Rash and comedy partner Nat Faxon moved into screenwriting with a pilot in 2005 for a series entitled "Adopted", which did not take off. They wrote the screenplay for "The Descendants" (2011), based on the novel of the same name, which appeared on the 2008 edition of the Black List (the most popular unproduced scripts in Hollywood at that time). The film was released to critical acclaim, receiving a Golden Globe nomination and winning the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. However, the final script for the "Descendants" was largely re-written by screenwriters and directors Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor. Payne would go on to direct the film. In an interview with "Vulture", Payne discussed an agreement between Payne/Taylor and Rash/Faxon. During the awards circuit for "The Descendants", Rash/Faxon would deliver the acceptance speeches for all of the awards except the Academy Award; the Academy Award speech would be handled by Payne/Taylor.