The sci-fi smash Inception and the Facebook drama The Social Network took top screenplay honours on Saturday night at the Writers Guild Awards.
Inception writer Christopher Nolan won for best original screenplay and The Social Network writer Aaron Sorkin won for best adapted screenplay.
The awards were handed out by the Writers Guild of America in simultaneous ceremonies at the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel in Los Angeles and the AXA Equitable Centre in New York.
The Social Network, which Sorkin adapted from the Ben Mezrich book The Accidental Billionaires, was expected to win on Saturday.
But the original screenplay category was considered a toss-up between Inception, the psychosexual thriller Black Swan and the boxing drama The Fighter because current awards-season darling The King’s Speech was not eligible for a WGA award as it was not made under the writing union’s contract guidelines. Other of the top films of 2010 like Toy Story 3 and Winter’s Bone were ineligible for the same reason.
Sorkin will be the prohibitive favourite in the adapted category, and The King’s Speech and Inception will vie for original screenplay honours at the Academy Awards on February 27. The Social Network, was also considered an early favourite for a best picture Oscar. —AP