Oscars 2009: Predictions for Best Adapted Screenplay

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

Eric Roth for “The Curious Case of Benjamin
Button” (Paramount Pictures)
Justin Haythe for “Revolutionary Road” (Paramount Vantage)
David Hare for “The Reader” (The Weinstein Company)
John Patrick Shanley for “Doubt” (Miramax Films)
Peter Morgan for “Frost/Nixon” (Universal Pictures)

Comments:

Three book adaptations and 2 stage to film projects make up the category for . The Brad Pitt starrer is an adaptation a 1922 short story written by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Eric Roth (winner for Best Adapted Screenplay for Forrest Gump and the person who penned Mann’s The Insider (1999) and Spielberg’s Munich should be among the finalists. Another older novel coming to the big screen is the first novel of author Richard Yates – Justin Haythe adapts Revolutionary Road for Sam Mendes and the experts are saying that this is perhaps the lead picture of the category. David Hare adapts the award-winning novel from German law prof and judge Bernhard Schlink. Status still unknown if The Reader is slated for a 2008 release. John Patrick Shanley adapts from his own screenplay for Doubt and British screenwriter Peter Morgan does the same with his take on Frost/Nixon. Both of these should be shoe-in noms for the category.

Contenders:

Last year No Country for Old Men saw the Coens‘ and Cormac McCarthy’s in the limelight. This year the Bros. have the loosely based script based on Admiral Stansfield Turner’s “Burn Before Reading: Presidents, CIA Directors, and Secret Intelligence” and Cormac McCarthy’s novel The Road is being brought to the big screen by director John Hillcoat working from the script drawn up by Joe Penhall.

Five other projects that could make the final cut are: Don McKellar’s take on José Saramago’s novel Blindness, Alan Ball’s adaptation of Alicia Erian’s Towelhead should create some commotion among moviegoers. Pair of war films based on novels might get some attention: Nechama Tec’s Defiance (scripted by Clay Frohman, Clayton Frohman and Edward Zwick) and James McBride adapts from his own paperback with Miracle at St.
Anna. Finally, perhaps this year’s Juno might come in the form of C.D. Payne’s novel adapted by Youth in Revolt Gustin Nash.