Every year or so, a wildly popular piece of broad entertainment earns enough respect to garner serious awards season consideration. It happened with Bridesmaids, it happened with Mad Max: Fury Road, and it looks like it might – just “might” – be happening with the wisecracking superhero comedy Deadpool.
The adaptation of the Marvel comic book character, written by Zombieland co-writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, has just been nominated by the Writers Guild of America (WGA) for Best Adapted Screenplay. Deadpool will go head-to-head with the screenplays for Arrival, Fences, Hidden Figures and Nocturnal Animals in the adapted screenplay category. Those are some of the most acclaimed motion pictures of the year, and Fences – which was adapted by the original playwright, the late August Wilson – had already won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1987.
Also: The ‘Deadpool’ Writers Talk Cable and Pansexuality (Exclusive Video Interview)
That’s incredibly good company for an R-rated superhero movie with a year-long montage of kinky sex set to the tune of Neil Sedaka’s “Calendar Girl,” but it’s hard to find any fault with the WGA’s decision. Deadpool really is one of the best movies of 2016, in part because of its ribald sense of humor, and in part because of its impressive streak of humanity.
The list of motion picture nominees is below. You can see the complete list of nominations, including television and video games, on the WGA website.
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Hell or High Water, Written by Taylor Sheridan; CBS Films
La La Land, Written by Damien Chazelle; Lionsgate
Loving, Written by Jeff Nichols; Focus Features
Manchester by the Sea, Written by Kenneth Lonergan; Amazon Studios/Roadside Attractions
Moonlight, Written by Barry Jenkins, Story by Tarell McCraney; A24
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Arrival, Screenplay by Eric Heisserer; Based on the Story “Story of Your Life” by Ted Chiang; Paramount Pictures
Deadpool, Written by Rhett Reese & Paul Wernick; Based on the X-Men Comic Books; Twentieth Century Fox Film
Fences, Screenplay by August Wilson; Based on his Play; Paramount Pictures
Hidden Figures, Screenplay by Allison Schroeder and Theodore Melfi; Based on the Book by Margot Lee Shetterly; Twentieth Century Fox Film
Nocturnal Animals, Screenplay by Tom Ford; Based on the Novel Tony and Susan by Austin Wright; Focus Features
DOCUMENTARY SCREENPLAY
Author: The JT LeRoy Story, Written by Jeff Feuerzeig; Amazon Studios
Command and Control, Telescript by Robert Kenner and Eric Schlosser, Story by Brian Pearle and Kim Roberts; Based on the book Command and Control by Eric Schlosser; American Experience Films
Zero Days, Written by Alex Gibney; Magnolia Pictures
Photo: 20th Century Fox
William Bibbiani (everyone calls him ‘Bibbs’) is Crave’s film content editor and critic. You can hear him every week on The B-Movies Podcast and Canceled Too Soon, and watch him on the weekly YouTube series Most Craved, Rapid Reviews and What the Flick. Follow his rantings on Twitter at @WilliamBibbiani.
