'Boyhood,' 'Whiplash,' 'Guardians' get Writers Guild Award nominations

[January 08, 2015]  LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Independent films "Boyhood" and "Whiplash" as well as superhero blockbuster "Guardians of the Galaxy" received Writers Guild Awards nominations on Wednesday in one of Hollywood's top annual honors.

"Boyhood," a coming-of-age chronicle and early Academy Award best picture favorite, earned a nod for best original screenplay for director Richard Linklater from the Writers Guild of America.

The movie, which Linklater filmed over a dozen years, will vie against wresting biopic "Foxcatcher" by E. Max Frye and Dan Futterman, as well as jazz drummer tale "Whiplash" by director Damien Chazelle.

Also scoring nominations in the original screenplay category were idiosyncratic period comedy "The Grand Budapest Hotel" for Hugo Guinness and director Wes Anderson, and noir drama "Nightcrawler" for director Dan Gilroy.

"Guardians of the Galaxy," Walt Disney Co's Marvel superhero action flick and 2014's top-grossing film, earned a surprise nomination for director James Gunn and Nicole Perlman for adapted screenplay.

It will go up against "American Sniper," Jason Hall's script for Clint Eastwood's Iraq war story, and biopic "Wild" by British author Nick Hornby.

Thriller "Gone Girl," which was written by Gillian Flynn, and Alan Turing biopic "The Imitation Game" by Graham Moore also earned adapted screenplay nominations.

The scripts for early Oscar contenders "Birdman," "Selma" and "The Theory of Everything" did not qualify as they were not produced under the jurisdiction of the WGA, which is known for having some of the strictest awards qualifications.

The Writers Guild Awards, which are voted on by guild members, have a mixed record of predicting the best screenplay Oscar awards. The Hollywood awards season starts in earnest on Sunday with the annual Golden Globe Awards.

Best documentary screenplay nominees are "Finding Vivian Maier" by John Maloof and Charlie Siskel, "The Internet's Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz" by Brian Knappenberger, "Last Days in Vietnam" by Mark Bailey and Keven McAlester, and "Red Army" by Gabe Polsky.

The awards will be presented at simultaneous ceremonies in Los Angeles and New York on Feb. 14.

Television writing nominations were announced last month and led by premium cable network HBO.

(Reporting by Eric Kelsey; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn)

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