The Hurt Locker, Up in the Air win top WGA awards

source: wga.org

The Writers Guild of America recognised the best screenplays in film and television this past weekend, with top prizes going to Oscar favourites The Hurt Locker and Up in the Air.

Mark Boal won Best Original Screenplay for The Hurt Locker, beating the scripts for (500) Days of Summer, Avatar, The Hangover and A Serious Man. Although The Hurt Locker screenplay is a genuine contender for this same award at next month’s Academy Awards, it’s a little difficult to consider it a lock. Out of this category, only A Serious Man was also nominated for an Oscar. These two films will face off against The Messenger, as well as Inglourious Basterds and Up, two dangerous contenders that were deemed ineligible for WGA nominations.

Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner won Best Adapted Screenplay for Up in the Air, trumping
the scripts for Crazy Heart, Julie and Julia, Precious and Star Trek. Once again, only Up in the Air and Precious have been nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay at the Academy Awards. They will compete against An Education, District 9 and In the Loop.

Best Documentary Screenplay went to The Cove, while 30 Rock and Mad Men were the big winners in the TV categories.

Tom O’Neill at the LA Times reminds us that 8 of the last 13 WGA Best Original Screenplay winners have gone on to take the Oscar. Meanwhile, 9 of the last 13 WGA Best Adapted Screenplay winners went on to Oscar glory.

The Academy Awards will take place March 7th.

Discuss: What was your favourite screenplay of 2009?