2019 WGA Award Nominees Include 'Black Panther', 'Eighth Grade,' 'A Quiet Place', And More
Green Book won the Golden Globe for Best Screenplay at last night's awards show, and that particular train seems like it's going to continue chugging all the way to the Oscars. Peter Farrelly's film starring Mahershala Ali and Viggo Mortensen is one of several 2019 WGA Award nominees, joining films like A Quiet Place, Roma, Eighth Grade, and Vice as contenders for the Writers Guild trophy.
Read all of the nominees below, including the films that were nominated for best documentary screenplay and the games that earned a nod for outstanding achievement in video game writing.
Here's the full list of 2019 WGA Award nominees, along with some brief thoughts about each category.
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
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I love that first-time screenwriter Bo Burnham is getting some love for Eighth Grade from his fellow guild members, but the big surprise for me here is that A Quiet Place earned a spot. I'd expected that movie to largely be vying for technical awards (editing, sound mixing, etc.), but seeing it in this creative category is very cool. Still, I'm guessing Roma, Vice, or (god forbid) Green Book will beat out the competition.
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.
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This seems like it'll be the toughest category to vote for, because all of these nominees are great in different ways. I'm personally pulling for Beale Street, but any of these would be a worthy winner.
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
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I really enjoyed Generation Wealth and how it transformed from a story about the photography of wealth into a personal reflection about the filmmaker/photographer's own obsession with her work. Even if it doesn't go on to win, I'm glad to see it recognized here.
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
***
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse rightfully has everyone's attention at the moment for the terrific job it does of telling an inclusive, hilarious Spider-Man story, but the storyline in Marvel's Spider-Man is almost as good, and it's my personal pick for this category.
The winners of each category will be announced at the 2019 Writers Guild Awards on Sunday, February 17, 2019 at simultaneous ceremonies in Los Angeles and New York City.