WGA Preview and Predictions

The Writers Guild will announce their winners tomorrow AM. Where in previous years the WGA’s rules disqualified many of the writers who were up for Oscar nominations, this year, there doesn’t seem to be too much of a disconnect, with the exception of Selma and The Theory of Everything, neither of which are eligible for WGA nods.

The WGA can sometimes spring a wild card into the race. In that way, we kind of look for surprise but in the end, find that the consensus is kind of the consensus.

Still, since it’s such a strange year I don’t know how this thing is going to play out. But I’ll go with these as predictions:

Original Screenplay
Wes Anderson, Grand Budapest Hotel
~~Alejandro Inarritu et al, Birdman~~ Not eligible
Richard Linklater, Boyhood
Damien Chazelle, Whiplash
Dan Gilroy, Nightcrawler
E. Max Frye, Dan Futterman, Foxcatcher
Alt. JC Chandor, A Most Violent Year

Adapted Screenplay
Gillian Flynn, Gone Girl
Graham Moore, The Imitation Game
Paul Thoman Anderson, Inherent Vice
Nick Hornby, Wild
Jason Hall, American Sniper
Alt. Coens et al, Unbroken

How about you Oscar watchers? What am I missing?

won WGA | won Oscar

*nominated for Best Pic
+won Best Pic

2013
Her	Her*
American Hustle	American Hustle*
Blue Jasmine	Blue Jasmine
Dallas Buyers Club	Dallas Buyers Club*
Nebraska	Nebraska*

Captain Phillips	Captain Phillips*
August: Osage County	12 Years a Slave+
Before Midnight	Before Midnight
Lone Survivor	Philomena*
The Wolf of Wall Street	The Wolf of Wall Street*

Silver Linings Playbook	Silver Linings Playbook*

2012
Original	Original
Zero Dark Thirty	Zero Dark Thirty*
Flight	Flight
Looper	Amour*
The Master	Django Unchained*
Moonrise Kingdom	Moonrise Kingdom
Adapted
Argo	Argo+
Life of Pi	Life of Pi*
Lincoln	Lincoln*
The Perks of being a Wallflower	Beasts of the Southern Wild*
Silver Linings Playbook	Silver Linings Playbook*
2011
Win Win	The Artist*
Bridesmaids	Bridesmaids
50 50	Margin Call
Young Adult	A Separation
Midnight in Paris	Midnight in Paris*
Adapted	Adapted
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo	The Ides of March
Moneyball	Moneyball*
The Help	Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
The Descendants	The Descendants*
Hugo	Hugo*
2010	2010
Original WGA	Oscars
Black Swan	The King’s Speech+
Please Give	Another Year
The Fighter	The Fighter*
The Kids Are All Right	The Kids Are All Right*
Inception	Inception*

Adapted WGA	Oscars
The Social Network	The Social Network*
127 Hours	127 Hours*
True Grit	True Grit*
I Love You Philip Morris	Winter’s Bone*
The Town	Toy Story 3*
2009	2009
Original WGA	Oscars
The Hurt Locker	The Hurt Locker+
A Serious Man	A Serious Man*
500 Days of Summer	Up*
The Hangover	The Messenger
Avatar	Inglourious Basterds*

Adapted WGA	Oscars
Up in the Air	Up in the Air*
Crazy Heart	In the Loop
Star Trek	District 9*
Precious	Precious*
Julie & Julia	An Education*

2008
Original WGA	Oscars
Milk	Milk*
Burn After Reading	Frozen River
The Visitor	Happy-Go-Lucky
The Wrestler	In Bruges
Vicky Cristina Barcelona	Wall-E

Adapted WGA	Oscars
Slumdog Millionaire	Slumdog Millionaire+
Doubt	Doubt
Frost/Nixon	Frost/Nixon*
Benjamin Button	Benjamin Button*
The Dark Knight	The Reader*

2007
Original WGA	Oscars
Diablo Cody, Juno*	Diablo Cody, Juno*
Tony Gilroy, Michael Clayton	Tony Gilroy, Michael Clayton*
Tamara Jenkins, The Savages	Tamara Jenkins, The Savages
Nancy Oliver, Lars and the Real Girl	Nancy Oliver, Lars and the Real Girl
Judd Apatow, Knocked Up	Brad Bird, Ratatouille

Adapted WGA	Oscars
Paul Thomas Anderson, There Will Be Blood	Paul Thomas Anderson, There Will Be Blood*
Joel, Ethan Coen, No Country for Old Men	Joel, Ethan Coen, No Country for Old Men+
Ronald Harwood, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly	Ronald Harwood, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Sean Penn, Into the Wild	Sarah Polley, Away from Her
James Vanderbilt, Zodiac	Christopher Hampton Atonement*
2006
Original WGA	Oscars
Babel	Babel*
The Queen	The Queen *
Stranger than Fiction	Letters from Iwo Jima*
Little Miss Sunshine	Little Miss Sunshine *
United 93	Pan’s Labyrinth

Adapted WGA	Oscars
The Departed	The Departed+
Thank You for Smoking	Notes on a Scandal
Little Children	Little Children
Borat	Borat
Devil Wears Prada	Children of Men

2005
Original WGA	Oscars
40 Year Old Virgin	Syriana
Crash+	Crash+
Cinderella Man	Match Point
Good Night, and Good Luck	Good Night *
Squid and the Whale	Squid and the Whale

Adapted WGA	Oscars
Brokeback Mountain	Brokeback Mountain*
Capote	Capote*
Constant Gardener	Constant Gardener
History of Violence	History of Violence
Syriana	Munich*

2004
Original WGA	Oscars
The Aviator	The Aviator*
Eternal Sunshine	Eternal Sunshine
Garden State	Vera Drake
Hotel Rwanda	Hotel Rwanda
Kinsey	The Incredibles

Adapted WGA	Oscars
Before Sunset	Before Sunset
Mean Girls	Finding Neverland*
Million Dollar Baby	Million Dollar Baby+
Sideways	Sideways*
Motorcycle Diaries	Motorcycle Diaries

2003
Original WGA	Oscars
Bend it Like Beckham	The Barbarian Invasions
Dirty Pretty Things	Dirty Pretty Things
In America	In America
Lost in Translation	Lost in Translation*
The Station Agent	Finding Nemo

Adapted WGA	Oscars
American Splendor	American Splendor
Cold Mountain	City of God
ROTK	ROTK*
Mystic River	Mystic River *
Seabiscuit	Seabiscuit*
2002
Original WGA	Oscars
Far From Heaven	Far From Heaven
Gangs of New York	Gangs of New York*
Antwone Fisher	Talk to Her
My Big Fat Greek Wedding	Greek Wedding
Bowling for Columbine	Y Tu Mama Tambien

Chicago	Chicago+
The Hours	The Hours*
About Schmidt	The Pianist*
Adaptation	Adaptation
About a Boy	About a Boy

2001
Original WGA	Oscars
Gosford Park*	Gosford Park*
The Man Who Wasn’t There	Amelie
Monster’s Ball	Monster’s Ball
Moulin Rouge	Memento
The Royal Tenenbaums	The Royal Tenenbaums

Adapted WGA	Oscars
A Beautiful Mind	A Beautiful Mind+
Black Hawk Down	Shrek
Bridget Jones’s Diary	In the Bedroom*
Ghost World	Ghost World
The Fellowship of the Ring	Fellowship of the Ring*

2000
Original WGA	Oscars
Erin Brockovich	Erin Brockovich*
Almost Famous	Almost Famous
Best In Show	Gladiator+
Billy Elliot	Billy Elliot
You Can Count On Me	You Can Count On Me

Adapted WGA	Oscars
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon	Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon*
Chocolat	Chocolat*
High Fidelity	O Brother Where Art Thou?
Traffic	Traffic*
Wonder Boys	Wonder Boys

1999
Original WGA	Oscars
American Beauty	American Beauty+
Being John Malkovich	Being John Malkovich
Magnolia	Magnolia
The Sixth Sense	The Sixth Sense*
Three Kings	Topsy-Turvy

Adapted WGA	Oscars
The Cider House Rules	The Cider House Rules*
Election	Election
The Insider	The Insider*
October Sky	The Green Mile*
The Talented Mr. Ripley	The Talented Mr. Ripley
1998
Original WGA	Oscars
Bulworth	Bulworth
The Opposite of Sex	Life Is Beautiful *
Shakespeare In Love*	Shakespeare In Love+
Saving Private Ryan	Saving Private Ryan*
The Truman Show	The Truman Show

Adapted WGA	Oscars
Gods and Monsters	Gods and Monsters
A Civil Action	The Thin Red Line*
Primary Colors	Primary Colors
A Simple Plan	A Simple Plan
Out Of Sight*	Out Of Sight

WINNERS CHART

+Won Best Picture

*nominated for Best Pic

WGA | OSCAR

2008: Slumdog Millionaire	Slumdog Millionaire+
Milk	Milk*
2007: No Country for Old Men	No Country for Old Men+
Juno	Juno*
2006: The Departed	The Departed+
Little Miss Sunshine	Little Miss Sunshine*
2005:Brokeback Mountain	Brokeback Mountain*
Crash	Crash+
2004: Eternal Sunshine	Eternal Sunshine
Sideways	Sideways*
2003: Lost in Translation	Lost in Translation*
American Splendor	Return of the King+
2002: The Hours*	The Pianist*
Bowling for Columbine	Talk to Her
2001: A Beautiful Mind	A Beautiful Mind+
Gosford Park	Gosford Park*
2000: Traffic	Traffic*
You Can Count on Me	Almost Famous
1999: American Beauty	American Beauty+
Election	The Cider House Rules*
1998:Shakespeare in Love	Shakespeare in Love+
Out of Sight	Gods and Monsters
1997: L.A. Confidential	L.A. Confidential*
As Good as it Gets	Good Will Hunting*
1996: Sling Blade	Sling Blade
Fargo	Fargo*
1995: Braveheart	The Usual Suspects
Sense and Sensibility	Sense and Sensibility*
1994: Forrest Gump	Forrest Gump+
Four Weddings/Funeral	Pulp Fiction*
1993: Schindler’s List	Schindler’s List+
The Piano	The Piano*
1992: The Crying Game	The Crying Game *
The Player	Howards End*
1991: The Silence of the Lambs	The Silence of the Lambs+
Thelma and Louise	Thelma and Louise
1990: Dances with Wolves	Dances with Wolves+
Avalon	Ghost*
1989: Driving Miss Daisy	Driving Miss Daisy+
Crimes and Misdemeanors	Dead Poets Society*
1988: Dangerous Liaisons	Dangerous Liaisons*
Bull Durham	Rain Man+
1987: Roxanne	The Last Emperor+
Moonstruck	Moonstruck*
1986: A Room with a View	A Room with a View*
Hannah and Her Sisters	Hannah and her Sisters*
1985: Witness	Witness*
Prizzi’s Honor	Out of Africa+
1984: The Killing Fields	Amadeus+
Broadway Danny Rose	Places in the Heart*
1983: Tender Mercies	Tender Mercies*
Reuben, Reuben	Terms of Endearment+
1982: Missing	Missing*
Tootsie	Gandhi+
1981: Reds	Chariots of Fire+
On Golden Pond	On Golden Pond *
Rich and Famous
Arthur
1980:Ordinary People	Ordinary People+
Airplane, Private Benjamin
Melvin and Howard	Melvin and Howard
1979: Kramer vs. Kramer	Kramer Vs. Kramer+
Breaking Away	Breaking Away*
The China Syndrome, Being There
1978: Midnight Express	Midnight Express*
Coming Home	Coming Home*
Heaven Can Wait
Movie, Movie
1977: Annie Hall	Annie Hall+
Julia	Julia*
The Turning Point, Oh, God
1976: All the President’s Men	All The President’s Men*
Network	Network*
Pink Panther Strikes Again
1975: One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest	One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest+
Dog Day Afternoon	Dog Day Afternoon*
The Sunshine Boys
Shampoo
1974: Godfather Part II	Godfather Part II+
Chinatown	Chinatown*
Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz
Blazing Saddles
1973: A Touch of Class	The Exorcist*
Save the Tiger, Paper Moon	The Sting+
Serpico
1972: The Godfather	The Godfather+
The Candidate	The Candidate
What’s Up, Doc? Cabaret
1971: The French Connection	The French Connection+
The Hospital	The Hospital
Kotch; Sunday, Bloody, Sunday
1970: Patton	Patton+
MAS*H	MASH
I Never Sang for My Father, The Out-of Towners
1969: Midnight Cowboy	Midnight Cowboy+
Butch Cassidy	Butch Cassidy/Sundance Kid *
Goodbye, Columbus; Bob, Ted, Carol and Alice
1968:Lion in Winter	The Lion in Winter*
The Producers	The Producers
Funny Girl, Odd Couple
1967: The Graduate	In the Heat of the Night+
Bonnie and Clyde	Guess Who’s Coming… *
Thoroughly Modern Millie
1966: Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolfe?	A Man for All Seasons+
The Russians are Coming	A Man and a Woman
1965: A Thousand Clowns	Dr. Zhivago*
The Sound of Music, The Pawnbroker	Darling*
1964: Becket	Becket
Dr. Strangelove, Mary Poppins	Father Goose
1963: Hud	Tom Jones+
Lillies of the Field	How the West Was Won
1962: The Kill a Mockingbird	To Kill a Mockingbird *
That Touch of Mink, Music Man	Divorce Italian Style
1961: the Hustler	Judgment at Nuremberg
Breakfast at Tiffany’s, West Side Story	Splendor in the Grass
1960: The Apartment	The Apartment+
Elmer Gantry	Elmer Gantry
The Bells are Ringing
1959: The Diary of Anne Frank	Room at the Top *
Some Like it Hot, Five Pennies	Pillow Talk
1958: Gigi	Gigi+
The Defiant Ones	The Defiant Ones
Me and the Colonel
1957: 12 Angry Men	Bridge on the River Kwai+
Love in the Afternoon	Designing Women
Les Girls
1956: Around world/80 Days	Around world/80 Days+
The King and I	The red Balloon
Friendly Persuasion
1955: Marty	Marty+
Mr. Roberts	Interrupted Melody
Love Me/Leave Me
1954: On the Waterfront	On the Waterfront+
Sabrina, Seven Brides/Seven Bros.	The Country Girl
1953: From Here to Eternity	From Here to Eternity+
Lili, Roman Holiday	Titanic
1952: High Noon, The Quiet Man	Lavender Hill Mob
Singing in the Rain	Bad and Beautiful
1951: An American in Paris	An American in Paris+
A Place in the Sun	A Place in the Sun*
Father’s Little Dividend
1950: All About Eve	All About Eve+
Sunset Boulevard	Sunset Boulevard *
Broken Arrow, Annie Get Your Gun
1949: All the King’s Men	All the King’s Men+
A Letter to Three Wives, on the Town	Battleground*
1958: The Snake Pit	Treasure of the Sierra Madre*
Sitting Pretty, Easter Parade

Comments 29

Jesus Alonso says:

10 years ago

I don’t think it’ll be nominated in the end, but still, I think “The Lego Movie” should be in the strong possibilities shortlist, in either cathegory, I’d put it in Original, but chances in Adapted would be bigger, for the win.

“Snowpiercer” should be a contender, in case screeners have reached the right people. One of the best adapted screenplays in a lot of time. Specially, since it builds up a whole poetic allegory beyond the original source (as I have understood).

It’s painful to see, “The Poseidon Adventure” wasn’t even nominated by the WGA or any other awards for its great, marvelous screenplay that turned a disaster movie into a deeply moving and poignant analysis on human being and our relationship with religion and faith. It’s odd to check out that “Airplane!” deservingly won the WGA, but in a cathegory “Comedy adapted from other media”, in which they also nominated the heavily dramatic “Empire Strikes Back” (AS A COMEDY!!!), and that, “Airplane!” went on to be completely ignored in the 1980’s Oscars. Neither the screenplay, neither the score, neither the film itself got the nom… time still hails it as one of the top 10 comedies ever made, but it seems, that’s not enough for Oscar!
Fabinho Flapp says:

10 years ago

If Birdman is ineligible, it must be replaced for A Most Violent Year.
benutty says:

10 years ago

Given all of the ineligible titles, this one seems pretty easy to call, no? I hope there’s a surprise somewhere, but alas:
ORIGINAL: Boyhood, Foxcatcher, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Nightcrawler, Whiplash
ADAPTED: American Sniper, Gone Girl, The Imitation Game, Inherent Vice, Wild
Robin Write says:

10 years ago

“Crap Nightcrawler! How could I forget that….”

Like. 😀
Michael Soby says:

10 years ago

How about INTO THE WOODS? It seems that musicals tend to be forgotten in the writing departments, when it comes to predicting, yet at least the Academy nominate them from time to time. And INTO THE WOODS is a damn good adaptation – even if you miss a few songs. But I do not know if it qualities to Writers Guild – but these days who cares? When neither BIRDMAN nor THEORY OF EVERYTHING qualifies, the rules become slightly ridiculous 🙂
JPNS Viewer says:

10 years ago

My WGA predictions:

#Original Screenplay
– The Grand Budapest Hotel
– Whiplash
– Nightcrawler
– Boyhood
– Foxcatcher
(Alt: Interstellar.)
(Just in case: If Birdman somehow happened to become eligible, then in my prediction Foxcatcher would be out, Birdman in, (and possibly placed right below Hotel), Interstellar remaining an alternative to any of the first five.)

#Adapted Screenplay
– The Imitation Game
– Inherent Vice
– Gone Girl
– American Sniper
– Wild
(Alt: Still Alice [Initially, it was in lieu of Wild but I’ve changed my mind].)
Zach says:

10 years ago

If Foxcatcher and Nightcrawler don’t both get nominated tomorrow, I wonder if that will portend which of Gyllenhaal and Carell will be excluded (if not both).
Pascal says:

10 years ago

“So for the WGA, Whiplash is in original but for the Oscars it’ll be under adapted?”

That, my friend, is what they called ‘the theory of everything’
Rodrigo says:

10 years ago

So for the WGA, Whiplash is in original but for the Oscars it’ll be under adapted?
John Oliver says:

10 years ago

Let me see now, Selma is out of the ACE, SAG, PGA, now WGA-now I’m scared of the DGA. At least the Song was eligible.
John says:

10 years ago

I agree with both of your 5’s, Sasha
Paddy Mulholland says:

10 years ago

As usual, most of the good screenplays have gone on strike.

Their nominations each year betray the fact that the WGA generally only watches ten films per year and just nominated them, so I’ll play it safe and say:

Original
Birdman
Boyhood
Foxcatcher
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Whiplash

Adapted
American Sniper
Gone Girl
The Imitation Game
Still Alice
Wild
LCbaseball22 says:

10 years ago

Wait, why are Selma and Theory of Everything not eligible? Seems like Selma is getting shut out of the guilds, just like Interstellar. I blame Paramount the not sending out screeners, but in the case of Selma I’m not rooting for it as the underdog to win the whole damn thing despite the smear campaigning and whatever else is going on…
Asif Khan says:

10 years ago

Swap Foxcatcher with Nightcrawler and we have the same predictions.
Sasha Stone says:

10 years ago

Crap Nightcrawler! How could I forget that….
Chris Price says:

10 years ago

Shit, just saw Theory isn’t eligible. Never mind, then.
Chris Price says:

10 years ago

Nightcrawler gets in for Original. Swap that for Foxcatcher and make that, not AMVY, your alternate and that looks good to me. I’d also swap Wild for Theory Of Everything (not if I had a vote, mind you, but for prediction’s sake).

WGA Preview and Predictions

The Selma Controversy and its Convenient Timing…Oscar Dirty Pool

Carrie Fisher to present the SAG 51st Life Achievement Award to Debbie Reynolds

Sasha Stone

Carrie Fisher to present the SAG 51st Life Achievement Award to Debbie Reynolds

Comments 29

NextGen Oscarwatcher – Best Picture Temperature Check, Part One

2025 Oscars: Can a Late-Breaker Still Win Best Picture? [POLL]

2025 Oscar Predictions – Best Picture and Who’s on First?

About Us

AwardsDaily Email contacts

We Recommend…

Welcome Back!

Create New Account!

Retrieve your password