Weeks after the Oscars were held, the Writers Guild of America finally reveals their winners. We’ll see if the Oscar winners carry over or if the Barbie shift back to original will benefit that film or hinder others. And with this group, we finally wrap up our coverage of the 96th Oscars.

WRITERS GUILD OF AMERICA AWARDS

Best Original Screenplay

Air
Barbie (Wesley)
The Holdovers (RU:Wesley, RU:Peter, RU:Thomas)
May December
Past Lives (Peter, Thomas)

Wesley Lovell: At the Oscars, Anatomy of a Fall captured the prize and at the WGA, it’s not eligible. That means that The Holdovers and Past Lives finally have a shot. Or do they? At the Oscars, Barbie fought in adapted. Here, it has an advantage in that there is no Oscar winner to carry over. It will be a tight race between those films but I think Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach, with plenty of past recognition to bolster them, might just come out on top.
Pete Patrick: All but Air are possible, but Past Lives and The Holdovers were my favorite original screenplays of 2023. I hope the voters agree.
Thomas La Tourette: The Oscar winner is not in the running, but I think Past Lives will triumph over The Holdovers. It might go the other way, but Past Lives seems to have caught on.

Best Adapted Screenplay

American Fiction (Wesley, Peter, Thomas)
Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.
Killers of the Flower Moon
Nyad
Oppenheimer (RU:Wesley, RU:Peter, RU:Thomas)

Wesley Lovell: Barbie and The Zone of Interest aren’t here but none of the replacements have a shot. This time, the Oscar winner is present and Cord Jefferson is likely to replicate his Oscar victory here. That said, don’t count out Oppenheimer or Are You There God?
Pete Patrick: This should be a validation of the multi-award-winning American Fiction, but don’t count out Oppenheimer.
Thomas La Tourette: This should be a repeat of the Oscars with American Fiction beating Oppenheimer.

Documentary Screenplay

Bella! (RU:Peter)
It Ain’t Over (Peter, Thomas)
The Pigeon Tunnel (Wesley, RU:Thomas)
Stamped from the Beginning (RU:Wesley)
What the Hell Happened to Blood, Sweat & Tears?

Wesley Lovell: I’m not quite sure what voters will go for here but I suspect the blend of real life and fiction in The Pigeon Tunnel may be too tantalizing to recognize. Stamped from the Beginning also has a chance but with the WGA, you never know what you’re going to get.
Pete Patrick: I have absolutely no idea on this one so I’m taking a shot in the dark and pointing to It Anin’t Over with Bella! as runner-up.
Thomas La Tourette: I have not seen any of these, and hardly heard of most, but It Ain’t Over is the best reviewed, so I’ll go with it to win.