2020 Oscar Nomination Predictions: ADAPTED SCREENPLAY (October)

Jojo Rabbit bounces back this month, while A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood just hangs on, precariously, to the top 5.
Adapted Screenplay is rather barren this year, which could mean that unusual or unexpected films could find their way in here. STX Entertainment’s Hustlers, from Lorene Scafaria, exploded at the box office and could be a contender. The quick turnaround of Clint Eastwood’s Richard Jewell from Warner Bros is very much a possibility. It’s hitting AFI FEST so WB is playing the awards game with it in a way they didn’t with The Mule last year. Another Warner Bros property, Joker, is ripe for an upset here too. Then there’s Toy Story 4. The first and third entries in the Toy Story series earned Adapted Screenplay nominations. Could #4 hit the mark?
Here are my 2020 Oscar Nomination Predictions in Adapted Screenplay for October 16, 2019.
Green – moves up Red – moves down Blue – new/re-entry
1. The Two Popes (Netflix)
2. Jojo Rabbit (Fox Searchlight)
3. The Irishman (Netflix)
4. Little Women (Sony/Columbia)
5. A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (Sony/TriStar)
NEXT UP (alphabetical by film)
Dark Waters (Focus Features)
Joker (Warner Bros)
Just Mercy (Warner Bros)
Hustlers (STX Entertainment)
Toy Story 4 (Disney/Pixar)
OTHER CONTENDERS (alphabetical by film)
The Aeronauts (Amazon)
The Ballad of Richard Jewell (Warner Bros)
Downton Abbey (Focus Features)
The Good Liar (Warner Bros)
The King (Netflix)
Motherless Brooklyn (Warner Bros)
- ‘Jay Kelly,’ ‘Hamnet,’ ‘Pluribus,’ ‘Task’ and More on AFI’s Top 10 Films and Television of 2025 Lists - December 4, 2025
- ‘Frankenstein’ to Receive Visionary Honor from Palm Springs International Film Awards - December 4, 2025
- Robert Yeoman to be Honored with American Society of Cinematographers’ Lifetime Achievement Award - December 3, 2025

‘Jay Kelly,’ ‘Hamnet,’ ‘Pluribus,’ ‘Task’ and More on AFI’s Top 10 Films and Television of 2025 Lists
‘Frankenstein’ to Receive Visionary Honor from Palm Springs International Film Awards
Robert Yeoman to be Honored with American Society of Cinematographers’ Lifetime Achievement Award
National Board of Review: ‘One Battle After Another’ Tops in Film, Director, Actor, Supporting Actor; Netflix Lands Four in Top 10