No one knows better than members of the Writers Guild of America which screenplays are the best of the year, although it could be argued that several are left by the wayside because of Guild eligibility rules.
In their pronouncement of the best of the bunch in adapted and original screenplays, the WGA, West and WGA, East name the contenders that will five for the top prize to be named on March 5 during simultaneous ceremonies in New York and Los Angeles.
In the original screenplay category, “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” “The Fabelmans,” “Nope,” “Tar” and “The Menu” are the films nominated.
In the Adapted Screenplay category, the guild went for Oscar nominees “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery,” “Top Gun: Maverick” and “Women Talking,” along with “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” and “She Said.”
Six of the ten are also nominated for Academy Awards. Yet several of those Oscar nominees including “The Banshees of Inisherin,” “All Quiet on the Western Front” “Triangle of Sadness” and “Living” were ineligible for the WGA Awards.
For the WGA, screenplays must be written under the guild’s Minimum Basic Agreement or under a similar agreement with an allied international guild.
Here are the nominees:
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Everything Everywhere All At Once, Written by Daniel Kwan & Daniel Scheinert; A24
The Fabelmans, Written by Steven Spielberg & Tony Kushner; Universal Pictures
The Menu, Written by Seth Reiss & Will Tracy; Searchlight Pictures
Nope, Written by Jordan Peele; Universal Pictures
Tár, Written by Todd Field; Focus Features
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Screenplay by Ryan Coogler & Joe Robert Cole, Story by Ryan Coogler, Based on the Marvel Comics; Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, Written by Rian Johnson; Netflix
She Said, Screenplay by Rebecca Lenkiewicz, Based on the New York Times Investigation by Jodi Kantor, Megan Twohey and Rebecca Corbett and the Book She Said by Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey; Universal Pictures
Top Gun: Maverick, Screenplay by Ehren Kruger and Eric Warren Singer and Christopher McQuarrie, Story by Peter Craig and Justin Marks, Based on Characters Created by Jim Cash & Jack Epps, Jr.; Paramount Pictures
Women Talking, Screenplay by Sarah Polley, Based upon the Book by Miriam Toews; Orion Pictures/MGM
DOCUMENTARY SCREENPLAY
2nd Chance, Written by Ramin Bahrani; Showtime Documentary Films
Downfall: The Case Against Boeing, Written by Mark Bailey & Keven McAlester; Netflix
Last Flight Home, Written by Ondi Timoner; MTV Documentary Films
Moonage Daydream, Written by Brett Morgen; Neon
¡Viva Maestro!, Written by Theodore Braun; Greenwich Entertainment
