The USC Scripter award for adapted screenplay, which honors both the original work and the script based on it, has revealed their five honored films today. This is usually a really good harbinger for adapted screenplay at the Oscars in recent years. The fact that Lion was included here should point to the fact that this Weinstein film is actually doing really well in the guilds, having been just named as one of the PGA top ten, recognized by BAFTA, included in the ASC nominations and now this. I suppose this film has to be considered a real contender for the Best Picture nomination too, so...I guess I should see it! I have to admit that was a movie that escaped my attention since it came out, but it looks like I need to catch up.
- Arrival (adapted from the novella Story of Your Life by Ted Chiang)
- Fences (from the play "Fences" by August Wilson)
- Hidden Figures (based on the non-fiction book Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly)
- Lion (adapted from the non-fiction book A Long Way Home by Saroo Brierley)
- Moonlight (adapted from the play "In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue" by Tarell Alvin McCraney)
There are some other possibilities for this category at the Oscars, including Nocturnal Animals, Loving, and a longshot for Deadpool (which I still think could happen), so I think that if anything else gets in here, it would take out Lion or Fences, or even Hidden Figures. Moonlight and Arrival, as secure Best Picture nominees, seem locked for sure.
