The screenplays for “The Irishman,” “Little Women,” “Marriage Story” and “Parasite” have all been nominated by the Writers Guild of America, which announced the nominees for its 2020 Writers Guild Awards on Monday.
In the Original Screenplay category, “Marriage Story” and “Parasite” were joined by “Booksmart,” “Knives Out” and “1917.” In Adapted Screenplay, “Little Women” and “The Irishman” will be competing against “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood,” “Jojo Rabbit” and “Joker.”
Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood,” one of the favorites for the original-screenplay Oscar, was not nominated by the guild. But its absence should not be interpreted as a snub, because the Writers Guild restricts eligibility for its awards to screenplays written under its Minimum Basic Agreement, or under the jurisdiction of a collective bargaining agreement in a handful of other countries. This year, that rule disqualified “Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood” as well as “The Farewell,” “Pain and Glory,” “Waves,” “Clemency” and “Toy Story 4.”
Eligible films that were not nominated include “Bombshell,” “Us,” “Dolemite Is My Name” and “The Two Popes,” which was ruled an original screenplay by the WGA but is competing in the adapted category at the Oscars.
The WGA also nominated five documentaries for their scripts: “Foster,” “Joseph Pulitzer: Voice of the People,” “The Kingmaker” and two by Alex Gibney, “Citizen K” and “The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley.”
Because of the differing eligibility rules, the Writers Guild Awards are the least effective of the major guild prizes in predicting Oscar nominations. In the last 10 years of nominations in both the original and adapted screenplay categories, the WGA has nominated only two of the eventual five Oscar nominees four times, three of the nominees nine times, four of the nominees four times and all five of the nominees only three times.
Overall, about two-thirds of Writers Guild nominees have gone on to receive Oscar noms in the last 10 years, a lower figure than the Directors Guild, Producers Guild or Screen Actors Guild.
The Producers Guild and Directors Guild, the most reliable Oscar predictors among the major guild awards, will both announce their nominations on Tuesday.
The 2020 Writers Guild Awards will take place on Saturday, Feb. 1 in simultaneous ceremonies hosted by the WGA, West at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills and the WGA, East at the Edison Ballroom in New York City.
The nominees:
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
“1917,” Written by Sam Mendes & Krysty Wilson-Cairns; Universal Pictures
“Booksmart,” Written by Emily Halpern & Sarah Haskins and Susanna Fogel and Katie Silberman; United Artists Releasing
“Knives Out,” Written by Rian Johnson; Lionsgate
“Marriage Story,” Written by Noah Baumbach; Netflix
“Parasite,” Screenplay by Bong Joon Ho and Han Jin Won, Story by Bong Joon Ho; Neon
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
“A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood,” Written by Micah Fitzerman-Blue & Noah Harpster, Inspired by the Article “Can You Say … Hero?” by Tom Junod; TriStar Pictures
“The Irishman,” Screenplay by Steven Zaillian, Based upon the Book “I Heard You Paint Houses” by Charles Brandt; Netflix
“Jojo Rabbit,” Screenplay by Taika Waititi, Based on the book “Caging Skies” by Christine Leunens; Fox Searchlight
“Joker,” Written by Todd Phillips & Scott Silver, Based on Characters from DC Comics; Warner Bros. Pictures
“Little Women,” Screenplay by Greta Gerwig, Based on the Novel by Louisa May Alcott; Sony Pictures
DOCUMENTARY SCREENPLAY
“Citizen K,” Written by Alex Gibney; Greenwich Entertainment
“Foster,” Written by Mark Jonathan Harris; HBO Documentary Films
“The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley,” Written by Alex Gibney; HBO Documentary Films
“Joseph Pulitzer: Voice of the People,” Written by Robert Seidman & Oren Rudavsky; First Run Features
“The Kingmaker,” Written by Lauren Greenfield; Showtime Documentary Films