Defying the odds, “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm” has just won Best Adapted Screenplay at the WGA Awards. Sacha Baron Cohen‘s popular sequel took down the following four contenders at Sunday’s Writers Guild of America Awards: “One Night in Miami,” “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” “News of the World” and “The White Tiger.” This line-up only matches three-for-five with the Oscars, where “Ma Rainey” and “News of the World” have been replaced by “Nomadland” and “The Father,” which weren’t eligible at the guild. In other words, “Borat” will face even stiffer competition at the Academy Awards, with “Nomadland” being the favorite to win there.
SEE 2021 Writers Guild of America Awards: Full list of winners of the 73rd WGA Awards [UPDATING LIVE]
“Borat” was actually in third place to win this guild category, according to our odds. The front-runner was “One Night in Miami,” written by Kemp Powers based on his acclaimed play that tells of a fictional evening between Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali, Jim Brown and Sam Cooke. And “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” held steady in second place even though Ruben Santiago-Hudson‘s adaptation of the August Wilson play was snubbed at the Oscars in the screenplay category.
To contend at the WGA, one has to qualify for consideration under the guild’s strict guidelines or those of its international partners. Remember, last year Gold Derby’s predictions got this guild category wrong, as our front-runner “Little Women” lost out to “Jojo Rabbit.” Weeks later, “Jojo Rabbit” matched its guild victory with a triumph at the Academy Awards.
SEE 2021 WGA Awards live blog: ‘The Crown’ wins Best Drama Series, ‘Ted Lasso’ wins two prizes
The 2021 WGA Awards in film and television were presented at a virtual ceremony on March 21. Other champions included “Promising Young Woman” for Best Original Screenplay, “The Dissident” for Best Documentary Screenplay, “The Crown” for Best TV Drama Series and “Ted Lasso” for Best TV Comedy Series. See the complete list of winners.
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