The Writers Guild of America has announced its award nominations and the biggest surprise is the inclusion ofThe White Tigeramong the nominees for adapted screenplay.
I nearly watchedThe White Tigeron Netflix last night because I’ve heard nothing but good things aboutRamin Bahrani’s latest film, which I’ll do my best to watch before this week’sFYC, but it’s now clearly positioned as an Oscar contender despite having a very low profile this awards season. Part of that may have been a result of its release date on Jan. 13, when awards races are normally locked in – but this is hardly a normal awards season.
The White Tigerbeat outCharlie Kaufman’s rather polarizing adaptation ofI’m Thinking of Ending Things(to unfairly name one), joining a lineup that includesOne Night in Miami,Ma Rainey’s Black BottomandNews of the World, all of which were widely predicted for WGA nominations.Borat Subsequent Moviefilmrounds out the contenders for adapted screenplay, which isn’t exactly a surprise, since the originalBoratmovie earned an Oscar nomination.
Meanwhile, in the original screenplay category, veteranAaron Sorkin(The Trial of the Chicago 7) will compete with a range of rising storytellers includingEmerald Fennell(Promising Young Woman),Shaka King(co-writer ofJudas and the Black Messiah) andDarius Marder(co-writer ofSound of Metal). The change-of-pace nominee looks likeMax SiaraandAndy Barbakow’s time travel comedyPalm Springs, which stands out among the drama-heavy lineup.
Granted, that’s a killer lineup right there, but original screenplays that could be thought of as having been snubbed includeNever Rarely Sometimes AlwaysandFirst Cow, both of which were eligible – unlikeMank,Soul,Minari,SupernovaandAmmonite. Likewise,The Father,Pieces of a WomanandThe Personal History of David Copperfieldwere ineligible in the adapted screenplay category.
With this WGA nomination,The White Tigerhas scored some much-needed heat heading into the end of February, when the Oscar eligibility period finally closes two months later than usual. I’m excited to watch the movie, and I imagine Netflix is excited as well about today’s news. It would be reductive to compare this film, especially sight unseen, to past Oscar champSlumdog Millionaire, but keep an eye onThe White Tigerthis season, as it could very well be a stealth contender.
The full list of WGA Award nominations is below:
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Judas and the Black Messiah(Warner Bros) – Screenplay by Will Berson & Shaka King, Story by Will Berson & Shaka King and Kenny Lucas & Keith Lucas
Palm Springs(Hulu/Neon) – Screenplay by Andy Siara, Story by Andy Siara & Max Barbakow
Promising Young Woman(Focus Features) – Written by Emerald Fennell
Sound of Metal(Amazon Studios) – Screenplay by Darius Marder & Abraham Marder, Story by Darius Marder & Derek Cianfrance
The Trial of the Chicago 7(Netflix) – Written by Aaron Sorkin
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Borat Subsequent Moviefilm(Amazon Studios) – Screenplay by Sacha Baron Cohen & Anthony Hines & Dan Swimer & Peter Baynham & Erica Rivinoja & Dan Mazer & Jena Friedman & Lee Kern, Story by Sacha Baron Cohen & Anthony Hines & Dan Swimer & Nina Pedrad, Based on Characters Created by Sacha Baron Cohen
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom(Netflix) – Screenplay by Ruben Santiago-Hudson, based on the play written by August Wilson
News of the World(Universal Pictures) – Screenplay by Paul Greengrass and Luke Davies, based upon the novel by Paulette Jiles
One Night in Miami(Amazon Studios) – Screenplay by Kemp Powers, based on the stage playOne Night in Miamiby Kemp Powers
The White Tiger(Netflix) – Screenplay by Ramin Bahrani, based on the bookThe White Tigerby Aravind Adiga
DOCUMENTARY SCREENPLAY
All In: The Fight for Democracy(Amazon Studios) – Written by Jack Youngelson
The Dissident(Briarcliff Entertainment) – Written by Mark Monroe and Bryan Fogel
