Writers Guild nominations shake up field; ‘Looper’ and ‘Wallflower’ surprise

As we head closer to the 2013 Academy Awards, the industry’s top guilds are beginning to make their voices heard with their annual year end nominations. Following the Producers Guild of America (PGA) revealing their picks earlier in the week, today the Writers Guild of America (WGA) pulled back the curtain on their selections with a number of top contenders missing in action.

While the PGA nominations most met expectations, the WGA had a few surprises up their sleeves. However while a nod here is a major honor and a big boost to any Oscar campaign, like many of the year’s nominated films there is also an interesting twist worth mentioning.

A number of big name films were left off as they were disqualified for not being produced under the guild’s jurisdiction or as part of a international collective bargaining agreement. As a result movies like “Django Unchained,” “Les Miserables,” “Amour” and “Beasts of the Southern Wild,” are missing from the WGA selections, but still are expected to be Oscar forces. Yet today’s nominations show us what else could be on the Academy’s radar.

Similarly to the Oscars, the Guild also divides their nominations into “Original” and “Adapted” categories and alongside top contenders like “Argo,” “Lincoln” and “Zero Dark Thirty,” were inclusions for the writers of critical hits “Looper” and “The Perks Of Being A Wallflower.” “The Master” also continued its roller coaster ride and managed to snag a slot which strengthens its Oscar chances. Additionally indie favorite “Moonrise Kingdom” grabbed a nod as well, which paired with its PGA nomination makes it now a legitimate Best Picture contender.

WGA winners will be revealed February 17th, while this year's Oscar nominations will be revealed this Thursday.

WGA Nominations

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

-Flight, Written by John Gatins; Paramount Pictures

-Looper, Written by Rian Johnson; TriStar Pictures

-The Master, Written by Paul Thomas Anderson; The Weinstein Company

-Moonrise Kingdom, Written by Wes Anderson & Roman Coppola; Focus Features

-Zero Dark Thirty, Written by Mark Boal; Columbia Pictures

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

-Argo, Screenplay by Chris Terrio; Based on a selection from The Master of Disguise by Antonio J. Mendez and the Wired Magazine article “The Great Escape” by Joshuah Bearman; Warner Bros. Pictures

-Life of Pi, Screenplay by David Magee; Based on the novel by Yann Martel; 20th Century Fox

-Lincoln, Screenplay by Tony Kushner; Based in part on the book Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin; DreamWorks Pictures

-The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Screenplay by Stephen Chbosky; Based on his book; Summit Entertainment

-Silver Linings Playbook, Screenplay by David O. Russell; Based on the novel by Matthew Quick; The Weinstein Company

So what’s your take New York? Which screenplays do you think will win? Hit the comments and let us know. Remember, don’t forget to subscribe to this column for all of the latest news about the 2013 award season.

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2013 Award Season Coverage

Winners

New York Film Critics Circle
National Board of Review
Boston Society of Film Critics
Los Angeles Film Critics Association
American Film Institute

Nominees

Broadcast Film Critics
Golden Globes
Screen Actor Guild
Producers Guild
Writers Guild

Previews

Golden Globe Preview - Drama
Golden Globes Preview- Comedy/Musical
Oscar Nominations Preview – Supporting Actress
Oscar Nominations Preview – Supporting Actor