James Gunn’s Marvel adaptation is the surprise inclusion in the screenwriting race, while the Writers Guild’s uber-strict eligibility rules exclude The Theory Of Everything, Selma and Birdman. Unbroken fails to make the cut.

The Writers Guild Of America, West (WGAW) and the Writers Guild Of America, East (WGAE) announced the nominations on Wednesday (January 7) for the 2014 outstanding achievements in writing for the screen.

Winners will be honoured at simultaneous ceremonies in Los Angeles and New York City at the 2015 Writers Guild Awards on February 14.

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Boyhood – Richard Linklater;

Foxcatcher – E Max Frye and Dan Futterman;

The Grand Budapest Hotel – Wes Anderson; story by Wes Anderson and Hugo Guinness;

Nightcrawler– Dan Gilroy; and

Whiplash – Damien Chazelle.

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

American Sniper –  Jason Hall; based on the book by Chris Kyle with Scott McEwen and Jim DeFelice;

Gone Girl by – Gillian Flynn;

Guardians Of The Galaxy – James Gunn and Nicole Perlman; based on the Marvel comic by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning;

The Imitation Game – Graham Moore; based on the book Alan Turing: The Enigma by Andrew Hodges; and

Wild – Nick Hornby; based on the book by Cheryl Strayed.

DOCUMENTARY SCREENPLAY

Finding Vivian Maier – John Maloof and Charlie Siskel;

The Internet’s Own Boy: The Story Of Aaron Swartz – Brian Knappenberger;

Last Days In Vietnam – Mark Bailey and Kevin McAlester; and

Red Army – Gabe Polsky.

Feature films eligible for a Writers Guild Award were exhibited theatrically for at least one week in Los Angeles during 2014 and were written under the WGA’s Minimum Basic Agreement (MBA) or under a bona fide collective bargaining agreement of the Writers Guild Of Canada, Writers Guild of Great Britain, Irish Playwrights & Screenwriters Guild, or the New Zealand Writers Guild.

Theatrical screenplays produced under the jurisdiction of the WGA or an affiliate Guild must have been submitted for Writers Guild Awards consideration.

Documentaries eligible for a Writers Guild Award featured an onscreen writing credit and were exhibited theatrically in Los Angeles or New York for one week during 2014. Theatrical documentaries must have been produced under the jurisdiction of the WGA or an affiliate Guild to be eligible for awards consideration.

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