Funnyman and rapper Donald Glover’s amazing start to 2017 got even better on Sunday night (19Feb17) after his hit TV series Atlanta scored a double win at the Writer’s Guild Awards in America.
The series, which stunned TV experts when it picked up Best Television Series, Musical or Comedy at the Golden Globes last month (Jan17), was named Best New Series and Best Comedy Series.
The big wins came two days after Glover, who claimed the Best Performance By an Actor in a Television Series, Musical, or Comedy trophy at the Globes, was officially confirmed at the voice of Simba in Jon Favreau’s The Lion King remake.
Glover will also portray Lando Calrissian in the young Han Solo Star Wars spin-off.
Arrival, This Is Us, Sesame Street, and The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt were also among the early winners at the Writers Guild Awards.
Amy Adams’ sci-fi film was named Best Adapted Screenplay, This Is Us picked up the Episodic Drama prize for The Trip, while Kimmy Goes on a Playdate! was a winner in the Episodic Comedy category.
Sesame Street’s Once Upon a Sesame Street Christmas took home the Children’s Longform trophy.
Other early winners included General Hospital (Daytime Drama), American Crime Story: The People vs. O.J. Simpson (Longform – Adapted), Confirmation (Longform – Original), Hollywood Game Night (Quiz & Audience Participation), and Triumph The Primary Election Special 2016 (Comedy/Variety Special).
The awards were handed out during simultaneous ceremonies in New York and Los Angeles, hosted by comedians Lewis Black and Patton Oswalt.
Special honourees saluted during the prizegiving included Oliver Stone, Aaron Sorkin, Richard Curtis, late Iranian filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami, and Dan Wilcox.
The main list of winners at press time were:
Adapted Screenplay
Arrival (Screenplay by Eric Heisserer)
Comedy Series
Atlanta (written by Donald Glover, Stephen Glover, Stefani Robinson, Paul Simms)
New Series
Atlanta (written by Donald Glover, Stephen Glover, Stefani Robinson, Paul Simms)
Longform – Original
Confirmation (written by Susannah Grant)
Longform – Adapted
American Crime Story: The People vs. O.J. Simpson (written by Scott Alexander, Joe Robert Cole, D.V. DeVincentis, Maya Forbes, Larry Karaszewski, Wally Wolodarsky)
Animation
Fish Out of Water (BoJack Horseman)
Episodic Drama
The Trip (This Is Us)
Episodic Comedy
Kimmy Goes on a Playdate! (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt)
Video Game Writing
Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End (written by Neil Druckmann, Josh Scherr, Tom Bissell, Ryan James)
Daytime Drama
General Hospital
Comedy/Variety Specials
Triumph The Primary Election Special 2016
Quiz and Audience Participation
Hollywood Game Night
Children’s Longform
Once Upon a Sesame Street Christmas (Sesame Street)
Children’s Episodic
Mel vs The Night Mare of Normal Street (Gortimer Gibbon’s Life on Normal Street)
WGA’s Valentine Davies Award for Humanitarian Service: Richard Curtis
2017 Jean Renoir Award for International Screenwriting Achievement: Abbas Kiarostami
2017 Morgan Cox Award: Dan Wilcox
Paul Selvin Award: Susannah Grant
Laurel Award for Screenwriting Achievement: Oliver Stone
Animation Writing Award for Lifetime Achievement: Mike Judge
Paddy Chayefsky Laurel Award for Television Writing Achievement: Aaron Sorkin
