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) |
- 2026 Tribeca Festival Celebrates 25th Anniversary with World Premieres of ‘Hadestown: The Musical,’ ‘Earth, Wind & Fire’ Doc - April 16, 2026
- ‘Beef’ Season 2 Review: Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, Cailee Spaeny and Charles Melton Sink Their Teeth Into Lee Sung Jin’s Meaty Morality Tale [A-] - April 16, 2026
- George Clooney to be Honored at 51st Chaplin Award Gala by Stephen Colbert, Sam Rockwell and More - April 15, 2026

2026 Tonys: Laurie Metcalf (‘Little Bear Ridge Road,’ ‘Death of a Salesman’) May Join Elite Group of Double-Nominated Performers
2026 Tribeca Festival Celebrates 25th Anniversary with World Premieres of ‘Hadestown: The Musical,’ ‘Earth, Wind & Fire’ Doc
Director Watch Podcast Ep. 149 – ‘Killer of Sheep’ (Charles Burnett, 1978)
‘Lee Cronin’s The Mummy’ Review: Careful the Spell You Cast, Children Will Listen (and Sometimes Kill) [C]