The USC Libraries has revealed the finalists for the 36th annual USC Libraries Scripter Award, which honors the year’s best film adaptations, as well as the works on which they are based.
The voters are a mix of academics, industry professionals, and critics — more importantly, it’s a great precursor for the Adapted Screenplay Oscar race. There are plenty of Academy voters that take part in the USC Scripter. Take these very seriously.
This year, the nominees are Eric Roth (“Killer of the Flower Moon”), Cord Jefferson (“American Fiction”), Christopher Nolan (“Oppenheimer”), Tony McNamara (“Poor Things”) and Ava DuVernay (“Origin”).
Not many people predicted DuVernay to get nominated here. It’s the biggest surprise, by far, of the five. She took the fifth spot away from the likes of “The Color Purple,” “The Zone of Interest,” “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret” and “All of Us Strangers.”
All I can say is that the grassroots campaign being fueled by DuVernay and company seems to be working. It’s shaking up the Oscar race. This USC nod might just be a hint at what’s to come during Oscar nominations morning — maybe additional Best Picture or Best Actress nods?
At the very least, it’s making the race interesting. Much in the same way as last year when Andrea Riseborough came out of absolutely nowhere and managed to get recognized.
The industry support for “Origin” cannot be denied. In the last week it’s garnered support from the likes of Angelina Jolie, Ben Affleck, Dave Chappelle, Cher, Guillermo Del Toro, JJ Abrams, Oprah, Barbara Brocolli, Lena Waithe, LaKeith Stanfield, Nia Vardalos, Melanie Lynskey, Colman Domingo, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Brit Marling, Frances Fisher and Rosanna Arquette.
Still no distributor for "Bucking Fastard," "Alpha Gang," "The Last Photograph," "Closing Night," and "The Life and Deaths of Wilson Shedd." The issue seems to be quality more than a lack of willingness to buy.