WGA Exclusions

[The Original BJ]

The ballot I submitted, for what it's worth:

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Bridge of Spies
Written by Matt Charman and Ethan Coen & Joel Coen

Joy
Screenplay by David O. Russell; Story by Annie Mumolo and David O. Russell

Mistress America
Written by Noah Baumbach & Greta Gerwig

Sicario
Written by Taylor Sheridan

Spotlight
Written by Josh Singer & Tom McCarthy


BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

The Big Short
Screenplay by Charles Randolph and Adam McKay; Based on the Book by Michael Lewis

Carol
Screenplay by Phyllis Nagy; Based on the Novel "The Price of Salt" by Patricia Highsmith

The End of the Tour
Screenplay by Donald Margulies; Based on the Book "Although Of Course You End Up Becoming Yourself; A Road Trip with David Foster Wallace" by David Lipsky

Steve Jobs
Screenplay by Aaron Sorkin; Based on the Book by Walter Isaacson

Truth
Screenplay by James Vanderbilt; Based on the Book "Truth and Duty: The Press, The President, and the Privilege of Power" by Mary Mapes

[Sabin]

I'm torn on the fifth Oscar nominee for Original Screenplay. Bridge of Spies, The Hateful Eight, Inside Out, and Spotlight seem like very good bets. For the last spot, I think it's between Sicario and Son of Saul.

[The Original BJ]

In Original, it could be 99 Homes instead of Straight Outta Compton. I think you guys might be right about Star Wars in Adapted...I'm intentionally not recognizing that film's existence until I watch at least ten more screeners of quality films.

99 Homes is not eligible -- I actually checked right after I saw the movie because I might have nominated it.

[Sabin]

In Original, it could be 99 Homes instead of Straight Outta Compton. I think you guys might be right about Star Wars in Adapted...I'm intentionally not recognizing that film's existence until I watch at least ten more screeners of quality films.

[flipp525]

Under Original, I think you're totally right. I think this is where we'll see just how big the Joy collapse (sniffle) is going to be, and if it's big, a movie that hasn't been cited much this season, Sicario, seems poised to benefit.

That's so disappointing as I thought the screenplay for Joy was pretty strong (especially structurally). Ugh. This is going to become my Young Adult for the season, I can just tell.

[The Original BJ]

Under Original, I think you're totally right. I think this is where we'll see just how big the Joy collapse (sniffle) is going to be, and if it's big, a movie that hasn't been cited much this season, Sicario, seems poised to benefit.

Under Adapted, I'm going to guess that there will be enough of a cheering section for Star Wars that it gets in here -- J.J. made it in for Star Trek with this group, after all -- most likely over The Revenant, which I could see as not really a writer-type movie.

[Sabin]

I'll predict the nominees are:

Best Original Screenplay
Matt Charman and Ethan & Joel Coen, Bridge of Spies
Jonathan Herman & Andrea Berloff, Alan Wenkus & Leigh Savidge, Straight Outta Compton
Amy Schumer, Trainwreck
Taylor Sheridan, Sicario
Josh Singer and Tom McCarthy, Spotlight

Best Adapted Screenplay
Drew Goddard, The Martian
Alejandro Gonzalez Innaritu & Mark Smith, The Revenant
Phylis Nagy, Carol
Charles Randolph and Adam McKay, The Big Short
Aaron Sorkin, Steve Jobs

[Mister Tee]

There are 2-3 in each group I see as at least strong contenders for Oscar nomination, which means some on-the-bubble-for-AMPAS candidates might get cited by the WGA -- The Martian, Steve Jobs and The Big Short under adapted, Bridge of Spies original -- without their overall strength being clear.

As for the wins -- Tarantino is likely the only potential winner on the original side, but Brooklyn and Room both seem in the mix under adapted, so the WGA rules will once again help keep suspense alive right through the opening of the Oscar envelopes.

[The Original BJ]

The WGA Awards ballot was just sent out. Here are what strike me as the obvious ineligible candidates that might find screenplay award traction elsewhere. (Obviously the foreign, animated, and Tarantino entries were expected, but some others genuinely surprised me. And it's possible I forgot a major contender somewhere as well.)

ORIGINAL
Ex Machina
The Hateful Eight
I'll See You in My Dreams
Inside Out
Son of Saul
Suffragette
Youth

ADAPTED
Anomalisa
Brooklyn
The Danish Girl
Far From the Madding Crowd
45 Years
Mad Max: Fury Road
Room