The Producer's Guild of America is one of the large contingencies of Academy voters and their award nominations are generally good indicators of how the Oscars might vote coming nomination day on Jan. 10. Their PGA's list was announced on Wednesday and included a plethora of major surprises.
The nominees for the Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures are as follows:
- Argo
- Beasts of the Southern Wild
- Django Unchained
- Les Misérables
- Life of Pi
- Lincoln
- Moonrise Kingdom
- Silver Linings Playbook
- Skyfall
- Zero Dark Thirty
Most of these films are not major surprises as they have been picking up major Oscar steam over the last few weeks. Among those pictures are "Argo," "Lincoln," "Life of Pi," "Les Miserables," "Silver Linings Playbook," and "Zero Dark Thirty." "Moonrise Kingdom" had been having a solid awards season, but it was always a possibility that film might not jive with Awards voters. The film is looking more and more like a lock. "Django Unchained" also solidified its standing in the race with a nomination.
The major surprises on this list are "Beasts of the Southern Wild" and "Skyfall." The former was the big winner at Sundance, but there was always a question of whether the Academy would give first time filmmaker Ben Zehtlin the recognition. The Academy has picked Sundance winners in the past ("Winter's Bone" for example), but the film was not always secure in the race. Now it is.
Many thought the big blockbuster to make the top 10 would be "The Dark Knight Rises," but it seems that "Skyfall" will get the recognition. The fact that Academy Award winning director Sam Mendes is at the front of this project could have a lot to do with the nomination, but there is no taking away from the film's quality and popularity and this nomination could have secured the film a spot atop the Oscars.
There is one x-factor to consider, especially for "Beasts" and "Skyfall." The Academy does not have to pick 10 films. They can pick anywhere from five to 10 and it is possible that these films could get left off the list.
The PGA also announced the nominees for Animated film and Documentary. They are as follows:
The Award for Outstanding Producer of Animated Theatrical Motion Pictures:
- Brave
- Frankenweenie
- ParaNorman
- Rise of the Guardians
- Wreck-It Ralph
The Award for Outstanding Producer of Documentary Theatrical Motion Pictures:
- A People Uncounted
- The Gatekeepers
- The Island President
- The Other Dream Team
- Searching For Sugar Man