The Writers Guild of America (WGA) has announced its nominees for the 2025 WGA Awards, showcasing a diverse mix of Oscar hopefuls, surprise inclusions, and shifts caused by ineligible entries.
Leading the pack for original screenplay is Sean Baker’s “Anora,” which many critics are predicting could take the Oscar in this category. Another strong contender is Jesse Eisenberg’s “A Real Pain,” a semi-autobiographical drama that has received widespread acclaim this season.
A noteworthy nominee is Justin Kuritzkes’ “Challengers,” a romantic sports drama starring Zendaya. After being overlooked at the BAFTA Awards, this nomination offers a fresh boost to its awards season prospects. Also featured in the original screenplay category are Alex Garland’s post-apocalyptic thriller, “Civil War,” and Megan Park’s comedy, “My Old Ass.” Park, who garnered praise for her directorial debut, “The Fallout,” is also up for a Director’s Guild Award as a first-time director.
In the adapted screenplay category, the competition is fierce. James Mangold and Jay Cocks’ biopic of Bob Dylan, “A Complete Unknown,” leads the pack, followed by Denis Villeneuve and Jon Spaihts’ “Dune: Part Two,” further cementing its status as a major contender this awards season. Other notable nominees include RaMell Ross and Joslyn Barnes’ adaptation of Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, “Nickel Boys,” and Winnie Holzman and Dana Fox’s script for the blockbuster musical “Wicked.” These nominations gained momentum after several high-profile titles were deemed ineligible, including “Conclave,” “Emilia Pérez,” “Sing Sing,” and “I’m Still Here.”
As in previous years, the WGA’s eligibility rules have led to some significant exclusions. Original screenplays like “All We Imagine as Light” (Janus Films/Sideshow), “The Brutalist” (A24), and “Hard Truths” (Bleecker Street) were disqualified, along with anticipated adapted screenplays such as Pixar’s “Inside Out 2” and Sony Pictures Classics’ “The Outrun.”
This season’s ineligibility shake-up also impacted some high-profile titles. Among the missing are Robert Eggers’ “Nosferatu,” Malcolm Washington and Virgil Williams’ adaptation of August Wilson’s “The Piano Lesson,” and Marielle Heller’s “Nightbitch.” Also notably absent is “Saturday Night,” a look at the making of NBC’s “Saturday Night Live,” along with Halina Reijn’s “Babygirl” and Scott Beck and Bryan Woods’ horror film “Heretic.”
In television, the WGA maintained a focus on fan-favorite nominees in the drama series category. FX’s adaptation of James Clavell’s “Shōgun,” Netflix’s political thriller “The Diplomat,” and Prime Video’s trio of hits — “The Boys,” “Fallout,” and “Mr. and Mrs. Smith” — earned nominations.
Comedy series also saw familiar names among the nominees. ABC’s “Abbott Elementary,” FX’s “The Bear,” HBO/Max’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm” and “Hacks,” as well as the vampire comedy “What We Do in the Shadows,” were all recognized.
The limited series category introduced strong contenders for potential Emmy nods, including HBO/Max’s “The Penguin,” Apple TV+’s “Presumed Innocent,” and Hulu’s “Say Nothing.” Netflix’s “Ripley” and HBO/Max’s “True Detective: Night Country” also made their final appearances in this awards cycle.
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