281 | Wicked: For Good Writer Dana Fox on High-Concept Movie Ideas

The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna

Meg LeFauve & Lorien McKenna

Tv & Film

4.9 • 1.1K Ratings

🗓️ 15 January 2026

⏱️ 73 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Dana Fox (WICKED, WICKED: FOR GOOD) returns to talk about high-concept movie ideas and why the premise matters more than ever. Dana breaks down what makes an idea market-ready, how to tell if a concept has real gas in the tank, and why emerging writers should focus on selling the idea before perfecting the execution. She also reflects on writing WICKED as two films, crafting emotional payoff over time, and why - even at the highest level - writing never gets easier. --- Looking for more support on your writing journey? Join Meg and Lorien inside ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TSL Workshops⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠- use code HOLIDAY25 for 50% off your first month. Episode Links: Dana Fox on ⁠TSL episode 239⁠ Franklin Leonard on Substack Check out the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TSL merch shop⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ TSL on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Bluesky⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ The Screenwriting Life is produced by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jonathan Hurwitz⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, edited by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Kate Mishkin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and audio engineered and mixed by Urban Olsson. Email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠thescreenwritinglife@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. --- Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	AI is incredible. They can teach you how to fry an egg and even write a poem, pirate style.
0:07.0	But it knows nothing about your work. Slackbot is different. It doesn't just know the facts.
0:14.0	It knows your schedule. It can turn a brainstorm into a brief and it doesn't need to be taught.
0:20.0	Because Slackbot isn't just another AI.
0:23.3	It's AI that knows your work as well as you do. Visit Slack.com forward slash meet Slackbot to learn more.
0:31.9	Hey everyone. Welcome back to the screenwriting life. I'm Meg Lofos. And I'm Lori Ann McKenna. And today we're
0:37.0	really excited to have Dana Fox with us onceos. And I'm Lori and McKenna. And today we're really excited to
0:37.8	have Dana Fox with us once again. Dana is a TV and film writer, producer, and showrunner.
0:43.3	She's the co-writer and executive producer of Wicked and Wicked for Good. She also co-wrote
0:48.2	The Lost City and Disney's Cruella. And some of her additional feature credits include
0:52.3	what happens in Vegas, couples retreat, and How to Be Single.
0:56.0	On the TV side, Dana is an executive producer on Netflix's upcoming Little House on the Prairie series,
1:01.3	Cannot Wait.
1:02.3	She was the co-creator showrunner and EP of the Apple TV Plus series Home Before Dark,
1:07.2	and the creator showrunner and EP of Ben and Kate on Fox.
1:10.8	She recently entered into a multi-year TV deal with Sony Pictures, Television.
1:15.9	And last but certainly not least, Dana is the mother of three kids under 12, which in no way whatsoever affects the amount of time she has to work.
1:24.3	Ha ha.
1:25.6	Ha ha ha.
1:27.1	So Dana was on the show last February to talk about Wicked, and that episode became one of our most
1:32.3	listened to episodes ever.
1:34.0	No way.
	...

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