From Austin Film Festival this is On Story, a look inside the creative process from today’s leading creators, writers and filmmakers. I’m your host, Barbara Morgan.

Academy Award-winning screenwriter Christopher McQuarrie’s films include Jack Reacher, The Way of the Gun, and the two most recent Mission: Impossible films – Fallout and Rouge Nation.  His writing credits include Edge of Tomorrow, Top Gun: Maverick, and The Usual Suspects. The Usual Suspects garnered McQuarrie an Academy Award and the BAFTA for Best Original Screenplay, as well as the Edgar Allan Poe and Independent Spirit Awards. It has since been named one of the 100 greatest screenplays of all time by The Writers Guild of America. I spoke with McQuarrie at an Austin Film Festival virtual event that was co-presented by The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.