2020 Oscar Nomination Predictions: ORIGINAL 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 Original Screenplay for May 13, 2019.
| 1. Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood (Sony/Columbia) |
| 2. Untitled Noah Baumbach (Netflix) |
| 3. A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (Sony/Columbia) |
| 4. The Farewell (A24) |
| 5. Harriet (Focus Features) |
| NEXT UP (alphabetical) |
| 1917 (Universal) |
| Booksmart (Annapurna) |
| The Pope (Netflix) |
| Queen & Slim (Universal) |
| The Report (Amazon) |
| OTHER CONTENDERS (alphabetical) |
| Ad Astra (20th Century Fox) |
| Against All Enemies (Amazon) |
| Clemency (Neon) |
| First Cow (TBD) |
| Frankie (Sony Classics) |
| The French Dispatch (TBD) |
| Knives Out (Lionsgate) |
| The Last Black Man in San Francisco (A24) |
| Last Christmas (Universal) |
| Late Night (Amazon) |
| Luce (Neon) |
| Pain and Glory (Sony Classics) |
| The Souvenir (A24) |
| Uncut Gems (TBD) |
| Untitled Roger Ailes aka Fair and Balanced (Lionsgate) |
| Us (Universal) |
| Waves (A24) |
| Wendy (Fox Searchlight) |
He is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, accredited by the Cannes Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and more, is a member of the International Cinephile Society (ICS), The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics (GALECA), Critics Choice Association (CCA), San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle (SFBAFCC) and the International Press Academy. Among his many achieved goals with AwardsWatch, he has given a platform to underrepresented writers and critics and supplied them with access to film festivals and the industry and calls the Bay Area his home where he lives with his husband and son.
- Online Film & Television Association (OFTA) Awards: ‘Sinners’ Tops with 10 - February 16, 2026
- 41st Film Independent Spirit Awards: ‘Train Dreams’ Takes Best Feature, Director; ‘Adolescence’ Sweeps TV Wins - February 15, 2026
- Make-Up Artists & Hair Stylists Guild (MUAH) Awards: ‘Frankenstein, ‘One Battle After Another,’ ‘Sinners’ Take Top Wins - February 15, 2026
Online Film & Television Association (OFTA) Awards: ‘Sinners’ Tops with 10 
AwardsWatch Podcast Ep. 333 – Reviewing “Wuthering Heights” and BAFTA Preview 
‘Rose’ Review: Sandra Hüller Commands the Screen in Gender-Bending Period Piece with a Towering, Career-High Performance [A-] Berlinale 
On the Shelf: ‘Ben-Hur,’ ‘All the President’s Men,’ ‘Boxcar Bertha,’ ‘The Visitor’ Arrive on 4K, Lubitsch Musicals added to Criterion in Physical Media releases for the Week of February 16