Oscars 2024: Why Barbie won't compete for Best Original Screenplay Academy Award | Explained

The Academy concluded 2023 by announcing the official shortlists for ten major categories - Best Original Screenplay and Best Adapted Screenplay were not part of the announcements. A recurring name across the shortlists was Barbie, unsurprisingly so, considering its strong critical reception coupled with an Oscars campaign that is picking up pace. However, the latest update in the Oscars race is that Barbie will not be considered as a contender for the Best Original Screenplay category.

Academy classifies Barbie as an adapted screenplay

For the unversed, Barbie is a social fantasy film making use of the evergreen Mattel doll - and its endless variations - to put forth a poignant but witty take on what it means to be a woman in today's world. Led by Margot Robbie as Barbie and Ryan Gosling as Ken, the film has been written by director Greta Gerwig and husband Noah Baumbach. Barbie was expected to be a frontrunner under the Original Screenplay category - however, the Academy has chosen to categorise the film as an 'adapted screenplay', taking it out of the running for the former category. The Writer's Guild of America however, still categorises the film as an 'original screenplay'.

This essentially reorients the Oscars race for the Best Original Screenplay with new frontrunners emerging. Those under consideration include Celine Song's Past Lives, Alexander Payne's The Holdovers and Todd Haynes' May December. Justine Triet's Anatomy of a Fall, the recipient of the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival last year, is also a strong contender.

Barbie's fate with original screenplay follows the precedent set by the Academy

Considering the fact that Barbie spotlights the Mattel dolls in the titular role, its shift from the original screenplay category to adapted screenplay category is in alignment with how the Academy has categorised films spun around pre-existing characters. For instance, Toy Story 3, Borat 2, Before Sunset and After Midnight have been the previous nominees under the adapted screenplay category. 

Barbie is also not the first film to be pegged as a shoo-in for an Original Screenplay Academy nomination before being unceremoniously shifted to the 'Adapted Screenplay' category. Barry Jenkin's 2016 film Moonlight - which went onto bag the Best Picture win in 2017, regardless.