneous nuclear attack on different cities. Ethan Hunt, along with his IMF team, sets out to stop the carnage.

  • Additional screenwriters: Bruce Geller

  • Rating: 89% (RT)

  • Download screenplay


  • Brian Helgeland


Brian Helgeland’s screenwriting career is a blend of gritty crime dramas and atmospheric thrillers, often rooted in moral ambiguity and flawed protagonists. Winning an Academy Award for L.A. Confidential, Helgeland has shown a deft hand at adapting complex source material and crafting taut, character-driven narratives. His work’s commercial and critical acclaim demonstrates his ability to resonate with audiences across genres. Screenwriters can study Helgeland’s scripts to understand how to balance hard-boiled storytelling with rich thematic undercurrents.


  • L.A. Confidential (1997): Three detectives with different agendas investigate a string of murders in 1950s Los Angeles.

  • Additional screenwriters: Curtis Hanson

  • Rating: 94% (RT)

  • Download screenplay


  • Mystic River (2003): The tragic murder of a 19-year-old girl reunites three childhood friends still living in Boston--the victim's gangster father, a detective, and the disturbed man they both suspect of killing her.

  • Additional screenwriters: Brian Helgeland, Dennis Lehane

  • Rating: 89% (RT)

  • Download screenplay


  • Man on Fire (2004): In Mexico City, a former CIA operative swears vengeance on those who committed an unspeakable act against the family he was hired to protect.

  • Additional screenwriters: A.J. Quinnell

  • Rating: 89% (RT)

  • Download screenplay


Want to find out which screenwriters make the list in my next installment of Screenwriters, Screenwriters, and More Screenwriters? Click the button below for my super-simple, spam-free, not-very-frequent-but-informative newsletter sign-up page.


screenwriters recommendation

About the Author


Phil Parker's screenwriting career took off when his spec script, THE THIRD BOMB, blitzed the festival and contest circuit. Soon after, he was named one of the International Screenwriters Association's Top 25 Screenwriters to Watch. Since then, he has gone on to write features for independent filmmakers worldwide. Phil specializes in stories with adventurous hearts, often sprinkled with humor, be they action, family, drama, or sci-fi films. CATSAWAY, the animated feature Phil developed for Tent Pictures, sold to Image Nation, the biggest studio in the Middle East. His first draft of FLY GIRLS led to a BAFTA-winning producer coming on board, and his first draft of FORTE attracted a major investment from an executive producer. Phil's script, THE THIRD BOMB, also ranked in the top 2% of screenwriters on the Red List, and was optioned twice. Previously, Phil worked as a Creative Producer at the BBC and The History Channel. He is an M.A. graduate of USC's School of Cinematic Arts and a citizen of both the USA and Australia.


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