Judd Apatow Criticizes 'Barbie' Screenplay's Category at Oscars: Adapted or Original?

Filmmaker Judd Apatow thinks it's an insult to the authors to imply they were working off "existing material" after it was revealed that "Barbie" will compete for a best adapted screenplay nomination at the 96th Academy Awards despite campaigning for original screenplay.

The screenplay for "Barbie" was co-written by Greta Gerwig and her husband, regular collaborator Noah Baumbach. Gerwig directed the film. The movie, which starred Ryan Gosling and Margot Robbie, brought in more than $1 billion at the global box office in 2023.

The "Knocked Up" and "This is 40" director, Apatow, expressed his disapproval in an X post, citing the Academy's ruling as reported by a news outlet.

"To claim that the writers were inspired by pre-existing works is to offend them. There was no pre-existing content or narrative. A transparent box was present," he wrote on Saturday.

Variety claims that every awards organization and voting group has a different set of guidelines for films regarding the screenplay category in which they can submit or eventually receive a nomination.

Barbie and Ken were already-existing dolls from Mattel, therefore it appears that the Writers Branch executive committee of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences categorized Gerwig's film as an adapted screenplay.

"Barbie" has been classified as an original work by the Writers Guild of America, and it will continue to be in that category for the forthcoming WGA Awards.

In her career, Gerwig—the first woman to direct a billion-dollar film—has received three Oscar nominations: for original screenplay and directing in "Lady Bird" (2016) and for adapted picture in "Little Women" (2019).

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