The Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay is one of the Academy Awards, the most prominent film awards in the United States. It is awarded each year to the writer of a screenplay adapted from another source (usually a novel, play, short story, or TV show but sometimes another film). All sequels are automatically considered adaptations by this standard (since the sequel must be based on the original story).
See also the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, a similar award for screenplays that are not adaptations.
Superlatives
The first person to win twice in this category is Joseph L. Mankiewicz, who won the award in two consecutive years, 1949 and 1950. Others to win twice in this category include: George Seaton, Robert Bolt (who also won in consecutive years), Francis Ford Coppola, Mario Puzo, Alvin Sargent, Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, Alexander Payne and Michael Wilson. Payne won both awards as part of a writing duo, with Jim Taylor, and writing trio, with Jim Rash and Nat Faxon. Michael Wilson was blacklisted at the time of his second Oscar, so the award was given to a front (novelist Pierre Boulle). However, the Academy officially recognized him as the winner several years later.[1]
Frances Marion was the first woman to win in this category, in 1930.
Pierre Collings and Sheridan Gibney were the first to win for adapting their own work, for The Life of Emile Zola.
Philip G. Epstein and Julius J. Epstein are the first siblings to win in this category, for Casablanca. James Goldman and William Goldman are the first to win for separate films. Joel Coen and Ethan Coen are the third winning siblings, for No Country for Old Men.
Mario Puzo is the one of two writers whose work has been adapted and resulted in two wins. Puzo's novel The Godfather resulted in wins in 1972 and 1974. The other is E. M. Forster, whose novels A Room with a View and Howards End resulted in wins for Ruth Prawer Jhabvala.
Larry McMurtry is the only person who has won (for Brokeback Mountain) for adapting someone else's work and whose work has been adapted by someone else resulting in a win, Terms of Endearment.
Emma Thompson is the only winner who has also won for acting.[2] Winners Billy Bob Thornton and John Huston have only received nominations (not wins) in the acting categories.
Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh are the only married couple to win, for The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.
Geoffrey S. Fletcher (for Precious), John Ridley (for 12 Years a Slave), and Barry Jenkins and Tarell Alvin McCraney (both for Moonlight) are the only African-Americans to win in this category; Fletcher is also the first African-American to win in any writing category.
Billy Wilder, Charles Brackett, Paddy Chayefsky, Francis Ford Coppola, Horton Foote, William Goldman, Robert Benton, Bo Goldman, and the Coen brothers have won Oscars for both original and adapted screenplays.
Notable nominees
Noted novelists and playwrights nominated in this category include: George Bernard Shaw (who shared an award for an adaptation of his play Pygmalion), Graham Greene, Tennessee Williams, Vladimir Nabokov, James Hilton, Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler, Lillian Hellman, Irwin Shaw, James Agee, Norman Corwin, S. J. Perelman, Terence Rattigan, John Osborne, Robert Bolt, Harold Pinter, David Mamet, Larry McMurtry, Arthur Miller, John Irving, David Hare, Tony Kushner, and August Wilson.
Winners and nominees
Winners are listed first in colored row, followed by the other nominees.
1920s
1930s
1940s
1950s
1960s
Year |
Film |
Screenwriter(s) |
Adapted from |
1960 (33rd) |
Elmer Gantry |
Richard Brooks |
The novel Elmer Gantry by Sinclair Lewis |
Inherit the Wind |
Nedrick Young (front: Nathan E. Douglas)[11] Harold Jacob Smith |
The play Inherit the Wind by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee |
Sons and Lovers |
Gavin Lambert T. E. B. Clarke |
The novel Sons and Lovers by D. H. Lawrence |
The Sundowners |
Isobel Lennart |
The novel The Sundowners by Jon Cleary |
Tunes of Glory |
James Kennaway |
The novel Tunes of Glory by James Kennaway |
1961 (34th) |
Judgment at Nuremberg |
Abby Mann |
The teleplay Judgment at Nuremberg, written by Abby Mann |
Breakfast at Tiffany's |
George Axelrod |
The novella Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote |
The Guns of Navarone |
Carl Foreman |
The novel The Guns of Navarone by Alistair MacLean |
The Hustler |
Sydney Carroll Robert Rossen |
The novel The Hustler by Walter Tevis |
West Side Story |
Ernest Lehman |
The play West Side Story, book by Arthur Laurents, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim |
1962 (35th) |
To Kill a Mockingbird |
Horton Foote |
The novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee |
David and Lisa |
Eleanor Perry |
The story "Lisa and David" by Theodore Isaac Rubin |
Lawrence of Arabia |
Robert Bolt Michael Wilson (not on original ballot)[12] |
The writings of T. E. Lawrence |
Lolita |
Vladimir Nabokov |
The novel Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov |
The Miracle Worker |
William Gibson |
The play The Miracle Worker by William Gibson |
1963 (36th) |
Tom Jones |
John Osborne |
The novel The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling by Henry Fielding |
Captain Newman, M.D. |
Richard L. Breen Henry Ephron Phoebe Ephron |
The novel Captain Newman, M.D. by Leo Rosten |
Hud |
Irving Ravetch Harriet Frank Jr. |
The novel Horseman, Pass By by Larry McMurtry |
Lilies of the Field |
James Poe |
The novel Lilies of the Field by William E. Barrett |
Sundays and Cybele |
Serge Bourguignon (scenario/dialogue) Antoine Tudal (scenario) |
The novel Les Dimanches de Ville d'Avray by Bernard Eschassériaux |
1964 (37th) |
Becket |
Edward Anhalt |
The play Becket by Jean Anouilh |
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb |
Stanley Kubrick Terry Southern Peter George |
The novel Red Alert by Peter George |
Mary Poppins |
Bill Walsh Don DaGradi |
The Mary Poppins series by P. L. Travers |
My Fair Lady |
Alan Jay Lerner |
The play My Fair Lady, book by Alan Jay Lerner The play Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw |
Zorba the Greek |
Michael Cacoyannis |
The novel The Life of Alexis Zorba by Nikos Kazantzakis |
1965 (38th) |
Doctor Zhivago |
Robert Bolt |
The novel Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak |
Cat Ballou |
Walter Newman Frank R. Pierson |
The novel The Ballad of Cat Ballou by Roy Chanslor |
The Collector |
Stanley Mann John Kohn |
The novel The Collector by John Fowles |
Ship of Fools |
Abby Mann |
The novel Ship of Fools by Katherine Anne Porter |
A Thousand Clowns |
Herb Gardner |
The play A Thousand Clowns by Herb Gardner |
1966 (39th) |
A Man for All Seasons |
Robert Bolt |
The play A Man for All Seasons by Robert Bolt |
Alfie |
Bill Naughton |
The play Alfie by Bill Naughton |
The Professionals |
Richard Brooks |
The novel A Mule for the Marquesa by Frank O'Rourke |
The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming |
William Rose |
The novel Off-Islanders by Nathaniel Benchley |
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? |
Ernest Lehman |
The play Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? by Edward Albee |
1967 (40th) |
In the Heat of the Night |
Stirling Silliphant |
The novel In the Heat of the Night by John Ball |
Cool Hand Luke |
Donn Pearce Frank R. Pierson |
The novel Cool Hand Luke by Donn Pearce |
The Graduate |
Calder Willingham Buck Henry |
The novel The Graduate by Charles Webb |
In Cold Blood |
Richard Brooks |
The novel In Cold Blood by Truman Capote |
Ulysses |
Joseph Strick Fred Haines |
The novel Ulysses by James Joyce |
1968 (41st) |
The Lion in Winter |
James Goldman |
The play The Lion in Winter by James Goldman |
The Odd Couple |
Neil Simon |
The play The Odd Couple by Neil Simon |
Oliver! |
Vernon Harris |
The musical Oliver!, book by Lionel Bart The novel Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens |
Rachel, Rachel |
Stewart Stern |
The novel A Jest of God by Margaret Laurence |
Rosemary's Baby |
Roman Polanski |
The novel Rosemary's Baby by Ira Levin |
1969 (42nd) |
Midnight Cowboy |
Waldo Salt |
The novel Midnight Cowboy by James Leo Herlihy |
Anne of the Thousand Days |
John Hale (writer) Bridget Boland (writer) Richard Sokolove (adaptation) |
The play Anne of the Thousand Days by Maxwell Anderson |
Goodbye, Columbus |
Arnold Schulman |
The novel Goodbye, Columbus by Philip Roth |
They Shoot Horses, Don't They? |
James Poe Robert E. Thompson |
The novel They Shoot Horses, Don't They? by Horace McCoy |
Z |
Jorge Semprún Costa-Gavras |
The novel Z by Vassilis Vassilikos |
1970s
Year |
Film |
Screenwriter(s) |
Adapted from |
1970 (43rd) |
M*A*S*H |
Ring Lardner Jr. |
The novel MASH: A Novel About Three Army Doctors by Richard Hooker |
Airport |
George Seaton |
The novel Airport by Arthur Hailey |
I Never Sang for My Father |
Robert Anderson |
The play I Never Sang for My Father by Robert Anderson |
Lovers and Other Strangers |
Joseph Bologna David Zelag Goodman Renée Taylor |
The play Lovers and Other Strangers by Joseph Bologna and Renée Taylor |
Women in Love |
Larry Kramer |
The novel Women in Love by D. H. Lawrence |
1971 (44th) |
The French Connection |
Ernest Tidyman |
The book The French Connection: A True Account of Cops, Narcotics, and International Conspiracy by Robin Moore |
A Clockwork Orange |
Stanley Kubrick |
The novel A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess |
The Conformist |
Bernardo Bertolucci |
The novel Il Conformista by Alberto Moravia |
The Garden of the Finzi Continis |
Ugo Pirro Vittorio Bonicelli |
The novel The Garden of the Finzi-Continis by Giorgio Bassani |
The Last Picture Show |
Larry McMurtry Peter Bogdanovich |
The novel The Last Picture Show by Larry McMurtry |
1972 (45th) |
The Godfather |
Mario Puzo Francis Ford Coppola |
The novel The Godfather by Mario Puzo |
Cabaret |
Jay Presson Allen |
The musical Cabaret, book by Joe Masteroff |
The Emigrants |
Bengt Forslund Jan Troell |
The novel The Emigrants by Vilhelm Moberg The novel Unto a Good Land by Vilhelm Moberg |
Pete 'n' Tillie |
Julius J. Epstein |
The story "Witch's Milk" by Peter De Vries |
Sounder |
Lonne Elder III |
The novel Sounder by William H. Armstrong |
1973 (46th) |
The Exorcist |
William Peter Blatty |
The novel The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty |
The Last Detail |
Robert Towne |
The novel The Last Detail by Darryl Ponicsan |
The Paper Chase |
James Bridges |
The novel The Paper Chase by John Jay Osborn, Jr. |
Paper Moon |
Alvin Sargent |
The novel Addie Pray by Joe David Brown |
Serpico |
Waldo Salt Norman Wexler |
The book Serpico by Peter Maas |
1974 (47th)[13] |
The Godfather Part II |
Francis Ford Coppola Mario Puzo |
The novel The Godfather by Mario Puzo |
The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz |
Lionel Chetwynd (adaptation) Mordecai Richler (novel) |
The novel The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz by Mordecai Richler |
Lenny |
Julian Barry |
The play Lenny by Julian Barry |
Murder on the Orient Express |
Paul Dehn |
The novel Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie |
Young Frankenstein |
Gene Wilder Mel Brooks |
The novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley |
1975 (48th) |
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest |
Bo Goldman Lawrence Hauben |
The novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey |
Barry Lyndon |
Stanley Kubrick |
The novel The Memoirs of Barry Lyndon, Esq. by William Makepeace Thackeray |
The Man Who Would Be King |
John Huston Gladys Hill |
The story "The Man Who Would Be King" by Rudyard Kipling |
Profumo di donna |
Ruggero Maccari Dino Risi |
The novel Il buio e il mare by Giovanni Arpino |
The Sunshine Boys |
Neil Simon |
The play The Sunshine Boys by Neil Simon |
1976 (49th)[14] |
All the President's Men |
William Goldman |
The book All the President's Men by Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward |
Bound for Glory |
Robert Getchell |
The book Bound for Glory by Woody Guthrie |
Fellini's Casanova |
Federico Fellini Bernardino Zapponi |
The autobiography Histoire de ma vie by Giacomo Casanova |
The Seven-Per-Cent Solution |
Nicholas Meyer |
The novel The Seven-Per-Cent Solution by Nicholas Meyer |
Voyage of the Damned |
David Butler Steve Shagan |
The book Voyage of the Damned by Gordon Thomas; co-authored by Max Morgan Witts |
1977 (50th) |
Julia |
Alvin Sargent |
The novel Pentimento by Lillian Hellman |
Equus |
Peter Shaffer |
The play Equus by Peter Shaffer |
I Never Promised You a Rose Garden |
Gavin Lambert Lewis John Carlino |
The novel I Never Promised You a Rose Garden by Hannah Greene |
Oh, God! |
Larry Gelbart |
The novel Oh, God! by Avery Corman |
That Obscure Object of Desire |
Luis Buñuel (scenario) Jean-Claude Carrière (collaboration) |
The novel La Femme et le pantin by Pierre Louÿs |
1978 (51st) |
Midnight Express |
Oliver Stone |
The book Midnight Express by Billy Hayes and William Hoffer |
Bloodbrothers |
Walter Newman |
The novel Bloodbrothers by Richard Price |
California Suite |
Neil Simon |
The play California Suite by Neil Simon |
Heaven Can Wait |
Elaine May Warren Beatty |
The play Heaven Can Wait by Harry Segall |
Same Time, Next Year |
Bernard Slade |
The play Same Time, Next Year by Bernard Slade |
1979 (52nd) |
Kramer vs. Kramer |
Robert Benton |
The novel Kramer vs. Kramer by Avery Corman |
Apocalypse Now |
John Milius Francis Ford Coppola |
The novel Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad |
La Cage aux folles |
Marcello Danon Édouard Molinaro Jean Poiret Francis Veber |
The play La Cage aux Folles by Jean Poiret |
A Little Romance |
Allan Burns |
The novel E=MC2 mon amour by Patrick Cauvin |
Norma Rae |
Harriet Frank Jr. Irving Ravetch |
The book Crystal Lee, a Woman of Inheritance by Hank Leiferman |
1980s
1990s
2000s
2010s
Year |
Film |
Screenwriter(s) |
Adapted from |
2010 (83rd) |
The Social Network |
Aaron Sorkin |
The book The Accidental Billionaires by Ben Mezrich |
127 Hours |
Danny Boyle Simon Beaufoy |
The book Between a Rock and a Hard Place by Aron Ralston |
Toy Story 3 |
Michael Arndt (screenplay) John Lasseter (story) Andrew Stanton (story) Lee Unkrich (story) |
Characters from the film Toy Story created by John Lasseter, Pete Docter, Andrew Stanton, Joe Ranft, Joss Whedon, Joel Cohen, and Alec Sokolow Characters from the film Toy Story 2 created by John Lasseter, Pete Docter, Ash Brannon, Andrew Stanton, Rita Hsiao, Doug Chamberlin, and Chris Webb |
True Grit |
Joel Coen Ethan Coen |
The novel True Grit by Charles Portis |
Winter's Bone |
Debra Granik Anne Rosellini |
The novel Winter's Bone by Daniel Woodrell |
2011 (84th) |
The Descendants |
Alexander Payne Nat Faxon Jim Rash |
The novel The Descendants by Kaui Hart Hemmings |
Hugo |
John Logan |
The novel The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick |
The Ides of March |
George Clooney Grant Heslov Beau Willimon |
The play Farragut North by Beau Willimon |
Moneyball |
Steven Zaillian (screenplay) Aaron Sorkin (screenplay) Stan Chervin (story) |
The book Moneyball by Michael Lewis |
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy |
Bridget O'Connor (posthumous nomination) Peter Straughan |
The novel Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy by John le Carré |
2012 (85th) |
Argo |
Chris Terrio |
The book The Master of Disguise by Antonio J. Mendez The article "The Great Escape" by Joshuah Bearman |
Beasts of the Southern Wild |
Lucy Alibar Benh Zeitlin |
The play Juicy and Delicious by Lucy Alibar |
Life of Pi |
David Magee |
The novel Life of Pi by Yann Martel |
Lincoln |
Tony Kushner |
The book Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin |
Silver Linings Playbook |
David O. Russell |
The novel The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick |
2013 (86th) |
12 Years a Slave |
John Ridley |
The memoir Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northup |
Before Midnight |
Richard Linklater Julie Delpy Ethan Hawke |
Characters from the film Before Sunrise created by Richard Linklater and Kim Krizan |
Captain Phillips |
Billy Ray |
The book A Captain's Duty by Richard Phillips, Stephan Talty |
Philomena |
Steve Coogan Jeff Pope |
The book The Lost Child of Philomena Lee by Martin Sixsmith |
The Wolf of Wall Street |
Terence Winter |
The memoir The Wolf of Wall Street by Jordan Belfort |
2014 (87th) |
The Imitation Game |
Graham Moore |
The book Alan Turing: The Enigma, written by Andrew Hodges |
American Sniper |
Jason Hall |
The autobiography American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History by Chris Kyle, Scott McEwan, and Jim DeFelice |
Inherent Vice |
Paul Thomas Anderson |
The novel Inherent Vice by Thomas Pynchon |
The Theory of Everything |
Anthony McCarten |
The book Travelling to Infinity: My Life with Stephen Hawking by Jane Wilde Hawking |
Whiplash |
Damien Chazelle |
The short film Whiplash written by Damien Chazelle |
2015 (88th) |
The Big Short |
Adam McKay Charles Randolph |
The book The Big Short by Michael Lewis |
Brooklyn |
Nick Hornby |
The novel Brooklyn by Colm Tóibín |
Carol |
Phyllis Nagy |
The novel The Price of Salt by Patricia Highsmith |
The Martian |
Drew Goddard |
The novel The Martian by Andy Weir |
Room |
Emma Donoghue |
The novel Room by Emma Donoghue |
2016 (89th) |
Moonlight |
Barry Jenkins (screenplay) Tarell Alvin McCraney (story) |
The play In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue by Tarell Alvin McCraney |
Arrival |
Eric Heisserer |
The short story "Story of Your Life" by Ted Chiang |
Fences |
August Wilson (posthumous nomination) |
The play Fences by August Wilson |
Hidden Figures |
Theodore Melfi Allison Schroeder |
The book Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly |
Lion |
Luke Davies |
The memoir A Long Way Home by Saroo Brierley and Larry Buttrose |
See also
References
- 1 2 Aljean Harmetz (March 16, 1985). "Oscars Go to Writers of 'Kwai'". The New York Times.
- ↑ Johnson, Andrew (28 March 2010). "Emma Thompson: How Jane Austen saved me from going under". The Independent. Retrieved 18 August 2011.
- ↑ Award entitled Best Writing, Adaptation
- 1 2 In the 2nd and 3rd years there was only a single writing award for Writing Achievement with no distinction between original works and adaptations.
- ↑ For the 1930/31 production year the award was again subdivided, and this one was once again Best Writing, Adaptation.
- ↑ Award renamed Best Writing, Screenplay
- ↑ Award entitled Best Screenplay—Adapted
- ↑ Early in 1956, the name of screenwriter Michael Wilson – a former Oscar winner – had been deleted from the credits of Friendly Persuasion by Allied Artists, the film's distributor, based on a 1952 agreement between the Screen Writers Guild and various production companies. That agreement gave the studios the right to omit from the screen the name of any individual who had failed to clear himself before a duly constituted legislative committee of U.S. Congress if accused of Communist affiliations, as was the case with Wilson at the time. The Academy, in the awkward position of possible conferring its highest honor on someone whose name had been omitted from screen credit, revised its bylaws at a special February 6, 1957, meeting. That revision, in essence, allowed that in such cases, the achievement itself could be eligible for nomination, but the specific writer would not be. This bylaw was repealed by the Academy as "unworkable" on January 12, 1959. This nomination was not included on the final ballot.
- ↑ Award entitled Best Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium
- ↑ Though Pierre Boulle received official screen credit, it was commonly known that blacklisted writers Carl Foreman and Michael Wilson wrote the screenplay based on Boulle's novel (translated from the original French). The Board of Governors, on December 11, 1984, voted posthumous Oscars to Wilson and Foreman. It was widely reported that Boulle was surprised, as well as many others, by the nomination, especially since Boulle did not speak (or write) English.
- ↑ Upon request of his widow and upon recommendation of the Writers Branch Executive Committee, the Board of Governors voted to restore the name of Nedrick Young to the nomination presented to Nathan E. Douglas, which was Young's pseudonym during the blacklisting period.
- ↑ Originally the nomination was solely for Robert Bolt, as Wilson was blacklisted at the time. His name was officially added to the nomination in 1995.
- ↑ Award entitled Screenplay Adapted From Other Material
- ↑ Award entitled Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium
- ↑ P.H. Vazak is a pseudonym for Robert Towne who was dissatisfied with the film.
- ↑ Award entitled Best Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published
- ↑ Award entitled Best Adapted Screenplay
|
---|
|
Awards of Merit | |
---|
Special awards | |
---|
Former awards | Merit Awards | |
---|
Special Awards | |
---|
|
---|
Ceremonies‡ | |
---|
Footnotes | ‡ Dates and years listed for each ceremony were the eligibility period of film release in Los Angeles County, California. For the first five ceremonies, the eligibility period was from August to July. For the 6th ceremony held in 1934, the eligibility period lasted from August 1, 1932 to December 31, 1933. Since the 7th ceremony held in 1935, the period of eligibility became the full previous calendar year from January 1 to December 31. |
---|
|
|
---|
1928–1940 | |
---|
1941–1960 | |
---|
1961–1980 | |
---|
1981–2000 | |
---|
2001–present | |
---|