The WGA has released its nominations for original and adapted scripts in 2013, including American Hustle and The Wolf of Wall Street.
Winter may be in full swing, but awards season has only just begun as the Writers Guild has announced its nominees for the films of 2013. Among the films honored with recognition for excellence in an Original Screenplay were American Hustle’s Eric Warren Singer and David O. Russell, Woody Allen for Blue Jasmine, Spike Jonze’s work on Her, and Bob Nelson for Nebraska, a script that he wrote over a decade ago when director Alexander Payne first bought the rights.
On the Adapted Screenplay side of things, Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy, and Ethan Hawke’s trifecta revisiting of the Jesse & Celine characters earned Before Midnight a nomination, while Billy Ray, Peter Berg, and Terrence Winter, for Captain Phillips, Lone Survivor, and The Wolf of Wall Street, respectively, also picked up nominations.
Of course with any nominating process, the more intriguing aspect is who doesn’t get the invite and ends up snubbed. In the Original Screenplay category, Alfonso Cuarón and Jonás Cuarón’s absence for Gravity is quite glaring, and the snubbing of John Ridley for the well regarded 12 Years a Slave screenplay could potentially be shocking. However, WGA rules are different from those of most other guilds, including SAG and PGA, not to mention award bodies like the Oscars’ AMPAS. At this point, it is not quite clear as to why a film like 12 Years was ignored in favor of Lone Survivor, but it is possible that very specific WGA qualifications of what stands as a guild-approved script were not met by other highly anticipated contenders. It remains quite possible that movies like 12 Years a Slave, Gravity, and even Philomenawill slip past some of these other contenders when the Academy cast their ballots.
The WGA awards ceremony will be held simultaneously in New York and Los Angeles on Saturday, February 1, 2014.
The full list of nominees below:
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAYAmerican Hustle, Written by Eric Warren Singer and David O. Russell; Columbia PicturesBlue Jasmine, Written by Woody Allen; Sony Pictures ClassicsDallas Buyers Club, Written by Craig Borten & Melisa Wallack; Focus FeaturesHer, Written by Spike Jonze; Warner Bros.Nebraska, Written by Bob Nelson; Paramount PicturesADAPTED SCREENPLAYAugust: Osage County, Screenplay by Tracy Letts; Based on his play; The Weinstein CompanyBefore Midnight, Written by Richard Linklater & Julie Delpy & Ethan Hawke; Based on characters created by Richard Linklater & Kim Krizan; Sony ClassicsCaptain Phillips, Screenplay by Billy Ray; Based on the book A Captain’s Duty: Somali Pirates, Navy SEALS, and Dangerous Days at Sea by Richard Phillips with Stephan Talty; Columbia PicturesLone Survivor, Written by Peter Berg; Based on the book by Marcus Lutrell with Patrick Robinson; Universal PicturesThe Wolf of Wall Street, Screenplay by Terence Winter; Based on the book by Jordan Belfort; Paramount PicturesDOCUMENTARY SCREENPLAYDirty Wars, Written by Jeremy Scahill & David Riker; Sundance SelectsHerblock – The Black & The White, Written by Sara Lukinson & Michael Stevens; The Stevens CompanyNo Place on Earth, Written by Janet Tobias & Paul Laikin; Magnolia PicturesStories We Tell, Written by Sarah Polley; Roadside AttractionsWe Steal Secrets: The Story of Wikileaks; Written by Alex Gibney; Focus Features