USC Scripter Awards announced the nominations for 2025 adaptations.
USC Scripter awards the screenwriting excellence of book adaptations for film and television in 2025. USC Scripter Awards are seen as a bellwether for the Adapted Screenplay Oscar, as Scripter winners have historically aligned with Oscar winners since 2009, and only two Scripter winners have lost the Oscar over this period.
Major Oscar contenders, including Frankenstein, Hamnet, One Battle After Another and Train Dreams were included among the nominees. Non-English films were excluded under eligibility rules, and musicals once again failed to land nominations.
Peter Hujar’s Day, adapted by Ira Sachs, emerged as a surprise nominee. The movie premiered at the 2024 Sundance Festival and was later acquired by Janus Films. This could signal a changing point for Ira Sachs’ career, who in over 25 years has not reveived anOscar nomination.
A total of 43 movies and 64 TV adaptations were evaluated. While Nuremberg and Hedda were notably absent from the list, five TV shows were nominated. Dark Winds, Death by Lightning, Dept. Q, Slow Horses and Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light will compete in the episodic category.
The winners will be announced on Jan. 24 at the ceremony at USC. American crime and mystery novelist Michael Connelly will receive the USC Libraries Literary Achievement Award, and the proceeds will go toward supporting USC Libraries’ projects.
