Of all the industry guilds, the Writers is the biggest wild card. Snubs aren’t only normal; they’re ingrained into the legalese of the org’s eligibility rules.
That’s why you won’t see Quentin Tarantino‘s Once Upon A Time…In Hollywood among this year’s nominees. Another possible Oscar contender not eligible here: Lulu Wang‘s The Farewell.
Due to arcane requirements in their “Minimum Basic Agreement”, the Writers Guild of America annually overlooks some of the season’s major Academy Award contenders. Those most often snubbed are films with screenplays written and financed by foreign talent or entities.
Truth be told, Tarantino’s primary “lack of eligibility” may simply come down to his outspoken contempt for the organization. As a result, he’s not a member (although I don’t know if membership is required to be nominated). Clearly there is no love lost between Quentin and the guild. Nevertheless, he was previously snubbed for Django Unchained and he actually went on to win the Academy Award for that screenplay.
The most likely beneficiary this year of the Quentin snub is the indie comedy Booksmart. It certainly seems the least likely to receive a subsequent Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay; Tarantino’s script will replace it. The other four WGA Original nominees, however, are very strong Oscar contenders, although two other films snubbed here — Bombshell and Ford v Ferrari — could possibly sneak in as Academy Awards finalists.
The five nominees in the Adapted Screenplay category all have strong awards season mojo working in their favor as well, although The Two Popes (ignored here) could steal the slot for A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood.
Here is the full list of WGA nominees. Trophies will be handed out to winners on Saturday February 1, the weekend prior to the 92nd Annual Academy Awards on Sunday February 9.
2019 WRITERS GUILD OF AMERICA NOMINEES
Original Screenplay
– 1917, by Sam Mendes & Krysty Wilson-Cairns
– Booksmart, by Emily Halpern & Sarah Haskins and Susanna Fogel and Katie Silberman
– Knives Out, by Rian Johnson
– Marriage Story, by Noah Baumbach
– Parasite, by Bong Joon Ho and Han Jin Won, Story by Bong Joon Ho
Adapted Screenplay
– A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, by Micah Fitzerman-Blue & Noah Harpster, Inspired by the Article “Can You Say…Hero?” by Tom Junod
– The Irishman, by Steven Zaillian, Based upon the Book I Heard You Paint Houses by Charles Brandt
– Jojo Rabbit, by Taika Waititi, Based on the book Caging Skies by Christine Leunens
– Joker, by Todd Phillips & Scott Silver, Based on Characters from DC Comics
– Little Women, by Greta Gerwig, Based on the Novel by Louisa May Alcott
Documentary Screenplay
– Citizen K, by Alex Gibney
– Foster, by Mark Jonathan Harris
– The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley, by Alex Gibney
– Joseph Pulitzer: Voice of the People, by Robert Seidman & Oren Rudavsky
– The Kingmaker, by Lauren Greenfield
(Click here to see the Television nominees)
Click on links below for other Critics Group Awards and Guild Nominees that have been announced so far for the 2019 / 20 season:
Screen Actors Guild Award Winners
Producers Guild of America Winners
Critics’ Choice Awards Winners
Directors Guild of America Nominations
Golden Globe Winners
National Society of Film Critics
Dallas/Fort-Worth Film Critics Association
Boston Society of Film Critics
Oklahoma Film Critics Circle
Los Angeles Film Critics Association
AFI American Film Institute Awards
New York Film Critics Circle
National Board of Review
Atlanta Film Critics Circle