Screenwriters and their screenplays will get their turn in the spotlight Feb. 17 at the bicoastal Writers Guild of America Award ceremonies, celebrating their 71st year.
Today the Writers Guild of America West (WGAW) and the Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) announced their nominations for outstanding achievement in 2018 feature film writing. The original screenplay nominees were Bo Burnham for A24’s “Eighth Grade”; Bryan Woods, Scott Beck, and John Krasinski for Paramount Pictures’ “A Quiet Place”; Alfonso Cuarón for Netflix’s “Roma”; Adam McKay for Annapurna Pictures’ “Vice”; and recent Golden Globe winners Nick Vallelonga, Brian Currie, and Peter Farrelly for Universal Pictures’ “Green Book.” Adapted screenplay contenders, meanwhile, were Focus Features’ “Blackkklansman”; Disney’s “Black Panther”; Fox Searchlight’s “Can You Ever Forgive Me?”; Annapurna Pictures’ “If Beale Street Could Talk”; and Warner Brothers’ “A Star Is Born.”
Requirements in the WGA’s Minimum Basic Agreement mean that each year, several feature films end up ineligible for consideration; among them in 2019 are Fox Searchlight’s “The Favourite” and A24’s “Hereditary,” as well as animated films like Disney’s “The Incredibles 2” and Fox Searchlight’s “Isle of Dogs.”
READ: Your Official 2018–19 Film Awards Calendar
Announced previously were the nominees in the television, new media, radio, and news categories. Among those were dramas including FX’s Emmy-winning “The Americans,” AMC’s “Better Call Saul,” Netflix’s “The Crown,” Hulu’s “The Handmaid’s Tale,” and HBO’s “Succession,” and comedies including FX’s “Atlanta,” HBO’s “Barry,” Netflix’s “GLOW,” NBC’s “The Good Place,” and Amazon Prime Video’s Emmy-winning “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” as well as individual episodes from many of those scripted shows. “Barry” and “Succession” were also nominated in the new series category.
Last year’s festivities concluded with Jordan Peele’s “Get Out” and James Ivory’s “Call Me By Your Name” winning the original and adapted prizes, respectively; both repeated their success at the subsequent Academy Awards. “The Handmaid’s Tale” notched wins in the new and drama series categories. Which of this year’s contenders will take home the guild’s honors Feb. 17?
Comprised of film, TV, radio, and new media writers, the east and west coast branches of the Writers Guild of America together cast nominations and votes for their awards. For more information on Hollywood’s biggest guild for writers, visit www.wgaeast.org and www.wga.org.
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