The Writers Guild Association (WGA) handed out the 2013 WGA Awards tonight and as tired as you may be of hearing it, Argo is once again among the winners, this time with Chris Terrio winning Adapted Screenplay, pretty much sealing the deal at the Oscars as well as far as I’m concerned.
The screenplay for Argo was up against fellow Oscar nominees in Tony Kushner‘s screenplay for Lincoln, David Magee‘s screenplay for Life of Pi and David O. Russell‘s screenplay for Silver Linings Playbook. Before tonight I had kept Kushner’s screenplay at #1 in my predictions for Best Adapted Screenplay, but no more. Oh well, Kushner was overheard at the ceremony saying he was working on another screenplay for Spielberg (source), but didn’t elaborate on the content. Perhaps he’ll have a shot with that one.
In the original category, it was Mark Boal winning for Zero Dark Thirty, but this is a category that isn’t quite as predictive as Adapted when it comes to the Oscars considering the current top two contenders weren’t even eligible for the award based on WGA rules.
Right now I have Michael Haneke‘s screenplay for Amour ranked #1, just ever-so-slightly over Quentin Tarantino‘s Django Unchained with Boal’s script running third. For the longest time I had Zero Dark Thirty at #1, but momentum on the pic has seemed to fade. It’s nice to see a little recognition for it here, but when it isn’t facing off against a full field of competitors is a win really… a win?
And, finally, in the documentary category it was Malik Bendejelloul‘s screenplay for Searching for Sugar Man that took home the award. Sugar Man is currently the most likely film to win Best Documentary at the Oscars.
I have listed the winners below alongside the nominees as well as links to the nominated screenplays that are available online. I have also updated my Oscar predictions in both Adapted and Original Screenplay categories. You can check those out by clicking on the category of your chosing.
Additionally, I have updated the Oscar Overture with tonight’s three winners. Click here to have a look.
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
- Flight, Written by John Gatins; Paramount Pictures [Download the Script]
- Looper, Written by Rian Johnson; TriStar Pictures [Download the Script]
- The Master, Written by Paul Thomas Anderson; The Weinstein Company [Download the Script]
- Moonrise Kingdom, Written by Wes Anderson & Roman Coppola; Focus Features [Download the Script]
- Zero Dark Thirty, Written by Mark Boal; Columbia Pictures
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
- Argo, Screenplay by Chris Terrio; Based on a selection from The Master of Disguise by Antonio J. Mendez and the Wired Magazine article “The Great Escape” by Joshuah Bearman; Warner Bros. Pictures
- Life of Pi, Screenplay by David Magee; Based on the novel by Yann Martel; 20th Century Fox
- Lincoln, Screenplay by Tony Kushner; Based in part on the book “Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln” by Doris Kearns Goodwin; DreamWorks Pictures [Download the Script]
- The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Screenplay by Stephen Chbosky; Based on his book; Summit Entertainment [Download the Script]
- Silver Linings Playbook, Screenplay by David O. Russell; Based on the novel by Matthew Quick; The Weinstein Company [Download the Script]
DOCUMENTARY SCREENPLAY
- The Central Park Five, Written by Sarah Burns and David McMahon and Ken Burns; Sundance Selects
- The Invisible War, Written by Kirby Dick; Cinedigm Entertainment Group
- Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God, Written by Alex Gibney; HBO Documentary Films
- Searching for Sugar Man, Written by Malik Bendejelloul; Sony Pictures Classics
- We Are Legion: The Story of the Hacktivists, Written by Brian Knappenberger; Cinetic Media
- West of Memphis, Written by Amy Berg & Billy McMillin; Sony Pictures Classics
