The Writers Guild of America entered the awards season chat on Tuesday, with its nominations for the best screenplays in the adapted and original categories. That was good news for expected contenders like Aaron Sorkin and “The Trial of the Chicago 7,” Emerald Fennell and “Promising Young Woman,” Kemp Powers and “One Night in Miami,” and Ruben Santiago-Hudson and “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” all of whom made the WGA cut and should find themselves in a similar position when the Oscar nominations are revealed in March.
But what of those films that didn’t land a nomination? For some heavily favored features — including Jack Fincher for “Mank,” Lee Isaac Chung for “Minari,” and Chloe Zhao for “Nomadland” — the WGA miss means little since those screenplays weren’t even eligible to begin with; for others — including “Da 5 Bloods” — a miss here could spell trouble down the line, or will be remembered as a mere bump in the road on the path to academy glory.
To recap the nominations and take the temperature of the race in its wake, Gold Derby editors Joyce Eng and Christopher Rosen have returned to pontificate on what the WGA nominations might mean, look fondly upon the history of the Oscars category for Best Original Screenplay, and preview the forthcoming Producers Guild Award nominations, which are set to arrive next month. Watch their latest slugfest above.
