Oscar 2015 Predictions, Best Adapted Screenplay: Why 'The Imitation Game' is The Front-Runner

By Francisco Salazar Feb 16 2015, 16:30 PM EST

The Best Adapted Screenplay category is one of the most interesting categories, as most of the Best Picture winners usually come out of this category.

This year the category contains four Best Picture nominees, but none are actually front-runners to win the award. Two of the films are British, while the other three are American.

The winner of the Best Adapted Screenplay award will join John Ridley ("12 Years a Slave"), Chris Terrio ("Argo"), Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon and Jim Rash ("The Descendants") and Aaron Sorkin ("the Social Network").

Paul Thomas Anderson, "Inherent Vice"

Anderson received his sixth Oscar nomination for his work on the film noir. Anderson was previously nominated in the screenplay category for "Magnolia," "Boogie Nights" and "There Will Be Blood." He was also nominated for Best Picture and Best Director for "There Will Be Blood." Anderson's screenplay was hailed by most critics as it was the first film adapted from a Thomas Pynchon novel. The book was said to be unfilmable, but Anderson's work proved fans and critics wrong. For his script, Anderson has won numerous awards, including the National Board of Review, the Denver Film Critics and the San Francisco Film Critics. He was also nominated at the Critics' Choice awards. However, Anderson's script failed to get a BAFTA, a Golden Globe or Writers Guild nomination. "Inherent Vice" is also the only film in this category not nominated for Best Picture, and the four winners in this category came from Best Picture nominees. As a result, it is likely Anderson will walk away empty-handed.

Damien Chazelle, "Whiplash"

This is Chazelle's first nomination at the Academy Awards. The director and writer is best known for his work on his first feature "Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench" and for writing "The Last Exorcism Part II" and "Grand Piano." Chazelle's second film "Whiplash" has generated an enormous amount of buzz, and his script has been nominated for the WGA, BAFTA and Critics' Choice. However, all these organizations have placed the film in the Best Original Screenplay category. The reason the Academy elected it as an adapted script is because the film is based on a short that premiered in 2013, and therefore the characters are based on previous material. As a result, some pundits believe this gives "Whiplash" an advantage over the other four films since it has consistently competed against "Boyhood," "Birdman" and "The Grand Budapest Hotel." "Whiplash" may surprise, but it is hard given the lack of a director nomination.

Jason Hall, "American Sniper"

Hall received his first Academy Award nomination for his work on the Clint Eastwood film. Hall is best known for his work as an actor and has also written the script to "Paranoia" and "Spread." Throughout awards season, Hall has been nominated for the Writers Guild of America, the BAFTA and Satellite awards. However, Hall has consistently lost the awards. "American Sniper" has also not been a major critics' player even though it has broken a number of box office records. Hall has a chance of winning if the Academy embraces the film as audiences have. The category is technically not a locked one, and as a result anything is still possible.

Anthony McCarten, "The Theory of Everything"

McCarten is nominated for two Oscars this year including Best Picture. He is also known for his work on "Death of a Superhero" and "Show of Hands." For his work on "The Theory of Everything" the writer won the BAFTA award and was nominated for the Critics' Choice and the USC Scripter awards. However, he missed the WGA because his script was not eligible because of Writers Guild rules. Pundits have McCarten winning the category after his BAFTA win. However, it is important to note that the Academy and the BAFTAs have diverged consistently in these categories. Last year "Philomena" won the prize over "12 Years a Slave," which ended up with the Oscar for screenplay. In 2013 "Silver Linings Playbook" won Best Screenplay at the BAFTA, while at the Oscars "Argo" won the category. As a result, the BAFTA is not a good indication of the screenplay award. Additionally, "The Theory of Everything" had a director nomination at the BAFTA, and it was clearly the preferred British film of the year. With only five nomination at the Academy, it is unlikely McCarten will take home the Oscar.

Graham Moore, "The Imitation Game"

Moore received his first nomination for his work on Morten Tyldum's latest film. Moore is best known for his work on the TV series "10 Things I Hate About You" and has written the scripts to the short films "The Waiting Room" and "Prince vs. Ninja." For his latest script Moore won the USC scripter award and the Writers Guild of America as well as the Central Ohio Film Critics. The movie has been hailed by critics and is the only film in the category that has a director nomination. Throughout the season "The Imitation Game" struggled to receive adapted screenplay awards in part because it was competing against "Gone Girl." However, because "Gone Girl" was snubbed it seems this film is the front-runner to win the category. The only big contender is "The Theory of Everything," which surprised at the BAFTAs.