Despite Appariton’s “For Your Consideration” ads, and despite the Gurus of Gold voters who voted it the eighth-most-likely nominee, Jane Campion’s “Bright Star” has no chance of winning an Oscar nomination in the original-screenplay category.
That’s because the Academy’s writers branch has classified “Bright Star,” the story of the romance between poet John Keats and Fanny Brawne, as an adapted screenplay, not an original one.
Apparition was reportedly informed of the decision after the company had already taken out ads promoting the film in the original-screenplay category.
Campion was inspired to write the film both by Keats’ poetry and by a biography of the poet by Andrew Motion. The film’s story is told from the point of view of Brawne, of whom very few records survive; her character was largely invented by Campion, as were the details of the relationship between the two.
Although Campion makes use of Keats’ poetry and letters, the writer-director did not adapt any existing material, because there is none that tells the story of Keats and Brawne in any depth.
But an executive committee of the writers branch determined that the film should be considered an adaptation, and included it as such on the “Reminder List” of eligible screenplays that accompanied nomination ballots.
The original-screenplay category has more contending films, 153 as opposed to 106 adaptations. As usual, though, the competition is stronger in the adapted-screenplay category, meaning it’ll be harder for “Bright Star” to break into a field whose frontrunners include “Up in the Air,” “An Education,” “Precious,” “Julie & Julia,” “A Single Man,” “Fantastic Mr. Fox” and “District 9.”
Prime contenders in the original-screenplay category include “The Hurt Locker,” “Inglourious Basterds,” “A Serious Man,” “(500) Days of Summer” and “Up.”
The Academy’s writers branch is known for taking a hard line on what constitutes an original screenplay, but in the past it has classified as original a number of films based on real characters (and thus drawing from various pre-existing sources). These include “Milk,” “The Queen” and “The Aviator.”
“Bright Star” is the highest-profile film to be classified in a category other than the one suggested by its studio. The lesser-known Tilda Swinton drama “Julia,” which was thought to be an adapted screenplay, was instead classified as original.
The full list of qualifying films in each category:
Original screenplay:
ADAM
ADORATION
ADVENTURELAND
ADVENTURES OF POWER
ALIENS IN THE ATTIC
ALL ABOUT STEVE
AMERICAN VIOLET
AMREEKA
ANTICHRIST
ARMORED
AVATAR
AWAY WE GO
BLACK DYNAMITE
BLUE TOOTH VIRGIN
BRIDE WARS
BROKEN EMBRACES
BRONSON
THE BURNING PLAIN
CAPITALISM: A LOVE STORY
CHANDNI CHOWK TO CHINA
CHERRY BLOSSOMS
COLD SOULS
COUPLES RETREAT
THE COVE
CROSSING OVER
DANCE FLICK
DAYTIME DRINKING
DID YOU HEAR ABOUT THE MORGANS?
DON’T FADE AWAY
DRAG ME TO HELL
DUPLICITY
EXTRACT
FIGHTING
FIRED UP
(500) DAYS OF SUMMER
THE FOURTH KIND
FRANKIE & ALICE
FREE STYLE
FUNNY PEOPLE
G-FORCE
GAMER
GENTLEMEN BRONCOS
GHOSTS OF GIRLFRIENDS PAST
GOOD HAIR
GOODBYE SOLO
THE GOODS: LIVE HARD*SELL HARD
THE GREAT BUCK HOWARD
THE HANGOVER
THE HAUNTING IN CONNECTICUT
THE HEADLESS WOMAN
HOME
THE HURT LOCKER
I LOVE YOU, MAN
IL DIVO
THE IMAGINARIUM OF DR. PARNASSUS
IMAGINE THAT
INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS
INK
THE INTERNATIONAL
THE INVENTION OF LYING
IRENE IN TIME
IRON CROSS
IS ANYBODY THERE?
IT’S COMPLICATED
JENNIFER’S BODY
JULIA
KNOWING
LAW ABIDING CITIZEN
THE LIGHTKEEPERS
THE LIMITS OF CONTROL
LITTLE ASHES
LONDON RIVER
LOOKING FOR PALLADIN
LORNA’S SILENCE
THE LOSS OF A TEARDROP DIAMOND
LOVE HAPPENS
LYMELIFE
THE MAID
MANAGEMENT
MARY AND MAX
MARY PICKFORD: THE MUSE OF THE MOVIES
MEMORYMAN
THE MERRY GENTLEMAN
THE MESSENGER
MISS MARCH
THE MISSING LYNX
THE MISSING PERSONS
MONSTERS VS. ALIENS
MOON
MORE THAN A GAME
MY LIFE IN RUINS
MY ONE AND ONLY
NEW IN TOWN
NEW YORK, I LOVE YOU
NINJA ASSASSIN
NOTORIOUS
OBSERVE AND REPORT
OBSESSED
OCEAN OF PEARLS
OLD DOGS
ORPHAN
OY VEY! MY SON IS GAY!
THE PACK
PANDORUM
PAPER HEART
PARANORMAL ACTIVITY
PARIS 36
PAUL BLART: MALL COP
A PERFECT GETAWAY
PETER AND VANDY
PIRATE RADIO
PLANET 51
PONYO
POST GRAD
THE PROPOSAL
PUNCTURED HOPE
RUDO Y CURSI
THE SECRET OF KELLS
SERBIAN SCARS
SERBIS
A SERIIOUS MAN
17 AGAIN
SHORTS
SHRINK
SIMON & MALOU
SIN NOMBRE
SKIN
THE SONG OF SPARROWS
STREETBALLERS
SUGAR
SUNSHINE CLEANING
TAKEN
TETRO
TOKYO SONATA
TRUCKER
12 ROUNDS
TWO LOVERS
2012
THE UGLY TRUTH
THE UNBORN
(UNTITLED)
UP
THE VICIOUS KIND
WALT & EL GRUPO
THE WEDDING SONG
WHATEVER WORKS
THE WHITE RIBBON
WORLD’S GREATEST DAD
X-GAMES 3D: THE MOVIE
YEAR ONE
YES MADAM, SIR
THE YOUNG VICTORIA
ZOMBIELAND
Adapted Screenplay:
ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS: THE SQUEAKQUEL
AMELIA
ANGELS & DEMONS
ASTRO BOY
BAD LIEUTENANT: PORT OF CALL NEW ORLEANS
BATTLE FOR TERRA
A BEAUTIFUL LIFE
THE BLIND SIDE
BLOOD THE LAST VAMPIRE
BOONDOCK SAINTS II: ALL SAINTS DAY
THE BOX
THE BOYS ARE BACK
BRIGHT STAR
BROTHERS
BRUNO
CHERI
CIRQUE DU FREAK: THE VAMPIRE’S ASSISTANT
CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS
COCO BEFORE CHANEL
CONFESSIONS OF A SHOPAHOLIC
CORALINE
CRANK: HIGH VOLTAGE
CRAZY HEART
CREATION
THE DAMNED UNITED
DISGRACE
DISNEY’S A CHRISTMAS CAROL
DISTRICT 9
THE DOLPHIN – STORY OF A DREAMER
DRAGONBALL: EVOLUTION
EASY VIRTUE
THE ECLIPSE
AN EDUCATION
EVA
EVERYBODY’S FINE
FAME
FANTASTIC MR. FOX
FAST & FURIOUS
FIFTY DEAD MEN WALKING
THE FINAL DESTINATION
FRIDAY THE 13TH
G.I. JOE: THE RISE OF COBRA
HANNAH MONTANA THE MOVIE
HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE
HE’S JUST NOT THAT INTO YOU
HOTEL FOR DOGS
I LOVE YOU, BETH COOPER
ICE AGE: DAWN OF THE DINOSAURS
IN THE LOOP
THE INFORMANT!
INKHEART
INVICTUS
JULIE & JULIA
LAND OF THE LOST
THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT
THE LAST STATION
THE LITTLE TRAITOR
THE LOVELY BONES
ME AND ORSON WELLES
THE MEN WHO STARE AT GOATS
THE MISFORTUNATES
MY BLOODY VALENTINE
MY SISTER’S KEEPER
NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: BATTLE OF THE SMITHSONIAN
9
NINE
NOT EASILY BROKEN
THE PINK PANTHER 2
PRECIOUS: BASED ON THE NOVEL “PUSH” BY SAPPHIRE
THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG
THE PRIVATE LIVES OF PIPPA LEE
PUBLIC ENEMIES
RACE TO WITCH MOUNTAIN
RED CLIFF
THE ROAD
SAW VI
SHERLOCK HOLMES
A SINGLE MAN
THE SOLOIST
STAR TREK
STATE OF PLAY
THE STEPFATHER
THE STONING OF SORAYA M
STREET FIGHTERS: THE LEGEND OF CHUN-LI
SURROGATES
THE TAKING OF PELHAM 123
TAKING WOODSTOCK
TERMINATOR SALVATION
THAT EVENING SUN
THIRST
THE TIME TRAVELER’S WIFE
TINKER BELL AND THE LOST TREASURE
A TOWN CALLED PANIC
TRANSFORMERS: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN
THE TWILIGHT SAGA: NEW MOON
TYLER PERRY’S I CAN DO BAD ALL BY MYSELF
TYLER PERRY’S MADEA GOES TO JAIL
UNDERWORLD: RISE OF THE LYCANS
THE UNINVITED
UP IN THE AIR
WATCHMEN
WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE
WHIP IT
WHITEOUT
A WOMAN IN BERLIN
X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE