Manuel here bringing you the latest guild awards courtesy of the writers in the industry. As with SAG and DGA, what the writers enjoy and choose worthy of a nomination helps those of us intent on predicting the Oscars see what might be in the running not only for the screenplay categories but also what films are gaining steam enough to see the across-the-board support that nets them a Best Picture citation.
A few caveats, though. Given the Writer's Guild rules, there are a number of high profile screenplays that weren't even in the running for their award and thus their absence should in no way be taken as a slight on their quality or a notch against their potential come Oscar nomination time. As usual, animated fare and foreign language (and foreign-produced) films are the ones least likely to show up here given the eligibility requirements—one must be a member of the WGA in order to be nominated.
Without further ado, find the nominees below with some quick commentary. Scroll further down still if you want to see the TV and New Media categories which were announced back in December.
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Arrival, Screenplay by Eric Heisserer; Based on the Story “Story of Your Life” by Ted Chiang; Paramount Pictures
Deadpool, Written by Rhett Reese & Paul Wernick; Based on the X-Men Comic Books; Twentieth Century Fox Film
Fences, Screenplay by August Wilson; Based on his Play; Paramount Pictures
Hidden Figures, Screenplay by Allison Schroeder and Theodore Melfi; Based on the Book by Margot Lee Shetterly; Twentieth Century Fox Film
Nocturnal Animals, Screenplay by Tom Ford; Based on the Novel Tony and Susan by Austin Wright; Focus Features
NOT ELIGIBLE HERE SO YOU MIGHT SEE THEM AT OSCARS STILL: Elle*, Finding Dory, The Handmaiden, Krisha, Lion
(Totally Biased) Commentary: Sometimes, these eligibility issues mean that the WGA needs to go further afield with their list but that nomination for Reese & Wernick is just... wow. (Unpopular opinion: Deadpool wasn't that great. But really, the question I know we'll all be asking ourselves come Oscar nomination time is: will we forever be required to type "Oscar nominee Tom Ford" from there on out?
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Hell or High Water, Written by Taylor Sheridan; CBS Films
La La Land, Written by Damien Chazelle; Lionsgate
Loving, Written by Jeff Nichols; Focus Features
Manchester by the Sea, Written by Kenneth Lonergan; Amazon Studios/Roadside Attractions
Moonlight, Written by Barry Jenkins, Story by Tarell McCraney; A24
NOT ELIGIBLE HERE SO YOU MIGHT SEE THEM AT OSCARS STILL: Florence Foster Jenkins, The Lobster, Maggie's Plan*, Miss Sloane, Paterson, Toni Erdmann, Zootopia
(Totally Biased) Commentary: We already know two of these finalists won't make Oscar's shortlist: Jenkins' script for Moonlight and Nichols' for Loving were both deemed (accurately, I'd say) Adapted Screenplays and thus will compete in that category. That means that Chazelle, Lonergan and Sheridan (all Globe nominees) are looking pretty solid going forward. But who will fill out those other two spots? Might we be looking at Disney Animation's first ever screenplay nomination? Can Lanthimos surprise?
*As per a WGA member in our comments, turns out both Elle and Maggie's Plan were eligible. Huppert really can't catch a break with these guilds can she?
DOCUMENTARY SCREENPLAY
Author: The JT LeRoy Story, Written by Jeff Feuerzeig; Amazon Studios
Command and Control, Telescript by Robert Kenner and Eric Schlosser, Story by Brian Pearle and Kim Roberts; Based on the book Command and Control by Eric Schlosser; American Experience Films
Zero Days, Written by Alex Gibney; Magnolia Pictures
OSCAR HAS NO CATEGORY FOR DOCUMENTARY WRITING. Sad!
(Totally Biased) Commentary: Author makes sense here since it's such a writerly script (about a writer no less!) even though I was not quite taken with it. And here, not knowing what was or wasn't eligible makes it hard to ponder what got "snubbed." Either way, this is nothing but good news for Zero Days and Command and Control, both of which are on Oscar's shortlist and going head to head with some mighty competition *coughOJMadeInAmericacough*
TELEVISION AND NEW MEDIA NOMINEES
DRAMA SERIES
The Americans, Written by Peter Ackerman, Tanya Barfield, Joshua Brand, Joel Fields, Stephen Schiff, Joe Weisberg, Tracey Scott Wilson; FX
Better Call Saul, Written by Ann Cherkis, Vince Gilligan, Jonathan Glatzer, Peter Gould, Gennifer Hutchison, Heather Marion, Thomas Schnauz, Gordon Smith; AMC
Game of Thrones, Written by David Benioff, Bryan Cogman, Dave Hill, D.B. Weiss; HBO
Stranger Things, Written by Paul Dichter, Justin Doble, The Duffer Brothers, Jessica Mecklenburg, Jessie Nickson-Lopez, Alison Tatlock; Netflix
Westworld, Written by Ed Brubaker, Bridget Carpenter; Dan Dietz, Halley Gross; Lisa Joy; Katherine Lingenfelter, Dominic Mitchell, Jonathan Nolan, Roberto Patino, Daniel T. Thomsen, Charles Yu; HBO
COMEDY SERIES
Atlanta, Written by Donald Glover, Stephen Glover, Stefani Robinson, Paul Simms; FX
Silicon Valley, Written by Megan Amram, Alec Berg, Donick Cary, Adam Countee, Jonathan Dotan, Mike Judge, Carrie Kemper, John Levenstein, Dan Lyons, Carson Mell, Dan O’Keefe, Clay Tarver, Ron Weiner; HBO
Transparent, Written by Arabella Anderson, Bridget Bedard, Micah Fitzerman-Blue, Noah Harpster, Jessi Klein, Stephanie Kornick, Ethan Kuperberg, Ali Liebegott, Our Lady J, Faith Soloway, Jill Soloway; Amazon Studios
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Written by Emily Altman, Robert Carlock, Azie Mira Dungey, Tina Fey, Lauren Gurganous, Sam Means, Dylan Morgan, Marlena Rodriguez, Dan Rubin, Meredith Scardino, Josh Siegal, Allison Silverman, Leila Strachan; Netflix
Veep, Written by Rachel Axler, Sean Gray, Alex Gregory, Peter Huyck, Eric Kenward, Billy Kimball, Steve Koren, David Mandel, Jim Margolis, Lew Morton, Georgia Pritchett, Will Smith, Alexis Wilkinson; HBO
NEW SERIES
Atlanta, Written by Donald Glover, Stephen Glover, Stefani Robinson, Paul Simms; FX
Better Things, Written by Pamela Adlon, Louis C.K., Cindy Chupack, Gina Fattore; FX
Stranger Things, Written by Paul Dichter, Justin Doble, The Duffer Brothers, Jessica Mecklenburg, Jessie Nickson-Lopez, Alison Tatlock; Netflix
This Is Us, Written by Isaac Aptaker, Elizabeth Berger, Bekah Brunstetter, Dan Fogelman, Vera Herbert, Joe Lawson, Kay Oyegun, Aurin Squire, K.J. Steinberg, Donald Todd; NBC
Westworld, Written by Ed Brubaker, Bridget Carpenter, Dan Dietz, Halley Gross, Lisa Joy, Katherine Lingenfelter, Dominic Mitchell, Jonathan Nolan, Roberto Patino, Daniel T. Thomsen, Charles Yu; HBO
LONG FORM ORIGINAL
American Crime, Written by Julie Hébert, Sonay Hoffman, Keith Huff, Stacy A. Littlejohn, Kirk A. Moore, Davy Perez, Diana Son; ABC
Confirmation, Written by Susannah Grant; HBO
Harley and the Davidsons, Written by Seth Fisher, Nick Schenk, Evan Wright; Discovery Channel
Surviving Compton: Dre, Suge & Michel’le, Written by Dianne Houston; Lifetime
LONG FORM ADAPTED
11.22.63, Written by Bridget Carpenter, Brigitte Hales, Joe Henderson, Brian Nelson, Quinton Peeples, Based on the novel by Stephen King; Hulu
American Crime Story: The People vs. O.J. Simpson, Written by Scott Alexander, Joe Robert Cole, D.V. DeVincentis, Maya Forbes, Larry Karaszewski, Wally Wolodarsky, Based on the book The Run of His Life by Jeffrey Toobin; FX
Madoff, Written by Ben Robbins, Inspired by the Book The Madoff Chronicles: Inside the Secret World of Bernie and Ruth by Brian Ross; ABC
The Night Of, Written by Richard Price, Steve Zaillian, Based on the BBC Series Criminal Justice Created by Peter Moffat; HBO
Roots, Written by Lawrence Konner, Alison McDonald, Charles Murray, Mark Rosenthal, Based upon the Book by Alex Haley; History Channel
SHORT FORM NEW MEDIA – ORIGINAL
“Episode 101” (Now We’re Talking), Written by Tug Coker, Tommy Dewey; go90.com
“Escape the Room” (Life Ends at 30), Written by Michael Field; vimeo.com
“Itsy Bitsy Spider” Episode 1 (Thug Passion), Written by Motrya Tomycz; vimeo.com
“The Party” (The Commute), Written by Linsey Stewart & Dane Clark; youtube.com
SHORT FORM NEW MEDIA – ADAPTED
“Passage” Part 4 (Fear the Walking Dead), Written by Lauren Signorino & Mike Zunic; amc.com
“Under Siege” (The Strain), Written by Bradley Thompson & David Weddle, Based on the novels by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan; fxnetworks.com
ANIMATION
“Barthood” (The Simpsons), Written by Dan Greaney; Fox
“First Day of Rule” (Elena of Avalor), Written by Craig Gerber; Disney Channel
“Fish Out of Water” (BoJack Horseman), Written by Elijah Aron & Jordan Young; Netflix
“A Princess on Lothal” (Star Wars Rebels), Written by Steven Melching; Disney XD
“Stop the Presses” (BoJack Horseman), Written by Joe Lawson; Netflix
EPISODIC DRAMA
“Gloves Off” (Better Call Saul), Written by Gordon Smith; AMC
“I Am a Storm” (Shameless), Written by Sheila Callaghan; Showtime
“Klick” (Better Call Saul), Written by Heather Marion & Vince Gilligan; AMC
“Switch” (Better Call Saul), Written by Thomas Schnauz; AMC
“The Trip” (This Is Us), Written by Vera Herbert; NBC
“The Winds of Winter” (Game of Thrones), Written for Television by David Benioff & D.B. Weiss; HBO
EPISODIC COMEDY
“Kimmy Finds Her Mom!” (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt), Written by Tina Fey & Sam Means; Netflix
“Kimmy Goes on a Playdate!” (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt), Written by Robert Carlock; Netflix
“Pilot” (One Mississippi), Written by Diablo Cody & Tig Notaro; Amazon Studios
“R-A-Y-C-Ray-Cation” (Speechless), Written by Carrie Rosen & Seth Kurland; ABC
“Streets on Lock” (Atlanta), Written by Stephen Glover; FX
“A Taste of Zephyria” (Son of Zorn), Written by Dan Mintz; Fox
COMEDY / VARIETY (INCLUDING TALK) – SERIES
The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, Writers: Dan Amira, David Angelo, Steve Bodow, Devin Delliquanti, Zach DiLanzo, Travon Free, Hallie Haglund, David Kibuuka, Matt Koff, Adam Lowitt, Dan McCoy, Lauren Sarver Means, Trevor Noah, Joe Opio, Zhubin Parang, Owen Parson, Daniel Radosh, Michelle Wolf; Comedy Central
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, Writers: Kevin Avery, Tim Carvell, Josh Gondelman, Dan Gurewitch, Geoff Haggerty, Jeff Maurer, John Oliver, Scott Sherman, Will Tracy, Jill Twiss, Juli Weiner; HBO
Late Night with Seth Meyers, Writers: Jermaine Affonso, Alex Baze, Bryan Donaldson, Sal Gentile, Matt Goldich, Jenny Hagel, Allison Hord, Mike Karnell, Andrew Law, John Lutz, Aparna Nancherla, Chioke Nassor, Seth Meyers, Ian Morgan, Conner O’Malley, Seth Reiss, Amber Ruffin, Mike Scollins, Mike Shoemaker, Ben Warheit, Michelle Wolf; NBC
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Writers: Mike Brumm, Nate Charny, Aaron Cohen, Stephen Colbert, Cullen Crawford, Paul Dinello, Eric Drysdale, Ariel Dumas, Glenn Eichler, Gabe Gronli, Barry Julien, Jay Katsir, Daniel Kibblesmith, Matt Lappin, Opus Moreschi, Tom Purcell, Jen Spyra, Brian Stack; NBC
COMEDY / VARIETY – SKETCH SERIES
Documentary Now!, Writers: Bill Hader, John Mulaney, Seth Meyers; IFC
Inside Amy Schumer, Writers: Kim Carmele, Kyle Dunnigan, Jessi Klein, Michael Lawrence, Kurt Metzger, Christine Nangle, Claudia O’Doherty, Dan Powell, Tami Sagher, Amy Schumer; Comedy Central
Maya and Marty in Manhattan, Head Writers: Mikey Day, Matt Roberts, Bryan Tucker Writers: Eli Bauman, Jeremy Beiler, Chris Belair, Hallie Cantor, David Feldman, R J Fried, Melissa Hunter, Paul Masella, Tim McAuliffe, John Mulaney, Diallo Riddle, Maya Rudolph, Bashir Salahuddin, Marika Sawyer, Streeter Seidell, Martin Short; Emily Spivey, Steve Young; NBC
Nathan For You, Written by Leo Allen, Nathan Fielder, Adam Locke-Norton, Eric Notarnicola; Comedy Central
Saturday Night Live, Head Writers: Rob Klein, Bryan Tucker Writers: James Anderson, Fred Armisen, Jeremy Beiler, Chris Belair, Megan Callahan, Michael Che, Mikey Day, Jim Downey, Tina Fey, Fran Gillespie, Sudi Green, Tim Herlihy, Steve Higgins, Colin Jost, Zach Kanin, Chris Kelly, Erik Kenward, Paul Masella, Dave McCary, Dennis McNicholas, Seth Meyers, Lorne Michaels, Josh Patten, Paula Pell, Katie Rich, Tim Robinson, Sarah Schneider, Pete Schultz, Streeter Seidell, Dave Sirus, Emily Spivey, Andrew Steele, Will Stephen, Kent Sublette; NBC
COMEDY / VARIETY – MUSIC, AWARDS, TRIBUTES – SPECIALS
68th Primetime Emmy Awards, Written by Jack Allison, Tony Barbieri, Jonathan Bines, Joelle Boucai, Robert Cohen, Gary Greenberg, Josh Halloway, Sal Iacono, Eric Immerman, Jimmy Kimmel, Bess Kalb, Jeff Loveness, Jon Macks, Molly McNearney, Danny Ricker, Jeff Stilson, Joe Strazzullo, Alexis Wilkinson; ABC
73rd Annual Golden Globe Awards, Written by Barry Adelman; Special Material Written by Dave Boone, Ricky Gervais, Jon Macks, Matthew Robinson; NBC
88th Annual Academy Awards, Written by Dave Boone, Billy Kimball; Special Material Written by Scott Aukerman, Rodney Barnes, Neil Campbell, Matthew Claybrooks, Lance Crouther, Mike Ferrucci, Langston Kerman, Jon Macks, Steve O’Donnell, Nimesh Patel, Vanessa Ramos, Chris Rock, Frank Sebastiano, Chuck Sklar, Jeff Stilson, Michelle Wolf; CBS
Triumph’s Election Special, Written by Andy Breckman, Josh Comers, David Feldman, R J Fried, Jarrett Grode, Ben Joseph, Matthew Kirsch, Michael Koman, Mike Lawrence, Brian Reich, Craig Rowin, Robert Smigel, Zach Smilovitz, Andrew Weinberg; Hulu
QUIZ AND AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION
Hollywood Game Night, Head Writer: Grant Taylor; Writers: Michael Agbabian, Alex Chauvin, Ann Slichter, Dwight D. Smith; NBC
Jeopardy!, Written by John Duarte, Harry Friedman, Mark Gaberman, Deborah Griffin, Michele Loud, Robert McClenaghan, Jim Rhine, Steve D. Tamerius, Billy Wisse; ABC
DAYTIME DRAMA
General Hospital, Writers: Shelly Altman, Anna Theresa Cascio, Andrea Archer Compton, Suzanne Flynn, Janet Iacobuzio, Elizabeth Korte, Daniel James O’Connor, Jean Passanante, Dave Rupel, Katherine Schock, Scott Sickles, Chris Van Etten, Christopher Whitesell; ABC
CHILDREN’S SCRIPT – EPISODIC AND SPECIALS
“Girl Meets Commonism” (Girl Meets World), Written by Joshua Jacobs & Michael Jacobs; Disney Channel
“Just Add Mom” (Just Add Magic), Written by John-Paul Nickel; Amazon Studios
“Mel vs. The Night Mare of Normal Street” (Gortimer Gibbon’s Life on Normal Street), Written by Laurie Parres; Amazon Studios
“Mucko Polo, Grouch Explorer” (Sesame Street), Written by Belinda Ward; HBO
CHILDREN’S SCRIPT – LONG FORM OR SPECIAL
Dance Camp, Teleplay by Nick Turner & Rex New and Cameron Fay, Story by Nick Turner & Rex New; youtube.com
Once Upon a Sesame Street Christmas, Written by Geri Cole & Ken Scarborough; HBO
R.L. Stine’s Monsterville: Cabinet Of Souls, Written by Billy Brown & Dan Angel; Freeform
DOCUMENTARY SCRIPT – CURRENT EVENTS
“Chasing Heroin” (Frontline), Written by Marcela Gaviria; PBS
“The Choice 2016” (Frontline), Written by Michael Kirk & Mike Wiser; PBS
“Inside Assad’s Syria” (Frontline), Written by Martin Smith; PBS
DOCUMENTARY SCRIPT – OTHER THAN CURRENT EVENTS
“American Reds,” Written by Richard Wormser; WPTS Dayton
“Jackie Robinson, Part One,” Written by David McMahon & Sarah Burns; PBS
“Netanyahu at War” (Frontline), Written by Michael Kirk & Mike Wiser; PBS
NEWS SCRIPT – REGULARLY SCHEDULED, BULLETIN, OR BREAKING REPORT
“Ambush In Dallas” (World News Tonight With David Muir), Written by David Bloch, Karen Mooney, David Muir, David Schoetz; ABC News
“Brussels Under Attack” (World News Tonight With David Muir), Written by David Bloch, Karen Mooney, David Muir, David Schoetz; ABC News
“Muhammad Ali: Remembering A Legend” (48 Hours), Written by Jerry Cipriano, John Craig Wilson; CBS News
NEWS SCRIPT – ANALYSIS, FEATURE, OR COMMENTARY
“CBS Sunday Morning Almanac” June 12, 2016 (CBS Sunday Morning), Written by Thomas A. Harris; CBS
RADIO NOMINEES
RADIO DOCUMENTARY
“Chernobyl: 30 Years Later,” Written by Andrew Evans; ABC News Radio
“Summer of 2016,” Written by David Shapiro; CBS News Radio
RADIO NEWS SCRIPT—REGULARLY SCHEDULED, BULLETIN, OR BREAKING REPORT
“6:40am News” November 13, 2015, Written by Philip Pilato; CBS Radio Network/1010 WINS
“Legends of the Game,” Written by Thomas A. Sabella; CBS News Radio
“Muhammad Ali: A Tribute to Greatness,” Written by Gail Lee; CBS Radio Network
“World News This Week” August 26, 2016, Written by Tara Gimbel Tanis; ABC News Radio
RADIO NEWS SCRIPT – ANALYSIS, FEATURE, OR COMMENTARY
“Dishin Digital on WCBS-AM,” Written by Robert Hawley; WCBS-AM Radio
“Morley Safer: A Journalist’s Life,” Written by Gail Lee; CBS Radio Network
“Vin Scully”, Written by Jerry Edling; CBS News Radio
“Vin Scully Hangs Up The Mic,” Written by Andrew Evans; ABC News Radio
PROMOTIONAL WRITING NOMINEES
ON-AIR PROMOTION (TELEVISION, NEW MEDIA OR RADIO)
“Big Brother Over The Top Launch & NCIS: Special Agent Tony Dinozzo’s Top Moments,” Written by Erial Tompkins; CBS
“CBS On-Air Reel,” Written by Brian Retchless; CBS On-Air Promotion
“The Dollmaker, Halloween,” Written by Jennifer H. Kaas; NBC
“Limitless Promos 15/16” (CBS), Written by Jessica Katzenstein; CBS On-Air Promotion
“Mom,” Written by Dan Greenberger; CBS
TELEVISION GRAPHIC ART AND ANIMATION
“The Real History of Cinco de Mayo,” (Gawker Media Group), Graphic Animation by Elisa Solinas; youtube.com