The USC Libraries have named the finalists for the 38th-annual Scripter Awards, which honor the year’s most accomplished adaptations of the written word for the screen. The awards recognize both the authors of the original works and the screenwriters who adapted them.
The finalist writers for film adaptation are, in alphabetical order by film title:
- Guillermo del Toro for Frankenstein based on the novel Frankenstein; or, the Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley
- Chloé Zhao and Maggie O’Farrell for Hamnet based on O’Farrell’s novel of the same name
- Paul Thomas Anderson for One Battle After Another inspired by the novel Vineland by Thomas Pynchon
- Ira Sachs for Peter Hujar’s Day based on the book of the same name by Linda Rosenkrantz
- Clint Bentley and Greg Kwedar for Train Dreams based on the novella of the same name by Denis Johnson
The finalist writers for episodic series are, in alphabetical order by series title:
- Max Hurwitz and Billy Luther for the episode “Ábidoo’niidę́ę́ (What He Had Been Told),” from Dark Winds, based on the novels Dancehall of the Dead and The Sinister Pig by Tony Hillerman
- Mike Makowsky for the episode “Destiny of the Republic,” from Death by Lightning, based on Candice Millard’s nonfiction book Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine, and the Murder of a President
- Chandni Lakhani and Scott Frank for the untitled first episode of Dept. Q, based on the novel The Keeper of Lost Causes by Jussi Adler-Olsen
- Will Smith for the episode “Scars,” from Slow Horses, based on the novel London Rules by Mick Herron
- Peter Straughan for the series Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light, based on the novel The Mirror and the Light by Hilary Mantel
The USC Libraries will announce the winning authors and screenwriters at a black-tie ceremony on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, in the Town & Gown ballroom at the University of Southern California.
Author Michael Connelly will accept the USC Libraries Literary Achievement Award at the Scripter ceremony for his contributions to the art of mystery storytelling, both on the page and on the screen. Connelly’s 41 novels have introduced the world to police detective Harry Bosch and defense attorney Mickey Haller and inspired numerous screen adaptations, including the Bosch, Bosch: Legacy, and Ballard series on Amazon Prime; the 2011 feature film The Lincoln Lawyer; the Netflix series of the same name; and the 2002 feature film Blood Work. He often plays an active role in bringing his stories to the screen as both an executive producer and a credited teleplay writer.
The 2026 Scripter selection committee selected the finalists from a field of 43 film and 64 television adaptations. USC professor Howard Rodman, a former president of the Writers Guild of America, West, chairs the committee.
Serving on the selection committee, among many others, are journalists Leonard Maltin and Justin Chang; authors Janet Fitch and Jonathan Lethem; screenwriters Eric Roth and Tyger Williams; producers Gail Mutrux and Jennifer Todd; and Elizabeth Daley, dean of the USC School of Cinematic Arts.
Refinements to this year’s eligibility guidelines reaffirm the Scripter Awards’ focus on honoring the written word as a source of inspiration for screen storytellers. Works adapted from books or book series, novellas, short stories, graphic novels, plays, or magazine articles remain eligible. Video games and characters originating in previously published works are no longer considered eligible source material.
The studios distributing the finalist films and current publishers of the printed works are:
- Frankenstein—Netflix and Penguin
- Hamnet— Focus Features and Vintage Books
- One Battle After Another—Warner Bros. Pictures and Penguin
- Peter Hujar’s Day—Janus Films and Magic Hour Press
- Train Dreams—Netflix and Picador
The networks and streaming platforms broadcasting the finalist episodic series and current publishers of the works are:
- Dark Winds—AMC and Harper
- Death by Lightning—Netflix and Anchor
- Dept. Q— Netflix and Penguin
- Slow Horses—Apple TV and Soho Crime
- Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light—PBS and Henry Holt
All proceeds from the Scripter Awards gala support the library services, collections, and programs that inspire and inform the achievements of USC’s faculty, students, and staff.
For more information about the USC Libraries Scripter Awards, including ticket availability, visit scripter.usc.edu.