In what might be seen as another momentum booster, Paul Thomas Anderson just took home the USC Scripter Award for his “One Battle After Another” screenplay, which was loosely adapted from Thomas Pynchon’s novel “Vineland.”
The USC Scripter is such a fervent precursor for the adapted screenplay category that it now seems very likely that “One Battle After Another” will win the category come Oscar night.
It’s not hard to see why this might be a runaway for PTA’s film — “One Battle” is contending with four other nominees, with only one film in true contention to pull off an upset (“Hamnet”). The other three nominees (“Train Dreams,” “Frankenstein,” and “Bugonia”) are just happy to be there.
Recent USC Scripter winners from just this decade that went on to win a screenplay Oscar include “Conclave,” “American Fiction,” “Women Talking,” and “Nomadland.” That means the award has predicted four of the last five Oscar winners in the category.
That said, the USC Scripter Award is voted on by a jury, not a large industry-wide membership like the Oscars. The winner is chosen by a jury composed of USC faculty from the USC School of Cinematic Arts and the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, along with “distinguished writers and scholars” invited by USC. These jurors are typically screenwriters, authors, literary scholars, and film academics.
Side note: PTA and his film have been on a winning streak ever since awards season began; sure, “Sinners” garnered more Oscar nominations (16 vs. 13), and that’s convinced some that Ryan Coogler’s vampire flick might upset and win best picture …
However, who are we kidding? Countless people have pointed out the immediate relevance of “One Battle After Another,” particularly its depiction of ICE-like agents clashing with radical protestors. I doubt many Academy members won’t be inserting their own political leanings when voting for this film.