Academy Award-winning screenwriter Roger Avary, best known for co-writing the iconic film Pulp Fiction, recently shared his thoughts on the state of modern Hollywood during an appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience.
During the conversation with Joe Rogan, Avary argued that a generational shift in studio leadership, particularly the rise of newer executives prioritizing corporate messaging, has fundamentally changed how films are written and produced.
He suggested that this cultural shift, which he associates in part with female executives and diversity initiatives, has contributed to what many critics describe as Hollywood becoming increasingly “woke.”
Avary, who shared the Best Original Screenplay Oscar with Quentin Tarantino in 1995, believes the industry’s creative direction began to change when experienced studio figures were replaced by a new wave of leadership.
“I think something happened at the studios where they fired all of the legacy people and they hired on a bunch of new people who just weren’t as good at storytelling,” Avary said.
He argued that executives increasingly rely on structured guidelines and technical frameworks rather than creative instincts. Avary specifically referenced the influence of screenwriting manuals, including those by Syd Field, which he believes were eventually adopted by studio leadership as rigid formulas rather than flexible storytelling tools.
“That eventually found its way into the hands of studio executives,” Avary explained, “and they were like, ‘Oh, now we know what a screenplay is supposed to be structured like.'”
He added that the rise of online viewing platforms has further reinforced this trend, with studios issuing detailed white papers and creative mandates that dictate how stories should be developed.
A central theme of Avary’s criticism was the idea that modern studios are increasingly driven by institutional messaging rather than individual artistic vision. He suggested that diversity and inclusion initiatives, while not inherently problematic, have sometimes been implemented in ways that feel forced or disconnected from the story.
“The most probably crass example of that is DEI stuff in movies,” Avary said.
He drew a distinction between a filmmaker’s personal perspective and what he described as corporate-driven storytelling, arguing that characters and plotlines now sometimes exist primarily to satisfy external requirements rather than serve the narrative.
“They’re more interested in the corporate propaganda than they are with any kind of personal propaganda,” he said.
While Avary did not name specific female executives, he implied that the shift toward diversity-focused leadership, particularly among newer studio decision-makers, has played a role in shaping the industry’s current direction.
Despite his criticism of modern Hollywood, Avary made it clear that he does not oppose female-led stories or diverse representation. In fact, he pointed to classic films as proof that strong women have long been central to successful storytelling.
One example he highlighted was the original Alien, starring Sigourney Weaver as Ellen Ripley.
“The history of cinema is built on a complex woman character,” Avary said. “A complex woman character can have faults. Characters have things wrong with them.”
He described Alien as a film that could be considered progressive without drawing attention to itself. “That’s a good example of a movie that was like a DEI movie that you never even noticed,” he said. “Like you have a female lead and you never think about it.”
According to Avary, the key difference lies in whether representation emerges naturally from the story or feels deliberately inserted.
Avary also took aim at the direction of the Star Trek franchise, arguing that earlier versions handled social themes more effectively than modern installments. He specifically referenced the creative eras led by Gene Roddenberry and Rick Berman, saying those shows integrated progressive ideas into compelling narratives rather than making them the primary focus.
“They’re not just beating you over the head with it,” he said. “It’s somehow integrated into good storytelling.”
Avary directed particular criticism at producer Alex Kurtzman, claiming that modern leadership has distanced itself from the franchise’s original creative spirit. He even said he had offered to contribute to new Star Trek projects simply for the chance to be involved, but felt his enthusiasm for the original series was not welcomed.
The conversation eventually shifted to the Star Wars sequel trilogy, where Avary criticized filmmaker J. J. Abrams for what he viewed as a lack of originality. According to Avary, the newer films simply recycled familiar storylines with superficial changes.
“He just basically took the Luke Skywalker story and just reinterpreted it with a strong woman character,” Avary said. “I just thought it was bland and just tasteless and just nothing new. He just went to the middle.”
He compared this approach to the way artificial intelligence tends to produce average, middle-of-the-road outcomes rather than bold creative ideas.
“You don’t need AI to go to the middle,” he added.
Throughout the discussion, Rogan largely agreed with Avary’s assessment that the real problem is not representation itself, but the quality of storytelling behind it.
Both men emphasized that many of the most memorable characters in film history have been women, and that audiences respond to strong writing regardless of gender or identity.
