'Wonder Woman' joins 'The Shape of Water' and 'Get Out' among PGA film and TV nominees

As I wrote in yesterday's entry about the WGA film nominees, ""The Shape of Water" and "Get Out" have been nominated in every major awards show so far, the 2018 Critics' Choice Movie Awards, AFI Awards, Golden Globe Awards, and SAG Awards."  Therefore, it should come as no surprise that both were nominated in the Producers Guild of America (PGA) Awards for The Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures, the PGA equivalent of Best Film.

The surprise comes from which speculative fiction movie earns the third spot that all awards shows so far have given to either science fiction or superheroes.  At the Critics Choice Awards, that distinction went to "Blade Runner 2049."  The AFI Awards bestowed the honor to "Wonder Woman."  Both the Golden Globes and SAG Awards recognized "Downsizing" for Hong Chau's performance, as did the Critics Choice Awards.  The WGA Awards made "Logan" the third nominee for Adapted Screenplay.  The PGA Awards followed suit, giving "Wonder Woman" one of the eleven nominations (there was a tie for tenth), making it the third speculative fiction film to be recognized in the most prestigious motion picture category at these awards.

Here is the entire field from Deadline Hollywood.

The Big Sick
Producers: Judd Apatow, Barry Mendel

Call Me By Your Name
Producers: Peter Spears, Luca Guadagnino, Emilie Georges, Marco Morabito

Dunkirk
Producers: Emma Thomas, Christopher Nolan

Get Out
Producers: Sean McKittrick & Edward H. Hamm, Jr., Jason Blum, Jordan Peele

I, Tonya
Producers: Bryan Unkeless, Steven Rogers, Margot Robbie, Tom Ackerley

Lady Bird
Producers: Scott Rudin, Eli Bush, Evelyn O’Neill

Molly’s Game
Producers: Mark Gordon, Amy Pascal, Matt Jackson

The Post
Producers: Amy Pascal, Steven Spielberg, Kristie Macosko Krieger

The Shape Of Water
Producers: Guillermo del Toro, J. Miles Dale

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Producers: Graham Broadbent & Pete Czernin, Martin McDonagh

Wonder Woman
Producers: Charles Roven & Richard Suckle, Zack Snyder & Deborah Snyder

Toss out one of the nominees and that could be the Oscar field for Best Picture.  As for which one that might be, I'd pick either "I, Tonya" or "Molly's Game" if "Wonder Woman" is to make the cut.

By the way, "Get Out" is already a winner, as Deadline reported ‘Get Out’ To Receive Producers Guild’s Stanley Kramer Award.

The PGA will bestow its 2018 Stanley Kramer Award on Get Out, Jordan Peele’s social horror thriller that has been one of the most buzzed-about, and lucrative, movies of 2017. The honor will be given out during the 29th annual PGA Awards set for January 20 at the Beverly Hilton.

The Kramer award honors a production, producer or other individuals “whose achievement or contribution illuminates and raises public awareness of important social issues.” Last year, Jeff Nichols’ Loving won the award.

Congratulations!  I can't think of a better film for this honor.

Any show that has an award for animated features automatically recognizes speculative fiction.  Here are the nominees from the PGA.

The Award for Outstanding Producer of Animated Theatrical Motion Pictures:

The Boss Baby
Producer: Ramsey Naito

Coco
Producer: Darla K. Anderson

Despicable Me 3
Producers: Chris Meledandri, Janet Healy

Ferdinand
Producers: Lori Forte, Bruce Anderson

The Lego Batman Movie
Producers: Dan Lin, Phil Lord & Christopher Miller

The four highest grossing animated movies of last year, which I listed in Celebrate National Science Fiction Day with 'The Last Jedi' atop the 2017 box office, are all nominated, "Despicable Me 3," "Coco," "The LEGO Batman Movie," and "The Boss Baby."  Based on box office, "Ferdinand" might come as a bit of a surprise, as it just passed "The Lego Ninjago Movie" but is still behind "Cars 3," "The Emoji Movie," and "Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie."  I wouldn't have expected any of them to be nominated.  In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if "The Emoji Movie" earns a Razzie or two.  Instead, I thought one of "Loving Vincent" or "The Breadwinner" might earn the fifth spot.  Nope, the story of the gentle bull gets it.

Enough with movies.  Follow over the jump for the three television categories with speculative fiction nominees.


Like the case with the movies, there is a strong consensus as to the top speculative fiction shows on television last year, "Game of Thrones," "The Handmaid's Tale," and "Stranger Things 2."  All three earned nominations for The Norman Felton Award for Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television, Drama, along with "Big Little Lies," which was moved here from movies and miniseries because HBO has ordered a second season, and "The Crown."  I'd say "Stranger Things" is favored, as it won this award last year but the reclassification of "Big Little Lies" as a drama series makes me less confident about that prediction.  It might just upset the rest of the field based on its dominance of awards for miniseries so far.

Moving "Big Little Lies" out of the categories for long-form television (movies for TV and miniseries) made room for another series to earn a nomination in the category.  The likely beneficiary was "Black Mirror," which hadn't received a nomination in any of the year-end awards shows until now, even though it won two Emmy Awards.  Here is the list of nominees for The David L. Wolper Award for Outstanding Producer of Long-Form Television, which encompasses both movies of the week and  limited series.

Black Mirror (Season 4)

Fargo (Season 3)

FEUD: Bette and Joan (Season 1)

Sherlock: The Lying Detective

The Wizard of Lies

With "Big Little Lies" out of the picture, this field is much more open.  I would expect one of "Fargo," "FEUD" Bette and Joan," or "Wizard of Lies" is the likely winner, although the two Emmy Awards for "Black Mirror" might mean something.

The final category with speculative fiction nominees is for Outstanding Children’s Program, which stands in for an animated television category.

Doc McStuffins (Season 4)

Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards 2017

School of Rock (Season 3)

Sesame Street (Season 47)

SpongeBob SquarePants (Season 10, Season 11)

Out of this group, I'd pick "Sesame Street."  I wasn't disappointed when I did so and it won an Emmy for children's programming.

I might come back to the PGA Awards for nominees about politics.  Until then, stay tuned for the second observation of the fake holiday Good news for animals in entertainment on the first Norther!, the winners of the Golden Globe Awards, the nominees of the Art Directors Guild Awards and a double national day celebration of cutting your energy costs and saving the eagles.  Yes, I have my posts planned out until the 10th.