Quendrith Johnson

by Quendrith Johnson, Los Angeles Correspondent

Say what you will about “rigged” elections and fixed ways of thinking, voters at the WGA (Writers Guild of America) just went rogue and nominated DEADPOOL. Okay, they didn’t exactly go rogue, they actually went bold by nominating the graphic novel adapt of a Marvel character, from the X-Men series, by 20th Century Fox - a genre often limited to the margins of high art. Why are they right to do so? Because it’s not about the Ryan Reynolds-driven black-eyed-red bodysuit, it’s about the dialogue.

Directed by first-timer Tim Miller, honcho of blur studios, DEADPOOL features a superb script that catapulted a story that took more than a decade to realize on screen. This is the biggest surprise in this year’s announcement on the finalists for the WGA Awards, to be held in simultaneous bi-coastal joint ceremonies on Sunday, February 19, 2017, in Los Angeles at the Beverly Hilton and in New York City at the Edison Ballroom.

Before you look over the entire selection in features and documentaries, just a quick rule refresher, courtesy of the WGA: “Feature films eligible for a Writers Guild Award were exhibited theatrically for at least one week in Los Angeles during 2016 and were written under the WGA’s Minimum Basic Agreement (MBA) or under a bona fide collective bargaining agreement of the Writers Guild of Canada, Writers’ Guild of Great Britain, Writers Guild of Ireland, Writers’ Guild of South Africa, New Zealand Writers Guild, Film Writers’ Association (India), La Guilde Francaise des Scénaristes (France), Scriptwriters Guild of Israel, Société des Auteurs de Radio, Télévision et Cinéma (Québec), or Verband Deutscher Drehbuchautoren (VDD/Germany), collectively known as affiliate Guilds. Theatrical screenplays produced under the jurisdiction of the WGA or an affiliate Guild must have been submitted for Writers Guild Awards consideration.”

And, “documentaries eligible for a Writers Guild Award featured an onscreen writing credit and were exhibited theatrically in Los Angeles or New York for one week during 2016. Theatrical documentaries must have been produced under the jurisdiction of the WGA or an affiliate Guild to be eligible for awards consideration.” No, their award still doesn't have a name, but it resembles the Winged Victory, for lack of a better moniker, in their logo below.

So here’s the entire list, and we won’t get into the sins of omission, just the marvel at Marvel’s good fortune. That and Alex Gibney’s ZERO DAYS, which is so relevant in the election-year hacking fracas that it should do well in every award show in 2017. And the nominees are…

2017 WRITERS GUILD AWARDS SCREENPLAY NOMINATIONS Los Angeles and New York – The Writers Guild of America, West (WGAW) and the Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) have announced nominations for outstanding achievement in screenwriting during 2016. Winners will be honored at the 2017 Writers Guild Awards on Sunday, February 19, 2017, at concurrent ceremonies in Los Angeles and New York City.

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY Hell or High Water, Written by Taylor Sheridan; CBS Films La La Land, Written by Damien Chazelle; Lionsgate Loving, Written by Jeff Nichols; Focus Features Manchester by the Sea, Written by Kenneth Lonergan; Amazon Studios/Roadside Attractions Moonlight, Written by Barry Jenkins, Story by Tarell McCraney; A24 ADAPTED SCREENPLAY Arrival, Screenplay by Eric Heisserer; Based on the Story “Story of Your Life” by Ted Chiang; Paramount Pictures Deadpool, Written by Rhett Reese & Paul Wernick; Based on the X-Men Comic Books; Twentieth Century Fox Film

Fences, Screenplay by August Wilson; Based on his Play; Paramount Pictures Hidden Figures, Screenplay by Allison Schroeder and Theodore Melfi; Based on the Book by Margot Lee Shetterly; Twentieth Century Fox Film Nocturnal Animals, Screenplay by Tom Ford; Based on the Novel Tony and Susan by Austin Wright; Focus Features

DOCUMENTARY SCREENPLAY Author: The JT LeRoy Story, Written by Jeff Feuerzeig; Amazon Studios Command and Control, Telescript by Robert Kenner and Eric Schlosser, Story by Brian Pearle and Kim Roberts; Based on the book Command and Control by Eric Schlosser; American Experience Films Zero Days, Written by Alex Gibney; Magnolia

Pictures

The Writers Guild Awards honor outstanding writing in film, television, new media, videogames, news, radio, promotional, and graphic animation categories. The awards will be presented at concurrent ceremonies on Sunday, February 19, 2017, in Los Angeles at the Beverly Hilton and in New York City at the Edison Ballroom. For more information about the 2017 Writers Guild Awards, please visit www.wga.org or www.wgaeast.org.

The Writers Guild of America, West (WGAW) and the Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) are labor unions representing writers in motion pictures, television, cable, digital media, and broadcast news. The Guilds negotiate and administer contracts that protect the creative and economic rights of their members; conduct programs, seminars, and events on issues of interest to writers; and present writers’ views to various bodies of government. For more information on the Writers Guild of America, West, visit www.wga.org. For more information on the Writers Guild of America, East, visit www.wgaeast.org.