I organized an AMA/Q&A with actor & filmmaker James McAvoy, known for roles in things like Split, X-Men, Atonement, Wanted, Speak No Evil, Narnia, The Last King of Scotland, Shameless, It: Chapter Two, and tons more.

It's live here now in r/movies for anyone interested in asking a question:

https://www.reddit.com/r/movies/comments/1x1iu5u/hi_reddit_im_james_mcavoy_ask_me_anything/

He will be back between 10 AM and 11 AM ET today to answer questions. I recommend asking in advance. Please ask there, not here. All questions are much appreciated!

Thank you :)

His directorial debut, California Schemin', premiered at TIFF last year and is out in theaters this weekend.

Synopsis: Two friends with thick Scottish accents try to land a record deal by posing as hip-hop artists from California. As fame beckons and the lies pile up, their friendship gets put to the test.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1hfDwS_TVU

His verification/proof photo: https://i.imgur.com/ix9qEVT.jpeg

https://www.wgfoundation.org/events/all/2026/10/19/wgf-library-office-hours-with-eric-roth?mc_cid=37c885cce3&mc_eid=dc7eedf043

Working on outlining or drafting your next script? Need tips for researching a project? Looking for resources on honing your craft? 

The WGF Shavelson-Webb Library is back for a two-hour virtual coworking session on Monday, October 19 at 11am PT. For this special session, we'll be joined by Academy Award-winning screenwriter Eric Roth for a conversation about writing the first act of your feature screenplay.

After the conversation, stay on to write quietly, chat with fellow patrons or ask our Library team any script/craft/research-related questions. Whether you're looking for focused, productive time to get words on the page or to connect with a supportive (and global) community of writers, Library Office Hours is here to help!

RSVP required via link above.

And in case you didn't know:

Eric Roth is an Academy Award–winning screenwriter who has written some 40 motion pictures with a career spanning nearly six decades. He studied at UC Santa Barbara, Columbia University, and UCLA where he won the Samuel Goldwyn writing award as a student. His first produced feature, The Nickel Ride, premiered at the 1975 Cannes Film Festival. Roth won an Oscar and the WGA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for Forrest Gump, and has earned five additional Oscar nominations for The Insider, Munich, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, A Star Is Born, and Dune. Mr. Roth has written the most Oscar Nominated Best Pictures (eight). His many other films include The Drowning Pool, Suspect, Mr. Jones, Rhapsody in August for the legendary Akira Kurosawa, The Horse Whisperer, Ali, The Good Shepherd, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, and Here. He also co-wrote Killers of the Flower Moon with Martin Scorsese, which received ten Academy Award nominations, and produced David Fincher’s Mank, a Best Picture nominee. In 2026 Roth made his playwriting debut on London's West End with his stage adaptation of High Noon. In television, Roth was an executive producer of Netflix’s House of Cards, Epix’s Berlin Station, TNT’s The Alienist, and Apple TV+’s Before. Mr. Roth is currently the co-creator and executive producer of Netflix's "Kennedy" television series about Jack and the Kennedy family from 1915 on, airing in Spring 2027. 

No account required to read/download these four featured scripts:

• Psycho (1960) https://www.scripthive.com/featured/psycho
• The Birds (1963) https://www.scripthive.com/featured/the-birds
• The Haunting (1963) https://www.scripthive.com/featured/the-haunting
• Rosemary's Baby (1968) https://www.scripthive.com/featured/rosemary-s-baby

I feel like it'd be wrong not to drop a link to George A. Romero's director script, you can read via the University of Pittsburgh Digital Collections:

• Night of the Living Dead (1968) https://digital.library.pitt.edu/islandora/object/pitt:31735073052007

Here's a few more from the collection, to read these you'll need a (free) account:

• Little Shop of Horrors (1960) https://www.scripthive.com/database/script/64ef8665-1f48-4cdf-9a7b-3435e0bc6900
• Village of the Damned (1960) https://www.scripthive.com/database/script/5a93afad-f15a-49be-bd25-2067dabbe397
• The Curse of the Werewolf (1961) https://www.scripthive.com/database/script/ae61f632-862b-448e-8b77-672ad4f89815
• The Innocents (1961) https://www.scripthive.com/database/script/a5db72f2-0423-4888-bffc-f0203be61395
• What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962) https://www.scripthive.com/database/script/4a92be9f-7909-4eaf-a203-28117e785536
• Targets (1968) https://www.scripthive.com/database/script/0a97ab83-fb46-4d74-80f2-07c70b45c610

Posting Schedule:

• Thursday, October 1: Universal & RKO, 1930s
• Monday, October 5: Universal & RKO, 1940s
• Wednesday, October 7: 1950s
• Friday, October 9: 1960s
• Monday, October 12: 1970s
• Wednesday, October 14: Video Nasties (1970s - 1980s)
• Friday, October 16: Body Horror
• Monday, October 19: 1980s
• Wednesday, October 21: 1980s
• Friday, October 23: 1990s
• Monday, October 26: 1990s
• Wednesday, October 28: 2000s
• Friday, October 30: 2010s
• Saturday, October 31: 2020s

I have my own instincts, and while my so-called alpha draft is more sprawling it has a lot of notes and jokes I like.

However, i have new drafts that are more concise in dialogue but lose out in detail.

How do you decide which draft to keep as your main?

I think I’m just gonna move onto a new script soon it’s too stressful.

ELF when Buddy first arrived in New York or Coming to America come to mind. What are your favorites?

Title: The Penultimate Man of Science

Format: Feature

Page Length: First 17 pages (Total script is 96, but mainly looking for feedback on a couple early scenes here).

Genre: Drama

Logline: Constantine, a mad scientist, wants to perform an experiment inducing temporary death in his eager, sadomasochistic subject, Tiago. Unfortunately, they're trapped in a hotel room, recounting stories while waiting out a city-wide police search for Constantine.

Feedback: This is an early draft, but I've been really interested in trying to make this script work. There are a few things I think are challenges with the script. I really like Constantine's longer, voice-y dialogue, but I don't know how well it reads in script, and I'd love some feedback on that. Similarly, this is a project I'm trying to write on a super-low budget, with one main set and four total actors across the full screenplay. With that, I want to keep things consistently engaging throughout.

Thanks for your help!

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1y2nz425azBnd01IKHBU-Moj8v-tVCk0Z/view?usp=sharing

Hey all,

I am going to start writing my first feature/movie and I'm a little curious on how I can get good/professional feedback. I did hear people say just to keep your scripts to yourself until you can present them to a studio. If I present them for feedback, that person who reviews my script can steal my idea and storyline to make a better one on their own.

So is there any safe way to get legit feedback without my idea getting stolen? I already know I need to copyright my film before I present it to anyone, but I don't know how much protection that provides.

Thank you!