WRITERS GUILD OF AMERICA NOMINATIONS

Best Original Screenplay

Paul Thomas Anderson (The Master)

Wes Anderson and Roman Coppola (Moonrise Kingdom)

Mark Boal (Zero Dark Thirty)

John Gatins (Flight)

Rian Johnson (Looper)

Best Adapted Screenplay

Stephen Chbosky (The Perks of Being a Wallflower) – based on his book

Tony Kushner (Lincoln) – based in part on the book ‘Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln’ by Doris Kearns Goodwin

David Magee (Life of Pi) – based on the novel by Yann Martel

David O. Russell (Silver Linings Playbook) – based on the novel by Matthew Quick

Chris Terrio (Argo) – based on a selection from ‘The Master of Disguise’ by Antonio J. Mendez and the Wired Magazine article ‘The Great Escape’ by Joshuah Berman

Best Documentary Screenplay

Malik Bendjelloul (Searching for Sugar Man)

Amy Berg and Billy McMillin (West of Memphis)

Ken Burns, Sarah Burns and David McMahon (The Central Park Five)

Kirby Dick (The Invisible War)

Alex Gibney (Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God)

Brian Knappenberger (We Are Legion: The Story of the Hacktivists)

After declaring several of the year's top contenders in the writing categories ineligible (as they do every year), the WGA today picked the ten that most everyone was expecting them to pick. One wonders if The Master, so far unpopular with the guilds, would have made it were Django Unchained or even Amour eligible. Slightly tough to call how this will go, though - Original Screenplay is likely between Zero Dark Thirty or Moonrise Kingdom (this might be the year when all the big Original awards go to the established, respected writer riding on his biggest success to date), Adapted is between Argo, Lincoln and Silver Linings Playbook, and the Best Picture race may end up determining the winner in that category. For that matter, winners will be announced on the 17th of February, a week before the Oscars.