Promising Young Woman and Borat Subsequent Moviefilm Win at Writers Guild of America Awards

The Writers Guild of America has announced the winners for the 73rd Writers Guild of America Awards. Emerald took out Original Screenplay for Promising Young Woman, Sacha Baron Cohen and his huge team of writers won Adapted Screenplay for Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, and Mark Monroe and Bryan Fogel scored Documentary Screenplay for The Dissident.

While the Adapted Screenplay winner may have little impact on the Academy Awards race due to the ineligibility of films like The Father and frontrunner Nomadland, Cohen’s win is a nice little boost for the team’s Oscar campaign. But it’s Fennell’s win for Original Screenplay that could truly be hugely telling for her Oscar chances. 11 of the last 15 WGA Original Screenplay winners went on to claim the Oscar (Moonlight was deemed adapted by the Academy, but let’s count it anyway), so surely Fennell now sits in the frontrunner for this race. Winners in bold below.

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Judas and the Black Messiah, Screenplay by Will Berson & Shaka King, Story by Will Berson & Shaka King and Kenny Lucas & Keith Lucas
Palm Springs, Screenplay by Andy Siara, Story by Andy Siara & Max Barbakow
Promising Young Woman, Written by Emerald Fennell
Sound of Metal, Screenplay by Darius Marder & Abraham Marder, Story by Darius Marder & Derek Cianfrance
The Trial of the Chicago 7, Written by Aaron Sorkin

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, Screenplay by Sacha Baron Cohen & Anthony Hines & Dan Swimer & Peter Baynham & Erica Rivinoja & Dan Mazer & Jena Friedman & Lee Kern, Story by Sacha Baron Cohen & Anthony Hines & Dan Swimer & Nina Pedrad, Based on Characters Created by Sacha Baron Cohen
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Screenplay by Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Based on the Play Written by August Wilson
News of the World, Screenplay by Paul Greengrass and Luke Davies, Based upon the Novel by Paulette Jiles
One Night in Miami, Screenplay by Kemp Powers, Based on the Stage Play “One Night in Miami” by Kemp Powers
The White Tiger, Screenplay by Ramin Bahrani, Based on the Book “The White Tiger” by Aravind Adiga

DOCUMENTARY SCREENPLAY
All In: The Fight for Democracy, Written by Jack Youngelson
The Dissident, Written by Mark Monroe and Bryan Fogel
Herb Alpert Is…, Written by John Scheinfeld
Red Penguins, Written by Gabe Polsky
Totally Under Control, Written by Alex Gibney