Writers Guild Awards Nominees Include A Star Is Born, Green Book, Roma

Alfonso Cuaron’s “Roma” has landed a Writers Guild of America nomination for original screenplay, along with Adam McKay’s “Vice,” Bo Burnham’s “Eighth Grade,” Bryan Woods, Scott Beck, and John Krasinski’s “A Quiet Place,” and Peter Farrelly, Nick Vallelonga, and Brian Currie’s “Green Book.”

Adapted screenplay noms went to Ryan Coogler and Joe Robert Cole’s “Black Panther,” Barry Jenkins’ “If Beale Street Could Talk,” Nicole Holofcener and Josh Whitty’s “Can You Ever Forgive Me?,” Bradley Cooper, Eric Roth, and Will Fetters’ “A Star Is Born,” and Charlie Wachtel, David Rabinowitz, Kevin Willmott, and Spike Lee’s “BlacKkKlansman.”

The winners will be announced on Feb. 17 in joint ceremonies at the Edison Ballroom in New York and the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif.

WGA members voted on 63 eligible original screenplays and 60 adapted scripts. The scripts for “The Favourite,” “Sorry to Bother You,” “Isle of Dogs,” “Hereditary,” “Leave No Trace,” “Death of Stalin,” and “Incredibles 2” were not eligible. Unlike other guilds, the WGA excludes as candidates any screenplays not produced under its jurisdiction or that of another guild. That’s because the WGA has the ultimate authority over determining which writers receive screenplay credit, if the script is produced under WGA jurisdiction.

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Notable screenplays that were eligible, but overlooked, included “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “First Reformed,” and “Private Life” in the original category, and “Crazy Rich Asians,” “First Man,” “Beautiful Boy,” and “Boy Erased” in the adapted field.

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The WGA announced the nominations on Monday, a day after “Green Brook” won the Golden Globe for best screenplay, which covers both adapted and original, topping “The Favourite,” “If Beale Street Could Talk,” “Roma” and “Vice.” The National Board of Review gave its screenplay prizes to “First Reformed” in the original category and “If Beale Street Could Talk” in the adapted field. “Can You Ever Forgive Me?” and “First Reformed” have received Spirit Award screenplay noms.

“Black Panther” is by far the best box office performer among the film nominees with worldwide grosses of $1.34 billion, followed by “A Star is Born” at $398 million and “A Quiet Place” at $340 million.

Jordan Peele’s horror-comedy “Get Out” won the WGA Award for original screenplay and James Ivory’s coming-of-age drama “Call Me by Your Name” won for adapted screenplay last year. Both went on to get Oscars. Jenkins and Tarell Alvin McCraney’s “Moonlight” won the WGA Award for original screenplay and Eric Heisserer’s “Arrival” won for adapted screenplay in 2017. “Moonlight” went on to nab the Oscar in the adapted category while “Manchester by the Sea” earned the Oscar in the original field.

McKay earned the WGA Award and the Academy Award for adapted script in 2016 for “The Big Short.” Roth won the WGA Award and the Academy Award for adapted script in 1995 for “Forrest Gump.” Holofcener received a WGA nomination in the original category in 2011 for “Please Give.”

Cuaron won Oscars in 2014 for directing and editing “Gravity” but “Roma” is his first WGA nomination. Whitty won a Tony in 2004 for writing the book for “Avenue Q” but “Can You Ever Forgive Me?” is his first WGA nomination. “BlacKkKlansman” is the first screenplay for Wachtel and Rabinowitz, who discovered Ron Stallworth’s 2014 book “Black Klansman,” interviewed him, wrote a spec screenplay and brought it to producers. Lee has been nominated for Oscars for the “She’s Gotta Have It” script and the documentary “4 Little Girls” but this is his first WGA nomination.

Michael Moore’s “Fahrenheit 11/9” received a nomination in the documentary category along with “Bathtubs Over Broadway” by Ozzy Inguanzo & Dava Whisenant; “Generation Wealth” by Lauren Greenfield and “In Search of “Greatness” by Gabe Polsky. Moore won the WGA’s original screenplay award and the Academy Award for Best Documentary for “Bowling for Columbine” in 2003.

The WGA nominees in the television categories were revealed in December.

Here are the nominated writers for feature films and video games:

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

“Eighth Grade,” Written by Bo Burnham; A24

“Green Book,” Written by Nick Vallelonga & Brian Currie & Peter Farrelly; Universal Pictures

“A Quiet Place,” Screenplay by Bryan Woods & Scott Beck and John Krasinski, Story by Bryan Woods & Scott Beck; Paramount Pictures

“Roma,” Written by Alfonso Cuarón; Netflix

“Vice,” Written by Adam McKay; Annapurna Pictures

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

“BlacKkKlansman,” Written by Charlie Wachtel & David Rabinowitz and Kevin Willmott & Spike Lee, Based on the book by Ron Stallworth; Focus Features

“Black Panther,” Written by Ryan Coogler & Joe Robert Cole, Based on the Marvel Comics by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby; Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

“Can You Ever Forgive Me?,” Screenplay by Nicole Holofcener and Jeff Whitty, Based on the book by Lee Israel; Fox Searchlight

“If Beale Street Could Talk,” Screenplay by Barry Jenkins, Based on the novel by James Baldwin; Annapurna Pictures

“A Star is Born,” Screenplay 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, Based on a story by William Wellman and Robert Carson; Warner Bros.

DOCUMENTARY SCREENPLAY

“Bathtubs Over Broadway,” Written by Ozzy Inguanzo & Dava Whisenant; Focus Features

“Fahrenheit 11/9,” Written by Michael Moore; Briarcliff Entertainment

“Generation Wealth,” Written by Lauren Greenfield; Amazon Studios

“In Search of Greatness,” Written by Gabe Polsky; Art of Sport

VIDEO GAME WRITING

“Assassin’s Creed Odyssey,” Associate Narrative Directors Matthew Zagurak, Joel Janisse, James Richard Mittag; Narrative Director Melissa MacCoubrey; Story by Jonathan Dumont, Melissa MacCoubrey, Hugo Giard; Scriptwriters Madeleine Hart, Betty Robertson, Jesse Scoble, Diana Sherman, Kelly Bender, Jojo Chia, Ian Fun, Zachary M. Parris, Ken Williamson, Daniel Bingham, Jordan Lemos, Simon Mackenzie, Katelyn MacMullin, Susan Patrick, Alissa Ralph, Stephen Rhodes; Team Lead Writer Sam Gill; AI Writers Jonathan Flieger, Kimberly Ann Sparks; Ubisoft Quebec

“Batman: The Enemy Within,” Episode 5-Same Stitch, Lead Writer James Windeler; Written by Meghan Thornton, Ross Beeley, Lauren Mee; Story by Meghan Thornton, Michael Kirkbride; Telltale Games

“God of War,” Written by Matt Sophos, Richard Zangrande Gaubert, Cory Barlog; Story and Narrative Design Lead Matt Sophos; Story and Narrative Design Richard Zangrande Gaubert; Narrative Design Orion Walker, Adam Dolin; Sony Interactive Entertainment

“Marvel’s Spider-Man,” Story Lead Jon Paquette; Writers Benjamin Arfmann, Kelsey Beachum; Co-Written by Christos Gage; Additional Story Contributions by Dan Slott; Insomniac Games & Sony Interactive Entertainment

“Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire,” Narrative Designers Alex Scokel, Eric Fenstermaker, Kate Dollarhyde, Megan Starks, Olivia Veras, Paul Kirsch; Additional Writing Tony Evans, John Schmautz, Casey Hollingshead, Nitai Poddar; Narrative Design Leads Carrie Patel, Josh Sawyer; Obsidian Entertainment

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