The Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) and the Writers Guild of America, West (WGAW) and have offered up The Dark Knight as a legitimate contender for Best Adapted Screenplay by making it one of their five nominees in the category. On top of that my favorite film of the year, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, saw Woody Allen’s screenplay nominated for original screenplay along with a few you may not have expected. As Ryan Adams at AwardsDaily points out, this is Woody’s 19th WGA nom and could potentially lead to his 15th Best Screenplay Oscar nomination on top of his two Oscar wins.
The complete lists for Original, Adapted and Documentary Screenplay noms are below. Winners will be honored at the 2009 Writers Guild Awards held on Saturday, February 7, 2009, at simultaneous ceremonies in New York and Los Angeles.
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
- Burn After Reading, Written by Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, Focus Features
- Milk, Written by Dustin Lance Black, Focus Features
- Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Written by Woody Allen, The Weinstein Company
- The Visitor, Written by Tom McCarthy, Overture Films
- The Wrestler, Written by Robert Siegel, Fox Searchlight Pictures
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
- The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Screenplay by Eric Roth; Screen Story by Eric Roth and Robin Swicord; Based on the Short Story by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros. Pictures
- The Dark Knight, Screenplay by Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan; Story by Christopher Nolan and David S. Goyer; Based on Characters Appearing in Comic Books Published by DC Comics; Batman Created by Bob Kane, Warner Bros. Pictures
- Doubt, Screenplay by John Patrick Shanley, Based on his Stage Play, Miramax Films
- Frost/Nixon, Screenplay by Peter Morgan, Based on his Stage Play, Universal Pictures
- Slumdog Millionaire, Screenplay by Simon Beaufoy, Based on the Novel Q and A by Vikas Swarup, Fox Searchlight Pictures
DOCUMENTARY SCREENPLAY
- Boogie Man: The Lee Atwater Story, Written by Stefan Forbes and Noland Walker, InterPositive Media
- Chicago 10, Written by Brett Morgen, Roadside Attractions
- Fuel, Written by Johnny O’Hara, Greenlight Theatrical / Intention Media
- Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson, Screenplay by Alex Gibney, From the Words of Hunter S. Thompson, Magnolia Pictures
- Waltz with Bashir, Written by Ari Folman, Sony Pictures Classics
