Deadpool nominated for WGA award - could Ryan Reynolds' film really be an Oscar contender?
The five-time Academy Award viewer inches ever closer to a nomination
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Your support makes all the difference.The Writers Guild of America has announced the final nominees for theatrical and documentary screenplays, including critical darlings Moonlight, La La Land and Manchester by the Sea.
Perhaps the most surprising inclusion - considering the likes of Martin Scorsese’s Silence, Mel Gibson’s comeback Hacksaw Ridge, and the Tom Hanks-starring Sully were all except - is foul-mouthed comic-book adaptation Deadpool.
Yes, the Ryan Reynolds-led X-Men spin-off which took years to develop and was almost never made really has been nominated for one of Hollywood’s most prestigious awards. It faces competition in the “Adapted Screenplay” category from Arrival, Fences, Hidden Figures, and Nocturnal Animals.
Does this mean Deadpool might actually stand a chance at being nominated for an Oscar? As noted by The Hollywood Reporter, there are a great many things standing in Deadpool’s way.
Firstly, the WGA only consider films written under a WGA contract, or under a contract with an affiliated guild, meaning The Lobster, Elle, and Toni Erdman were ineligible.
The WGA also considered both Moonlight and Loving as original screenplays despite being adapted screenplays by the Academy’s standards. If they were counted as adapted, Deadpool may not have made the final cut.
So, could Deadpool take the Academy Award for best-adapted screenplay? If, by some miracle, the academy decide Silence, Moonlight, Nocturnal Animals, Arrival, Fences, Hidden Figures, Hacksaw Ridge, and Sully are all worse screenplays than Deadpool, then yes, Ryan Reynolds’ team may be up for the prestigious award. Could they win? Stranger things have happened.
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