Oppenheimer continues awards season run with Writers Guild Awards nomination

Oppenheimer has continued its successful awards season run as its secured a Writers Guild Awards nomination.

British director Christopher Nolan’s epic biopic, which sees Irish star Cillian Murphy play J Robert Oppenheimer – the theoretical physicist described as the father of the atomic bomb, earned a nod in the adapted screenplay category.

It comes after Oppenheimer earned seven Bafta awards on Sunday, including best film and best director, as well as landing 13 Oscar nominations.

The nominations follow after Writers Guild of America (WGA) workers ended strike action in September, as the union agreed to a deal with studio bosses after 146 days on the picket line.

Oppenheimer will go up against Cord Jefferson’s comedy drama American Fiction, about a frustrated novelist who writes a book that propels him into the centre of the hypocrisy he disdains, which picked up the best adapted screenplay Bafta and is up for five Oscar gongs.

The films have been nominated alongside Martin Scorsese’s Killers Of The Flower Moon, Kelly Fremon Craig’s Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret and Julia Cox’s Nyad.

Greta Gerwig’s blockbuster Barbie will face tough competition from sports drama Air, comedy drama The Holdovers, Todd Haynes’ May December and romantic drama Past Lives in the original screenplay category.

The Writers Guild Awards honour outstanding writing in film and TV, as well as other media including radio.

In the TV categories, Peter Morgan’s The Crown will go up against Jesse Armstrong’s Succession for the best drama series prize alongside black comedy The Curse, thriller The Diplomat and post-apocalyptic drama The Last Of Us.

The latter two shows have also been nominated for the new series prize alongside sitcom Jury Duty, comedy drama Shrinking and murder mystery series Poker Face.

Meanwhile, Kitchen drama The Bear, starring Jeremy Allen White, has received a nod for the comedy series gong alongside Only Murders In The Building, which features Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez.

They will go up against black comedy Barry and sitcoms Abbott Elementary and Jury Duty.

Musical drama Daisy Jones & The Six, starring Riley Keough and Sam Claflin, has been recognised in the limited series category as well as tense drama Beef, psychological thriller A Murder At The End Of The World, black comedy Fargo and historical drama Lessons In Chemistry.

Writers Guild Awards winners will be announced at an ceremony on Sunday April 14.