Saturn Award for Best Writing
The Saturn Award for Best Writing is a Saturn Award presented by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films for the best writing in any motion picture genre.
Winners and nominees
"†" indicates an Academy Award-winning movie on the same category.
"‡" indicates an Academy Award-nominated movie on the same category.
1970s
1980s
| Year |
Writer(s) |
Motion Picture |
1980
(8th) |
William Peter Blatty |
The Ninth Configuration |
| Paddy Chayefsky (as Sidney Aaron) |
Altered States |
| Lewis John Carlino |
Resurrection |
| John Sayles |
Alligator |
| Leigh Brackett (posthumous nomination), Lawrence Kasdan |
Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back |
1981
(9th) |
Lawrence Kasdan |
Raiders of the Lost Ark |
| John Landis |
An American Werewolf in London |
| Peter Hyams |
Outland |
| Terry Gilliam, Michael Palin |
Time Bandits |
| David Eyre, Michael Wadleigh |
Wolfen |
1982
(10th) |
Melissa Mathison |
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial ‡ |
| Jay Presson Allen |
Deathtrap |
| Terry Hayes, George Miller, Brian Hannant |
Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior |
| Jack B. Sowards |
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan |
| Albert Pyun, Tom Karnowski, John V. Stuckmeyer |
The Sword and the Sorcerer |
1983
(11th) |
Ray Bradbury |
Something Wicked This Way Comes |
| Jeffrey Boam |
The Dead Zone |
| Lawrence Kasdan, George Lucas |
Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi |
| Bill Condon, Michael Laughlin |
Strange Invaders |
| Lawrence Lasker, Walter Parkes |
WarGames ‡ |
1984
(12th) |
James Cameron, Gale Anne Hurd |
The Terminator |
| Earl Mac Rauch |
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension |
| Chris Columbus |
Gremlins |
| Willard Huyck, Gloria Katz |
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom |
| Alex Cox |
Repo Man |
1985
(13th) |
Tom Holland |
Fright Night |
| Tom Benedek |
Cocoon |
| Terry Hayes, George Miller |
Mad Max 3: Beyond Thunderdome |
| Woody Allen |
The Purple Rose of Cairo ‡ |
| Chris Columbus |
Young Sherlock Holmes |
1986
(14th) |
James Cameron |
Aliens |
| Nick Castle |
The Boy Who Could Fly |
| Paul Hogan, Ken Shadie, John Cornell |
"Crocodile" Dundee ‡ |
| Howard Ashman |
Little Shop of Horrors |
| Steve Meerson, Peter Krikes, Harve Bennett, Nicholas Meyer |
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home |
1987
(15th) |
Michael Miner, Edward Neumeier |
RoboCop |
| Alan Parker |
Angel Heart |
| James Dearden |
Fatal Attraction ‡ |
| Jim Kouf (as Bob Hunt) |
The Hidden |
| William Goldman |
The Princess Bride |
| Michael Cristofer |
The Witches of Eastwick |
1988
(16th) |
Gary Ross, Anne Spielberg |
Big ‡ |
| Michael McDowell, Warren Skaaren |
Beetlejuice |
| Tom Holland, John Lafia, Don Mancini |
Child's Play |
| David Cronenberg, Norman Snider |
Dead Ringers |
| Alan B. McElroy |
Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers |
| Jeffrey Price and Peter S. Seaman |
Who Framed Roger Rabbit |
1989/90
(17th) |
William Peter Blatty |
The Exorcist III |
| James Cameron |
The Abyss |
| Jerry Belson |
Always |
| Don Jakoby, Wesley Strick |
Arachnophobia |
| Phil Alden Robinson |
Field of Dreams ‡ |
| Bruce Joel Rubin |
Ghost † |
| Jeffrey Boam |
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade |
| Ronald Shusett, Dan O'Bannon, Gary Goldman |
Total Recall |
1990s
| Year |
Writer(s) |
Motion Picture |
1991
(18th) |
Ted Tally |
The Silence of the Lambs † |
| Albert Brooks |
Defending Your Life |
| Richard LaGravenese |
The Fisher King ‡ |
| Charles Gale |
Guilty as Charged |
| William Goldman |
Misery |
| James Cameron, William Wisher, Jr. |
Terminator 2: Judgment Day |
1992
(19th) |
James V. Hart |
Dracula |
| David Giler, Walter Hill, Larry Ferguson |
Alien 3 |
| Joe Eszterhas |
Basic Instinct |
| Bernard Rose |
Candyman |
| Martin Donovan, David Koepp |
Death Becomes Her |
| Nicholas Meyer, Denny Martin Flinn |
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country |
| David Lynch, Robert Engels |
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me |
1993
(20th) |
Michael Crichton, David Koepp |
Jurassic Park |
| Tracy Tormé |
Fire in the Sky |
| Danny Rubin, Harold Ramis |
Groundhog Day |
| Brent Maddock, S. S. Wilson, Gregory Hansen, Erik Hansen |
Heart and Souls |
| Tim Metcalfe |
Kalifornia |
| Shane Black, David Arnott |
Last Action Hero |
| Quentin Tarantino |
True Romance |
1994
(21st) |
Jim Harrison, Wesley Strick |
Wolf |
| Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski |
Ed Wood |
| Eric Roth |
Forrest Gump † |
| Steph Lady, Frank Darabont |
Frankenstein |
| Frank Darabont |
The Shawshank Redemption ‡ |
| Mark Verheiden |
Timecop |
1995
(22nd) |
Andrew Kevin Walker |
Se7en |
| George Miller, Chris Noonan |
Babe ‡ |
| Quentin Tarantino |
From Dusk till Dawn |
| James Cameron, Jay Cocks |
Strange Days |
| Joss Whedon, Alec Sokolow, Andrew Stanton, Joel Cohen |
Toy Story ‡ |
| David Webb Peoples, Janet Peoples |
12 Monkeys |
1996
(23rd) |
Kevin Williamson |
Scream |
| Larry Wachowski, Andy Wachowski |
Bound |
| Fran Walsh, Peter Jackson |
The Frighteners |
| Dean Devlin, Roland Emmerich |
Independence Day |
| Jonathan Gems |
Mars Attacks! |
| Brannon Braga, Ronald D. Moore |
Star Trek: First Contact |
1997
(24th) |
Mike Werb, Michael Colleary |
Face/Off |
| James V. Hart, Michael Goldenberg |
Contact |
| Jonathan Lemkin, Tony Gilroy |
The Devil's Advocate |
| Ed Solomon |
Men in Black |
| Guillermo del Toro, Matthew Robbins |
Mimic |
| Edward Neumeier |
Starship Troopers |
1998
(25th) |
Andrew Niccol |
The Truman Show ‡ |
| Brandon Boyce |
Apt Pupil |
| Don Mancini |
Bride of Chucky |
| Alex Proyas, Lem Dobbs, David S. Goyer |
Dark City |
| Gary Ross |
Pleasantville |
| Joseph Stefano |
Psycho |
1999
(26th) |
Charlie Kaufman |
Being John Malkovich ‡ |
| Ehren Kruger |
Arlington Road |
| M. Night Shyamalan |
The Sixth Sense ‡ |
| Stephen Sommers |
The Mummy |
| Andy Wachowski, Larry Wachowski |
The Matrix |
| Andrew Kevin Walker |
Sleepy Hollow |
2000s
| Year |
Writer(s) |
Motion Picture |
2000
(27th) |
David Hayter |
X-Men |
| Karey Kirkpatrick |
Chicken Run |
| Toby Emmerich |
Frequency |
| Billy Bob Thornton, Tom Epperson |
The Gift |
| David Franzoni, John Logan, William Nicholson |
Gladiator ‡ |
| Wang Hui-ling, James Schamus, Tsai Kuo Jung |
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon ‡ |
2001
(28th) |
Steven Spielberg |
A.I. Artificial Intelligence |
| Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Peter Jackson |
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring ‡ |
| Robert L. Baird, Dan Gerson |
Monsters, Inc. |
| Alejandro Amenábar |
The Others |
| Stéphane Cabel, Christophe Gans |
Brotherhood of the Wolf |
| Ted Elliott, Terry Rossio, Joe Stillman, Roger S. H. Schulman |
Shrek ‡ |
2002
(29th) |
Scott Frank, Jon Cohen |
Minority Report |
| Brent Hanley |
Frailty |
| Hillary Seitz |
Insomnia |
| Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Stephen Sinclair, Peter Jackson |
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers |
| Mark Romanek |
One Hour Photo |
| Hayao Miyazaki, Cindy Davis Hewitt, Donald H. Hewitt |
Spirited Away |
2003
(30th) |
Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Peter Jackson |
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King † |
| Alex Garland |
28 Days Later |
| Andrew Stanton, Bob Peterson, David Reynolds |
Finding Nemo ‡ |
| Heather Hach, Leslie Dixon |
Freaky Friday |
| Quentin Tarantino |
Kill Bill: Volume 1 |
| Dan Harris, Michael Dougherty |
X-Men 2 |
2004
(31st) |
Alvin Sargent |
Spider-Man 2 |
| Stuart Beattie |
Collateral |
| Charlie Kaufman |
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind † |
| Steve Kloves |
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban |
| Brad Bird |
The Incredibles ‡ |
| Quentin Tarantino |
Kill Bill: Volume 2 |
2005
(32nd) |
Christopher Nolan, David S. Goyer |
Batman Begins |
| Ann Peacock, Andrew Adamson, Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely |
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe |
| Steve Kloves |
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire |
| Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens |
King Kong |
| George Lucas |
Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith |
| David Koepp |
War of the Worlds |
2006
(33rd) |
Michael Dougherty, Dan Harris |
Superman Returns |
| Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, Paul Haggis |
Casino Royale |
| Guillermo del Toro |
Pan's Labyrinth ‡ |
| Andrew Birkin, Bernd Eichinger, Tom Tykwer |
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer |
| Zach Helm |
Stranger than Fiction |
| Larry Wachowski, Andy Wachowski |
V for Vendetta |
2007
(34th) |
Brad Bird |
Ratatouille ‡ |
| Michael B. Gordon, Zack Snyder, Kurt Johnstad |
300 |
| Roger Avary, Neil Gaiman |
Beowulf |
| Michael Goldenberg |
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix |
| Joel Coen, Ethan Coen |
No Country for Old Men † |
| John Logan |
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street |
2008
(35th) |
Christopher Nolan, Jonathan Nolan |
The Dark Knight |
| J. Michael Straczynski |
Changeling |
| David Koepp, John Kamps |
Ghost Town |
| Mark Fergus, Hawk Ostby, Art Marcum, Matt Holloway |
Iron Man |
| John Ajvide Lindqvist |
Let the Right One In |
| Eric Roth |
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button ‡ |
2009
(36th) |
James Cameron |
Avatar |
| Neill Blomkamp, Terri Tatchell |
District 9 ‡ |
| Quentin Tarantino |
Inglourious Basterds ‡ |
| Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci |
Star Trek |
| Alex Tse, David Hayter |
Watchmen |
| Spike Jonze, Dave Eggers |
Where the Wild Things Are |
2010s
| Year |
Writer(s) |
Motion Picture |
2010
(37th) |
Christopher Nolan |
Inception ‡ |
| Matt Reeves |
Let Me In |
| Michael Arndt |
Toy Story 3 ‡ |
| Peter Morgan |
Hereafter |
| Mark Heyman, Andres Heinz, John J. McLaughlin |
Black Swan |
| Alex Garland |
Never Let Me Go |
2011
(38th) |
Jeff Nichols |
Take Shelter |
| J. J. Abrams |
Super 8 |
| Woody Allen |
Midnight in Paris † |
| Mike Cahill, Brit Marling |
Another Earth |
| Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver |
Rise of the Planet of the Apes |
| John Logan |
Hugo ‡ |
2012
(39th) |
Quentin Tarantino |
Django Unchained † |
| Tracy Letts |
Killer Joe |
| David Magee |
Life of Pi ‡ |
| Martin McDonagh |
Seven Psychopaths |
| Joss Whedon |
The Avengers |
| Joss Whedon, Drew Goddard |
The Cabin in the Woods |
2013
(40th) |
Spike Jonze |
Her † |
| Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Peter Jackson, Guillermo del Toro |
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug |
| Joel Coen, Ethan Coen |
Inside Llewyn Davis |
| Alfonso Cuarón, Jonás Cuarón |
Gravity |
| Jennifer Lee |
Frozen |
| Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg |
The World's End |
2014
(41st) |
Christopher Nolan, Jonathan Nolan |
Interstellar |
| Stephen McFeely, Christopher Markus |
Captain America: The Winter Soldier |
| Christopher McQuarrie, Jez Butterworth, John-Henry Butterworth |
Edge of Tomorrow |
| Wes Anderson |
The Grand Budapest Hotel ‡ |
| James Gunn, Nicole Perlman |
Guardians of the Galaxy |
| Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Peter Jackson, Guillermo del Toro |
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies |
| Damien Chazelle |
Whiplash ‡ |
Multiple wins
- 4 wins
- 3 wins
- William Peter Blatty
- James Cameron
External links
|
|---|
| | Film | |
|---|
| | Television | |
|---|
| | DVD | |
|---|
| | Special awards | |
|---|
| | Retired awards | |
|---|
| | Ceremonies | |
|---|
| Note: The years are listed as per convention, usually the year of film release; the ceremonies are usually held the next year. |
|