Every movie–good or bad, big or small– starts the same way, as words on a page. Those words tell a story and it’s up to the director and their team to bring that story to life on screen, hence the word “screenplay.” On the road to the Academy Awards, the Writers Guild of America, or WGA for short, has recently announced their nominations for the best screenplays of 2018. Original means the screenplay is an original piece of work. Adapted screenplays are scripts for films that are based off an already existing intellectual property, be it a book or video game or previous film. Before we dive in, I just want to make it clear that the WGA awards are used to predict who will be nominated for the screenplay awards come the Oscars in February. It is also important to note that the WGA awards do include screenplays for video games, but for the purpose of my blog, I have included only the categories involving film. Without further ado, here are the nominees:
Best Original Screenplay
“Eighth Grade,” Written by Bo Burnham
“Green Book,” Written by Nick Vallelonga & Brian Currie & Peter Farrelly
“A Quiet Place,” Written by Bryan Woods & Scott Beck and John Krasinski
“Roma,” Written by Alfonso Cuaron
“Vice,” Written by Adam McKay
Best Adapted Screenplay
“Blackkklansman,” Written by Charlie Wachtel & David Rabinowitz and Kevin Willmott & Spike Lee; Based on the book by Ron Stallworth
“Black Panther,” Written by Ryan Coogler & Joe Robert Cole; Based on the Marvel Comics by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby
“Can You Ever Forgive Me?,” Written by Nicole Holofcener and Jeff Whitty; Based on the book by Lee Israel
“If Beale Street Could Talk,” Written by Barry Jenkins; Based on the novel by James Baldwin
“A Star Is Born,” Written by Eric Roth and Bradley Cooper & Will Fetters; Based on the 1954 screenplay by Moss Hart and the 1976 screenplay by John Gregory Dunne & Joan Didion and Frank Pierson
Best Documentary Screenplay
“Bathtubs Over Broadway,” Written by Ozzy Inguanzo & Dava Whisenant
“Fahrenheit 11/9,” Written by Michael Moore
“Generation Wealth,” Written by Lauren Greenfield
“In Search of Greatness,” Written by Gabe Polsky
So there you have it. Do any of the nominees surprise you or is there any film, in particular, you will be rooting for? I want to hear from you, so hit me up in the comments below!
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