George Clooney in Up in the Air
The Writers Guild of America's "Beyond Words" panel will be held at the Writers Guild Theater at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 8, two days before the announcement of the 2010 WGA Awards. Confirmed panelists include: Mark Boal (The Hurt Locker), James Cameron (Avatar), Scott Cooper (Crazy Heart), Geoffrey Fletcher (Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire), Alex Kurtzman (Star Trek, co-written by Roberto Orci), Jon Lucas & Scott Moore (The Hangover), Scott Neustadter ((500) Days of Summer, co-written by Michael H. Weber), and Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner (Up in the Air).
WGAW Secretary-Treasurer David N. Weiss and Variety Group Editor Timothy M. Gray are set to introduce the evening. The panel discussion will be moderated by Judd Apatow (Funny People, Knocked Up). Proceeds will go to the Writers Guild Foundation. Note: The event is sold-out.
Many of the aforementioned screenwriters are also in the running for the 2010 Academy Awards. The writers of Avatar, (500) Days of Summer, and The Hangover were replaced by those of Inglourious Basterds, The Messenger, and Up in the original screenplay category; while Crazy Heart, Julie & Julia, and Star Trek were replaced by An Education, In the Loop, and District 9 in the adapted screenplay category.
The Writers Guild Theater is located at 135 South Doheny Drive in Beverly Hills.
Photo: Up in the Air (Dale Robinette / Paramount)