"Dune: Part Two" does well with the WGA and VES

by Cláudio Alves

DUNE: PART TWO | © Warner Bros.

Due to understandable circumstances, the awards season calendar has been thrown into disarray. Last week was supposed to be dominated by the Hollywood guilds announcing their nominees, but many chose to postpone such fanfare in the face of the LA wildfires. Still, there are two more guilds to account for now, as the VES and the WGA have issued press releases with their members' best-of-the-year picks. For those trying to predict the Oscars, the re-emergence of Dune: Part Two as a contender is a notable development, especially since Denis Villeneuve just received a Best Director BAFTA nomination. Then again, when discussing the Writers Guild, the sheer number of illegible contenders makes their precursor status a bit iffy…

Since we're all considering these nominations within the context of the film awards season, I'll limit the lists and commentary to the theatrical categories.

WRITERS GUILD OF AMERICA

Best Original Screenplay

• Sean Baker, ANORA
• Jesse Eisenberg, A REAL PAIN
• Alex Garland, CIVIL WAR
• Justin Kuritzkes, CHALLENGERS
• Megan Park, MY OLD ASS

Best Adapted Screenplay

• Joslyn Barnes & RaMell Ross, NICKEL BOYS
• Jay Cocks & James Mangold, A COMPLETE UNKNOWN
• Dana Fox & Winnie Holzman, WICKED
• Richard Linklater & Glen Powell, HIT MAN
• Jon Spaihts & Denis Villeneuve, DUNE: PART TWO

Best Documentary Screenplay

• Bill S. Carter & Nenad Cicin-Sain, KISS THE FUTURE
• R.J. Cutler, MARTHA
• Tony Gerber & Jesse Moss, WAR GAME
• Mark Monroe, JIM HENSON: IDEA MAN

Congratulations to all the nominees, especially those who scrounged up some well-earned recognition thanks to the guild's strict rules. It's nice to see My Old Ass and Challengers get their day in the sun, though some might raise their brows at Civil War's appearance in Best Original Screenplay. It's notable that Saturday Night was eligible but didn't make it, a sign that the picture's chances are as good as dead. 

In Adapted Screenplay, Queer's absence underlines the industry's resistance to Luca Guadaganino's superior 2024 film. If Daniel Craig nabs an Oscar nomination, we can assume he was fifth on the ballot. He's hanging by a thread in many people's predictions, and that thread is called SAG. If he hadn't secured that important precursor, most would've already dropped him from their predictions. It's a pity because Craig is legitimately great in Queer, delivering a performance of naked need, flop, sweat, and hurt, off-putting in its theatricality though never anything less than visceral. 

Also, for what it's worth, Nosferatu was eligible. Nobody ever believed it could earn gold for its writing, but I must confess myself a fan of Eggers' insistence on rethinking the classic tale through his character's period-specific belief systems rather than our contemporary values and judgment.

VISUAL EFFECTS SOCIETY

Outstanding Visual Effects in a Photoreal Feature

• BETTER MAN
• DUNE: PART TWO
• KINGDOM OF THE PLANET OF THE APES
• MUFASA: THE LION KING
• TWISTERS

Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Photoreal Feature

• BLITZ
• CIVIL WAR
• HORIZON: AN AMERICAN SAGA – CHAPTER 1
• NOSFERATU
• YOUNG WOMAN AND THE SEA

Outstanding Visual Effects in an Animated Feature

• INSIDE OUT 2
• MOANA 2
• THE WILD ROBOT
• TRANSFORMERS ONE
• ULTRAMAN: RISING

Outstanding Character in a Photoreal Feature

• Noa from KINGDOM OF THE PLANET OF THE APES
• Raka from KINGDOM OF THE PLANET OF THE APES
• Taka from MUFASA: THE LION KING
• Robbie Williams from BETTER MAN

Outstanding Character in an Animated Feature

• Anxiety from INSIDE OUT 2
• Gromit from WALLACE & GROMIT: VENGEANCE MOST FOWL
• Roz from THE WILD ROBOT
• Vic Diamond from THELMA THE UNICORN

Outstanding Environment in a Photoreal Feature

• Rome from GLADIATOR II
• The Arrakeen Basin from DUNE: PART TWO
• The Emerald City from WICKED
• Washington, D.C. from CIVIL WAR

Outstanding Environment in an Animated Feature

• Aqueduct from WALLACE & GROMIT: VENGEANCE MOST FOWL
• Iacon City from TRANSFORMERS ONE
• Juniper City from KUNG FU PANDA 4
• The Forest from THE WILD ROBOT

Outstanding CG Cinematography

• BETTER MAN
• DUNE: PART TWO
• HOUSE OF THE DRAGON
• KINGDOM OF THE PLANET OF THE APES

Outstanding Model in a Photoreal or Animated Project

• Ant-Man Arena from DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE
• Renaissance Space Station from ALIEN: ROMULUS
• The Colosseum from GLADIATOR II
• The Harkonnen Harvester from DUNE: PART TWO

Outstanding Effects Simulations in a Photoreal Feature

• Atomic Explosions and Wormriding from DUNE: PART TWO
• Burning Village, Rapids, and Floods from KINGDOM OF THE PLANET OF THE APES
• Twisters from TWISTERS
• Water, Fire, and Symbiote Effects from VENOM: THE LAST DANCE

Outstanding Effects Simulations in an Animated Feature

• KUNG FU PANDA 4
• MOANA 2
• THE WILD ROBOT
• ULTRAMAN: RISING

Outstanding Compositing & Lighting in a Feature

• BETTER MAN
• DUNE: PART TWO
• KINGDOM OF THE PLANET OF THE APES
• THE WILD ROBOT

Outstanding Practical Effects in a Photoreal Project

• BLITZ
• CONSTELLATION
• THE PENGUIN

Emerging Technology Award

• DUNE: PART TWO, Nuke CopyCat
• FURIOSA: A MAD MAX SAGA, Artist-driven Machine Learning Character
• HERE, Neural Performance Toolset
• MUFASA: THE LION KING, Real-Time Interactive Filmmaking, From Stage to Post
• THE PENGUIN; Phase Synced Flash-Gun System

Dune: Part Two is the nomination leader with seven nominations, positioning itself as the frontrunner. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes isn't far behind with six mentions, which should be enough industry support for pundits to lock it as a Best Visual Effects Oscar nominee. These results should put smiles on the faces of those few Better Man and Twisters fans out there. 

One contender that did terribly here despite being shortlisted by the Academy was Wicked, whose only nomination came for its re-invention of the Emerald City of Oz. One should also note that The Substance got nothing at all, not even in the category meant to honor practical effects. Then again, blood geyser aside, most of those unholy visions might be deemed too closely tied to the makeup department to see recognition by the Visual Effects Society.

How do these WGA and VES nominations affect your Oscar predictions?