Writers Guild of America Award for Best Adapted Screenplay facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Writers Guild of America Award for Adapted Screenplay |
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|---|---|
| Presented by | Writers Guild of America |
| Country | United States |
| First awarded | 1970 |
| Currently held by | RaMell Ross and Joslyn Barnes, Nickel Boys (2024) |
The Writers Guild of America Award for Best Adapted Screenplay is a special prize given to the best movie script that is based on something else. This "something else" could be a book, a play, a comic book, or even another movie. It's like taking a story that already exists and turning it into a script for a new film.
The Writers Guild of America (WGA) is a group of writers who work in movies and TV. They started giving out this award in 1970. At first, they had two separate awards: one for adapted dramas and one for adapted comedies. This continued until 1985.
Contents
Award Winners: A Look Through the Decades
1960s Winners
The first awards for adapted screenplays were given in 1970 for films released in 1969.
| Year | Film | Writer(s) | Based on |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 (22nd) |
Best Drama Adapted from Another Medium | ||
| Midnight Cowboy | Waldo Salt | The novel by James Leo Herlihy | |
| Best Comedy Adapted from Another Medium | |||
| Goodbye, Columbus | Arnold Schulman | The novella by Philip Roth | |
1970s Winners
The 1970s saw many famous films win this award, showing how great stories from books and plays could become amazing movies.
| Year | Film | Writer(s) | Based on |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 (23rd) |
Best Drama Adapted from Another Medium | ||
| I Never Sang for My Father | Robert Anderson | The play by Robert Anderson | |
| Best Comedy Adapted from Another Medium | |||
| M*A*S*H | Ring Lardner Jr. | The novel MASH: A Novel About Three Army Doctors by Richard Hooker | |
| 1971 (24th) |
Best Drama Adapted from Another Medium | ||
| The French Connection | Ernest Tidyman | The book by Robin Moore | |
| Best Comedy Adapted from Another Medium | |||
| Kotch | John Paxton | The novel by Katharine Topkins | |
| 1972 (25th) |
Best Drama Adapted from Another Medium | ||
| The Godfather | Mario Puzo, and Francis Ford Coppola | The novel by Mario Puzo | |
| Best Comedy Adapted from Another Medium | |||
| Cabaret | Jay Presson Allen | The musical by John Van Druten and the book by Joe Masteroff | |
| 1973 (26th) |
Best Drama Adapted from Another Medium | ||
| Serpico | Waldo Salt, and Norman Wexler | The book by Peter Maas | |
| Best Comedy Adapted from Another Medium | |||
| Paper Moon | Alvin Sargent | The novel Addie Pray by Joe David Brown | |
| 1974 (27th) |
Best Drama Adapted from Another Medium | ||
| The Godfather Part II | Francis Ford Coppola, and Mario Puzo | The novel The Godfather by Mario Puzo | |
| Best Comedy Adapted from Another Medium | |||
| The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz | Mordecai Richler, and Lionel Chetwynd | The novel by Mordecai Richler | |
| 1975 (28th) |
Best Drama Adapted from Another Medium | ||
| One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest | Lawrence Hauben, and Bo Goldman | The novel by Ken Kesey | |
| Best Comedy Adapted from Another Medium | |||
| The Sunshine Boys | Neil Simon | The play by Neil Simon | |
| 1976 (29th) |
Best Drama Adapted from Another Medium | ||
| All the President's Men | William Goldman | The book by Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward | |
| Best Comedy Adapted from Another Medium | |||
| The Pink Panther Strikes Again | Frank Waldman, and Blake Edwards | The film series The Pink Panther | |
| 1977 (30th) |
Best Drama Adapted from Another Medium | ||
| Julia | Alvin Sargent | A chapter from the book Pentimento by Lillian Hellman | |
| Best Comedy Adapted from Another Medium | |||
| Oh, God! | Larry Gelbart | The novel by Avery Corman | |
| 1978 (31st) |
Best Drama Adapted from Another Medium | ||
| Midnight Express | Oliver Stone | The book by Billy Hayes | |
| Best Comedy Adapted from Another Medium | |||
| Heaven Can Wait | Elaine May, and Warren Beatty | The play by Harry Segall | |
| 1979 (32nd) |
Best Drama Adapted from Another Medium | ||
| Kramer vs. Kramer | Robert Benton | The novel by Avery Corman | |
| Best Comedy Adapted from Another Medium | |||
| Being There | Jerzy Kosinski | The novel by Jerzy Kosinski | |
1980s Winners
In the 1980s, the WGA continued to honor screenwriters who successfully brought existing stories to the big screen.
| Year | Film | Writer(s) | Based on |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 (33rd) |
Best Drama Adapted from Other Medium | ||
| Ordinary People | Alvin Sargent | The novel by Judith Guest | |
| Best Comedy Adapted from Other Another Medium | |||
| Airplane! | Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, and Jerry Zucker | The film Zero Hour! by Arthur Hailey, Hall Bartlett and John Champion and the Airport film series based on the novel by Hailey | |
| 1981 (34th) |
Best Drama Adapted from Other Medium | ||
| On Golden Pond | Ernest Thompson, and Donald E. Stewart | The play by Ernest Thompson | |
| Best Comedy Adapted from Other Another Medium | |||
| Rich and Famous | Gerald Ayres | The play Old Acquaintance by John Van Druten | |
| 1982 (35th) |
Best Drama Adapted from Other Medium | ||
| Missing | Costa-Gavras, and Donald E. Stewart | The book The Execution of Charles Horman: An American Sacrifice by Thomas Hauser | |
| Best Comedy Adapted from Other Another Medium | |||
| Victor Victoria | Blake Edwards | The film Viktor und Viktoria, concept by Hans Hoemburg and script by Reinhold Schünzel | |
| 1983 (36th) |
Best Drama Adapted from Other Medium | ||
| Reuben, Reuben | Julius J. Epstein | The play Spofford by Herman Shumlin | |
| Best Comedy Adapted from Other Another Medium | |||
| Terms of Endearment | James L. Brooks | The novel by Larry McMurtry | |
| 1984 (37th) |
The Killing Fields | Bruce Robinson | The biography The Death and Life of Dith Pran by Sydney Schanberg |
| 1985 (38th) |
Prizzi's Honor | Richard Condon and Janet Roach | The novel by Richard Condon |
| 1986 (39th) |
A Room with a View | Ruth Prawer Jhabvala | The novel by E. M. Forster |
| 1987 (40th) |
Roxanne | Steve Martin | The play Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand |
| 1988 (41st) |
Dangerous Liaisons | Christopher Hampton | The play by Christopher Hampton based on the novel by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos |
| 1989 (42nd) |
Driving Miss Daisy | Alfred Uhry | The play by Alfred Uhry |
1990s Winners
The 1990s brought more fantastic adapted screenplays to the forefront, including some very popular movies.
| Year | Film | Writer(s) | Based on |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 (43rd) |
Dances with Wolves | Michael Blake | The book by Michael Blake |
| 1991 (44th) |
The Silence of the Lambs | Ted Tally | The novel by Thomas Harris |
| 1992 (45th) |
The Player | Michael Tolkin | The novel by Michael Tolkin |
| 1993 (46th) |
Schindler's List | Steven Zaillian | The novel Schindler's Ark by Thomas Keneally |
| 1994 (47th) |
Forrest Gump | Eric Roth | The novel by Winston Groom |
| 1995 (48th) |
Sense and Sensibility | Emma Thompson | The novel by Jane Austen |
| 1996 (49th) |
Sling Blade | Billy Bob Thornton | The short film Some Folks Call It a Sling Blade by Billy Bob Thornton |
| 1997 (50th) |
L.A. Confidential | Curtis Hanson and Brian Helgeland | The novel by James Ellroy |
| 1998 (51st) |
Out of Sight | Scott Frank | The novel by Elmore Leonard |
| 1999 (52nd) |
Election | Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor | The novel by Tom Perrotta |
2000s Winners
The 2000s continued to showcase amazing screenplays that were adapted from various sources, from books to comic books.
| Year | Film | Writer(s) | Based on |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 (53rd) |
Traffic | Stephen Gaghan | The television serial Traffik by Simon Moore |
| 2001 (54th) |
A Beautiful Mind | Akiva Goldsman | The book by Sylvia Nasar |
| 2002 (55th) |
The Hours | David Hare | The novel by Michael Cunningham |
| 2003 (56th) |
American Splendor | Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini | The comics American Splendor by Harvey Pekar and Our Cancer Year by Pekar and Joyce Brabner |
| 2004 (57th) |
Sideways | Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor | The novel by Rex Pickett |
| 2005 (58th) |
Brokeback Mountain | Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana | The short story by Annie Proulx |
| 2006 (59th) |
The Departed | William Monahan | The film Infernal Affairs written by Alan Mak and Felix Chong |
| 2007 (60th) |
No Country for Old Men | Joel Coen and Ethan Coen | The novel by Cormac McCarthy |
| 2008 (61st) |
Slumdog Millionaire | Simon Beaufoy | The novel Q & A by Vikas Swarup |
| 2009 (62nd) |
Up in the Air | Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner | The novel by Walter Kirn |
2010s Winners
The 2010s continued the tradition of recognizing excellent adapted screenplays, with many popular and critically acclaimed films receiving the award.
| Year | Film | Writer(s) | Based on |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 (63rd) |
The Social Network | Aaron Sorkin | The book The Accidental Billionaires by Ben Mezrich |
| 2011 (64th) |
The Descendants | Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, and Jim Rash | The novel by Kaui Hart Hemmings |
| 2012 (65th) |
Argo | Chris Terrio | A selection from the book The Master of Disguise by Tony Mendez and the Wired magazine article "The Great Escape: How the CIA Used a Fake Sci-Fi Flick to Rescue Americans from Tehran" by Joshuah Bearman |
| 2013 (66th) |
Captain Phillips | Billy Ray | The book A Captain's Duty: Somali Pirates, Navy SEALS, and Dangerous Days at Sea by Richard Phillips with Stephan Talty |
| 2014 (67th) |
The Imitation Game | Graham Moore | The book Alan Turing: The Enigma by Andrew Hodges |
| 2015 (68th) |
The Big Short | Adam McKay and Charles Randolph | The book by Michael Lewis |
| 2016 (69th) |
Arrival | Eric Heisserer | The story Story of Your Life by Ted Chiang |
| 2017 (70th) |
Call Me by Your Name | James Ivory | The novel by André Aciman |
| 2018 (71st) |
Can You Ever Forgive Me? | Nicole Holofcener and Jeff Whitty | The memoir by Lee Israel |
| 2019 (72nd) |
Jojo Rabbit | Taika Waititi | The novel Caging Skies by Christine Leunens |
2020s Winners
The 2020s have continued to celebrate screenwriters who skillfully adapt stories for the big screen.
| Year | Film | Writer(s) | Based on |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 (73rd) |
Borat Subsequent Moviefilm | Sacha Baron Cohen, Anthony Hines, Dan Swimer, Peter Baynham, Erica Rivinoja, Dan Mazer, Jena Friedman, Lee Kern & Nina Pedrad | The characters created by Sacha Baron Cohen |
| 2021 (74th) |
CODA | Siân Heder | The film La Famille Belier by Victoria Bedos, Thomas Bidegain, Stanislas Carree de Malberg, and Eric Lartigau |
| 2022 (75th) |
Women Talking | Sarah Polley | The novel by Miriam Toews |
| 2023 (76th) |
American Fiction | Cord Jefferson | The novel Erasure by Percival Everett |
| 2024 (77th) |
Nickel Boys | RaMell Ross and Joslyn Barnes | The novel The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead |
Writers with Multiple Wins
Some writers have won this award more than once, showing their amazing skill in adapting stories.
Writers with 3 Awards
Writers with 2 Awards
- Francis Ford Coppola
- Blake Edwards
- Mario Puzo
- Waldo Salt
- Jim Taylor
Writers with Multiple Nominations
Many talented writers have been nominated for this award multiple times.
Writers with 6 Nominations
- Steven Zaillian
- Eric Roth
Writers with 4 Nominations
- Jay Presson Allen
- Elaine May
- Alexander Payne
- Neil Simon
- Aaron Sorkin
Writers with 3 Nominations
- Scott Frank
- Ruth Prawer Jhabvala
- Richard Linklater
- David Mamet
- Anthony Minghella
- Mario Puzo
- Oliver Stone
- Jim Taylor
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Writers Guild of America Award for Best Adapted Screenplay Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.