Skip to main content
Join The Community
- Join our community
11
Premium Benefits
24/7
Access Available
21K+
Active Members
Commenting
Join the discussion
Exclusive Articles Coming Soon
Member-only articles
Weekly Newsletters
Weekly gaming & entertainment news
Member Badges
Earn badges as you go
Exclusive Competitions
Members-only prize draws
Curated Deals Coming Soon
Tech and gaming deals worth grabbing
GET COMMUNITY ACCESS QUICK
For the quickest way to join, simply enter your email below and get access. We will send a confirmation and sign you up to our newsletter to keep you updated on all your gaming news.
By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
FIND OUT ABOUT OUR MAGAZINE
Want to subscribe to the magazine? Click the button below to find out more information.
Find out more
GET Community ACCESS QUICK

Join the GamesRadar community for quick access. Enter your email below and we'll send confirmation, and sign you up to our newsletter.

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

Background
Welcome to GamesRADAR+ Community !
Hi ,

Your membership journey starts here.

Keep exploring and earning more as a member.

MY ACCOUNT

Badge picture
Earn your first badge
Read 1 article to unlock your first badge.
Keep earning badges
Explore ways to get more involved as a member.
Latest Games News

Latest Games News

Breaking gaming news and updates

Read Now
Latest Games Reviews

Latest Games Reviews

Expert verdicts on the newest releases

Read Now

See what you’ve unlocked.

Explore your membership benefits.

Explore
Member Exclusives

Stay Ahead with GamesRadar+

Get the biggest gaming news, reviews, and releases straight to your inbox.

Explore

Sign Out
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+
US EditionUS CA EditionCanada UK EditionUK AU EditionAustralia
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Features
  • More
    • PS5
    • Xbox Series X
    • Nintendo Switch
    • Nintendo Switch 2
    • PC
    • Platforms
    • Tabletop Gaming
    • Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Newsletters
    • About us
    • Features
Trending
  • Best Netflix Movies
  • Movie Release Dates
  • Best movies on Disney Plus
  • Best Netflix Shows
  1. Entertainment
  2. Movies

15 most prolific female screenwriters

Features
By Sarah Dobbs published 14 April 2015

Girls on film

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

  • Facebook
  • X
  • Pinterest
  • Flipboard
  • Email
Share this article
Join the conversation
Follow us
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Sign up for the Total Film Newsletter

Bringing all the latest movie news, features, and reviews to your inbox


By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

You are now subscribed

Your newsletter sign-up was successful


Join the club

Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards.


An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
Subscribe to our newsletter

The stats on the number of women working in the film industry are always depressing. Female directors, in particular, are thin on the ground but since the 90s, the number of female screenwriters and directors has, somehow, gone down. So thats bad news.

Whats the good news? Well, at least the women on this list are kicking ass. Here are fifteen of the most prolific female screenwriters working today

Lucinda Coxon

The writer: Lucinda Coxon is more of a playwright than a screenwriter, with more than 11 produced plays under her belt. But shes written for the screen on and off since 1997, and shes got a couple of particularly exciting projects coming up: Guillermo del Toro brought her on board to work up the script of Crimson Peak, and she also adapted David Ebershoffs novel The Danish Girl for the big screen.

Biggest hit to date: Wild Target

Look out for: The Danish Girl.

Irene Mecchi

The writer: Irene Mecchis filmography is made up almost entirely of animated films: she started out at Disney by writing a short about an environmentally conscious dinosaur called Recycle Rex in 1992, and has since racked up writing credits on The Lion King, The Hunchback Of Notre Dame, Hercules, Brave and more.

Biggest hit to date: The Lion King

Sign up for the Total Film Newsletter

Bringing all the latest movie news, features, and reviews to your inbox

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

Look out for: Strange Magic.

Diablo Cody

The writer: The controversial stripper-turned-blogger-turned-screenwriter might only have five movie credits to her name right now, but since those all date from 2007 and afterwards, and she also wrote 27 episodes of a TV show along the way, it seems like Diablo Cody belongs here.

Biggest hit to date: Juno

Look out for: Ricki And The Flash.

Leslye Headland

The writer: Another one with only a few credits (but ones shes racked up fast), Leslye Headland started her career as a staff writer on Terriers then moved onto movies: she wrote and directed Bachelorette, and squeezed in two more movies before this years Sleeping With Other People, which she also directed. Phew.

Biggest hit to date: Bachelorette

Look out for: Sleeping With Other People.

Aline Brosh McKenna

The writer: Harvard grad Aline Brosh McKenna nabbed herself an agent off the back of a six-week screenwriting course, and never looked back. Her movies tend to be women-centric comedies, including 27 Dresses and Morning Glory.

Biggest hit to date: The Devil Wears Prada.

Look out for: Shes attached to a live action take on the backstory of 101 Dalmatians villain Cruella de Vil, though details are currently sketchy.

Katie Dippold

The writer: Another up-and-comer, Katie Dippold currently only has one produced film on her CV but she also has 54 episodes of MADtv and seven episodes of Parks and Recreation to her name. And since her first movie only came out in 2013 and shes already getting stuck into two more, wed say shes a name worth knowing.

Biggest hit to date: The Heat

Look out for: Ghostbusters.

Kirsten Smith and Karen McCullah

The writers: Writing partners Kirsten Smith and Karen McCullah started a script together the first night they met, and though that one mightve been a dud, theyve been responsible for tons of comedies ever since 10 Things I Hate About You was their first produced script, but theyre also behind Legally Blonde, Shes The Man and The House Bunny.

Biggest hit to date: Legally Blonde

Look out for: Theyre writing Expendabelles, the all-female take on The Expendables franchise.

Linda Woolverton

The writer: Linda Woolvertons notched up a lot of firsts in her career. After starting out writing for childrens TV shows in the 80s, she became the first woman ever to write an animated film for Disney when she penned Beauty And The Beast which was, itself, the first animated movie to be nominated for the Best Picture Oscar. More recently, with Alice In Wonderland she became the first woman to write a billion dollar movie alone.

Biggest hit to date: Alice In Wonderland

Look out for: Alice In Wonderland: Through The Looking Glass.

Leslie Dixon

The writer: Leslie Dixon earned a name for herself writing comedies, from Outrageous Fortune to Look Whos Talking Now and Mrs Doubtfire. But after writing so many comedy movies in a row, she worried that shed run out of humour and moved into thrillers, starting with The Thomas Crown Affair. Shes vacillated between the two genres ever since.

Biggest hit to date: Mrs Doubtfire

Look out for: She's attached to a TV series based on her script for Limitless.

  • 1
  • 2

Current page: Page 1

Next Page Page 2
Sarah Dobbs
Latest in Movies
Milly Alcock as Supergirl
DC Movies Supergirl director says the movie will "thoroughly investigate" Krypton and Kara's home Argo City
 
 
Milly Alcock as Supergirl
DC Movies Supergirl director says there are 9 distinct worlds in the new DC movie, with 5 "original" languages spoken
 
 
Ryan Gosling as Ryland Grace in Project Hail Mary
Sci-Fi Movies Project Hail Mary directors showed off an "embarrassing" 225-minute cut to fellow filmmakers and received blunt feedback
 
 
Ghostface in Scream 7
Horror Movies Scream 7 exclusive featurette goes behind the scenes as the director breaks down Ghostface's most gruesome kill
 
 
Jack Black
Animated Movies Despite already being Bowser in the Super Mario movies, Jack Black wants to star in a live-action Yakuza adaptation
 
 
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie
Animated Movies Super Mario Galaxy Movie star Charlie Day thinks Luigi's Mansion "would make a great movie"
 
 
Latest in Features
At Fate's End key art showcasing your initial sword without logo
Action Games I fell in love with At Fate's End when my sister tore her arm off to make a lightning sword
 
 
Arjun shields up as Prophet blasts out a spiral of yellow corrupted bullets in a Saros boss fight, with the GamesRadar+ Big Preview frame
Roguelike Games Saros: The Big Preview – Hands-on and developer access with PS5's roguelike game-changer
 
 
The Serpent's Skin
Horror Movies The Serpent's Skin is the neon-soaked, blood-splattered queer love story I've been waiting for
 
 
Pokemon TCG Perfect Order Elite Trainer Box on a wooden table
Tabletop Gaming Perfect Order introduces a Pokemon card everyone will want to use, and fans are already clamoring for it
 
 
Cyberpunk 2077
RPGs Cyberpunk 2077 is a better role-playing game than The Witcher 3
 
 
Star Fox
Third Person Shooters Star Fox isn't just an iconic retro Nintendo shooter – it paved the road to Super Mario 64
 
 
LATEST ARTICLES
  1. Neil Newbon in Dead Take and Astarion from Baldur's Gate 3
    1
    Baldur's Gate 3 actor Neil Newbon gives Arc Raiders dev "props" for replacing AI voices with humans
  2. 2
    Palworld's Bucky threatens more April Fool's jokes, but I'm not joking when I say we need that Palworld dating sim
  3. 3
    Undertale's Toby Fox doesn't want to do translations in languages he doesn't speak
  4. 4
    Supergirl director says the movie will "thoroughly investigate" Krypton and Kara's home Argo City
  5. 5
    InZOI boss made his "untalented" son play the successful life sim to "learn game development"

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google
  • Terms and conditions
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Accessibility statement
  • Careers
  • About us
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility Statement

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...