2020 Oscar Nomination Predictions: ADAPTED SCREENPLAY (May)

The screenplay categories are a bit convoluted with some contenders muddied as to whether or not they are truly original or truly adapted. We’ve seen category switches happen before, either by choice or by designation. The Best Picture Oscar winner Moonlight initially ran as an Original Screenplay – where it won the WGA – but was deemed Adapted by the Academy (from an unproduced play) and went on to win the Oscar there, too.
This year we have a handful of screenplays that could fall under either category and therefore you’ll see them in both Adapted and Original Screenplay predictions for the time being. A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (based on an Esquire profile of Mr. Rogers by Tom Junod) are The Farewell (based on an idea from an episode of This American Life) are both in limbo although my instinct is that ABDITN will stay in Adapted and The Farewell will be in Original.
Here are my ranked 2020 Oscar Nomination predictions in Adapted Screenplay for May 13, 2019.
| 1. A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (Sony/Columbia) |
| 2. The Irishman (Netflix) |
| 3. Jojo Rabbit (Fox Searchlight) |
| 4. The Farewell (A24) |
| 5. Just Mercy (Warner Bros) |
| NEXT UP (alphabetical) |
| Ford v Ferrari (20th Century Fox) |
| The Laundromat (Netflix) |
| Little Women (Sony/Columbia) |
| The Personal History of David Copperfield (TBD) |
| The Woman in the Window (20th Century Fox) |
| OTHER CONTENDERS (alphabetical) |
| Downhill (Fox Searchlight) |
| The Glorias: A Life on the Roads (TBD) |
| The Goldfinch (Amazon/Warner Bros) |
| The Good Liar (Warner Bros) |
| The King (Netflix) |
| The Last Thing He Wanted (Netflix) |
| Motherless Brooklyn (Warner Bros) |
| Radioactive (Amazon) |
| Toy Story 4 (Disney/Pixar) |
| Untitled Todd Haynes aka Dry Run (TBD) |
| Waiting for the Barbarians (TBD) |
- Association of Motion Picture Sound (AMPS) Television and Nonfiction Nominations Announced: ‘Adolescence,’ ‘Black Mirror,’ ‘Slow Horses’ and More - March 20, 2026
- Trailer Watch: ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day,’ ‘Dune: Part Three,’ Disclosure Day,’ ‘Wild Horse Nine’ - March 20, 2026
- Six Join 51st Residence of the Festival de Cannes, including Harry Lighton, Mansi Maheshwari, Oliver McGoldrick - March 20, 2026

Director Watch Podcast Ep. 144 – ‘A Matter of Life and Death (Powell and Pressburger, 1946) with Special Guest Jesse Nussman
Association of Motion Picture Sound (AMPS) Television and Nonfiction Nominations Announced: ‘Adolescence,’ ‘Black Mirror,’ ‘Slow Horses’ and More
Trailer Watch: ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day,’ ‘Dune: Part Three,’ Disclosure Day,’ ‘Wild Horse Nine’
‘Anima’ Review: Sydney Chandler and Takehiro Hira Ground Brian Tetsuro Ivie’s Low-Fi Sci-Fi Road Movie [B+] SXSW