The Writers Guild of America has announced the nominees for its 2019 awards, recognizing the best writing of 2018. Expected favorites likeIf Beale Street Could Talk,Roma, andBlacKkKlansmanmade the cut, as didA Star Is Born,Vice, andGreen Book. On the blockbuster side of things,Black PantherandA Quiet Placeboth scored nominations, although this is one awards ceremony in whichBohemian Rhapsodywas left out in the cold.
As always, a few key films were ruled ineligible for the WGA awards owing to the WGA’s strict guidelines. This includesThe Favourite, which is expected to land a Best Original Screenplay Oscar nomination, as well asHereditary,Sorry to Bother You,Incredibles 2, andThe Death of Stalin.
The most noteworthy script left out here isPaul Schrader’sFirst Reformed, which has picked up a number of Best Original Screenplay awards on the critics circuit. Whether this is a harbinger of an Oscar snub as well is unclear, but it’s certainly surprising. The absence ofBohemian Rhapsody, meanwhile, is most definitely not a snub.
Oscar frontrunners in the two categories are a bit tough to suss out at the moment, but for Original Screenplay keep an eye onEighth Grade,Roma, andThe Favourite, and for Adapted Screenplay it feels like a three-way race betweenIf Beale Street Could Talk,BlacKkKlansman, andCan You Ever Forgive Me?.
Check out the full list of WGA film and video game nominations below. The winners will be announced on February 17th.
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
Written by Alfonso Cuarón; Netflix
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
VIDEOGAME 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
