1. Aflonso Cuaron, Jonas Cuaron - Gravity
Mexican director Alfonso Cuaron has had an interesting filmography to say the least. From children's fantasies like The Little Princess to dystopian visions of the future as in Children of Men, any director who follows up the R-rated Y Tu Mama Tambien with the third film in the Harry Potter franchise is bound to raise some eyebrows. Along this zig-zag course of his career though, Mr. Cuaron has developed a group of avid followers, all of who are eagerly anticipating his first feature film since 2006's Children of Men, Gravity. The film, with a reported budget of $80 million, has been in production for some time, which partly accounts for the long break between films for Mr. Cuaron. Another rumored reason for Cuaron's lengthy absence is that the studio behind the film, Warner Brothers, isn't quite sure what to do with the film. Gravity, which stars George Clooney and Sandra Bullock, tells the tale of two astronauts working on a space station many miles above Earth. When a terrible accident befalls the space station while the astronauts are working on the outside of the station, tethered together by a rope, the space explorers end up floating endlessly adrift in outer space. The majority of the film was shot against a green screen (because actually filming in space is a bit problematic), which might give you the notion that Gravity is an effects driven film, but don't fool yourself. While the film's plot is unquestionably high-concept, the film is likely to be geared toward the high-art crowd as well, which puts the studio in a pickle. While I am stumped as to what to make of its box office prospects (although Cloud Atlas' performance isn't a good omen), I do think the film may receive some recognition from the Academy irrespective of its final box office haul. After all, Children of Men didn't do so hot monetarily, but it still managed to get its screenplay a nomination, and as I have said now numerous times in this article, if there is one branch of the Academy that is going to be sympathetic to a high-brow science fiction film, it's going to be the writers. It may be a long shot, but at least it's one with some precedence.
As I stated at the top of this article, I expect 2013 to be a strong year for original screenplays, so if there are other films with original stories that you think are more likely to end up with a Best Original Screenplay nomination, let me know in the comments section below.