Interview: ‘The Order’ Screenwriter Zach Baylin On Bringing This True Story to the Masses

One of the more underrate films of 2024 has to be The Order. It stood out during the Toronto International Film Festival as a throwback sort of movie, one we just don’t see on the big screen anymore. Television has taken over the procedural world, so when we see a cinematic version, not to mention a strong one, it’s worth taking note of. Director Justin Kurzel and writer Zach Baylin (Academy Award nominated for writing King Richard) sure pulled it off with The Order. Late last year, I spoke to Baylin on Zoom about the whole endeavor. Today, with the flick hoping to catch some awards attention, I present to you our discussion.

In my review back at TIFF (here), I said the following about Baylin’s script:

Director Justin Kurzel and scribe Zach Baylin craft a film that’s ruthlessly efficient and always entertaining, even if it’s very dark. This is the most effective Kurzel has been while courting the mainstream, while Baylin makes sure being a factual re-telling of the events doesn’t get in the way of it being cinematic. Now, the movie could have stood to have been slightly shorter, given the abrupt nature of the climax, but the end scenes are unlike most of what we get in the genre, so that’s another feather in the cap of The Order. That’s a recurring theme, too. Even when something is close to a flaw, it’s done in an interesting way to mitigate any real damage to the experience.

Below, you can hear my conversation with Baylin. We talk a lot about how crazy it is that this story was largely unknown until now. The Order would have been compelling regardless, but the fact that most audience members are first discovering this while watching the movie only hammers home how important it was to make in the first place. Plus, someone like Baylin, as well as Kurzel, is able to make it enjoyable, cinematically, so the message will actually be received. If you haven’t seen the flick yet, get on it ASAP!

Here now is my interview with The Order screenwriter Zach Baylin. Enjoy:

The Order is in theaters now!