The Adapted Screenplay categories is always crowded, as most films are usually based on important books or biographies.

Recent Adapted screenplay winners include "12 Years a Slave," "Argo," "The Descendants," "The Social Network" and "Precious."

This year, the category is dominated by a number of films that are vying for Best Picture and that are directed by auteurs.

The biggest contender in the category is Dan Futterman and E. Max Frye for their work on "Foxcatcher." The film premiered at the Cannes, where it scored rave reviews and audiences hailed it as one of the front-runners to win the Oscar. Futterman worked with director Bennett Miller on "Capote", for which he was nominated for his work on the Best Picture nominee.

Meanwhile, Frye is a Primetime Emmy Award Nominee for "Band of Brothers." "Foxcatcher" is hitting the fall festival circuit, and after Telluride, the film looks to be a lock in this category.

Gllian Flynn adapted her book "Gone Girl" for David Fincher's adaptation. The screenplay marks her first foray into film and pundits have this film on the Oscar radar. However, there is still some hesitance on whether the feature will actually be Oscar bait.

Up to this point, Fincher's best picture nominees have been dramas and "Gone Girl" seems like it will be a thriller similar to the director's "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo," "Fight Club" and "Zodiac." While all those films were acclaimed, they all failed to land nominations for screenplay and film. As a result, Flynn is still a longshot.

"Men, Women & Children" is a late entry into the race, but Jason Reitman has been an awards favorite over the years. His script for his latest film could be promising, especially since it is premiering at Toronto and there is a lot of Oscar buzz. However, pundits caution that it could suffer the same fate as "Young Adult" which was received with raves, but was ultimately ignored. It could also be a miss like "Labor Day," which opened at the festival circuit with Oscar buzz but ultimately failed critically.

Graham Moore is likely to be nominated for his work on "The Imitation Game." The film received raves at Telluride and it follows the biopic structure that the Academy likes. The movie is being distributed by the Weinstein Company and based on early word, it is likely the studio will be campaigning the feature heavily in all categories.

Meanwhile, Paul Thomas Anderson could be nominated once again after missing out in in 2012 for "The Master." His latest film "Inherent Vice" is one of the most anticipated films of the year as Anderson is one of the most unique and interesting directors working today. However, since it has yet to hit the festival circuit and pundits are cautious the film could be too comedic for the Academy, it is too early to call it a lock in this category.

Damien Chazelle could be up for his first Academy Award for his work on "Whiplash." Unlike most of the films of this list, this new movie is based on Chazelle's short film. "Whiplash" won Sundance and has had a formidable run at the festival circuit. Sony Pictures is pushing the movie heavily and, with recent Sundance successes at the Oscars, this may be a lock.

There are a number of wild cards at the moment, including the "Theory of Everything", which has yet to premiere at Toronto, and "Trash" by Stephen Daldry. Daldry's film has no distributor and has not made headlines throughout the season.

Darkhorse contenders include "Wild" and "Rosewater." While the actors in the films were hailed, the scripts and films were criticized.

Other hopefuls include "Into the Woods," "The Two Faces of January," "Kill the Messenger" and "Annie."

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