‘Fabelmans,’ ‘Top Gun’ get boost with producers’ group nods

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This article was published 11/01/2023 (667 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Oscar chances for “Top Gun: Maverick” just went into hyperdrive. The high-flying blockbuster, along with Steven Spielberg’s “The Fabelmans,” “The Banshees of Inisherin,” “Everything Everywhere All At Once” and “Tár” have all been nominated for the Producers Guild of America’s top honor, the organization said Thursday.

All five got top Directors Guild nominations just Wednesday. “The Fabelmans” and “Banshees” also won big at the Golden Globes earlier this week.

The Producers Guild nominates 10 films annually for the Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures. Also nominated were “Avatar: The Way of Water,” “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” “Elvis,” “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” and “The Whale,” all films still hoping to be in the best picture race come Oscar nomination morning on Jan. 24.

PGA picks are generally a good predictor of the Oscars best picture nominees and winners. Last year, the group gave out awards to the producing teams behind “CODA,” “Encanto” and “Summer of Soul,” which all went on to win Oscars in their respective categories.

Like the Directors Guild group, all 10 of the PGA-nominated films this year were directed by men, overlooking acclaimed features from female directors like “The Woman King” and “Women Talking.” Damien Chazelle’s “Babylon” also missed the cut.

In the animation category, nominees are “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio,” “Marcel the Shell with Shoes On,” “Minions: The Rise of Gru,” “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish” and “Turning Red.” Documentary nominees included Oscar-shortlisted films like “Descendant,” “Fire of Love,” “Navalny” “All That Breathes,” “The Territory” and “Retrograde.” Notably missing, however, was Laura Poitras’s Golden Lion winner, “All the Beauty and the Bloodshed.”

The PGA also recognizes television programs, including series, anthologies, documentaries, talk shows, children’s programs and game shows. Television dramas nominated included “Andor,” “Better Call Saul,” “Ozark,” “Severance” and “The White Lotus.” Comedies were “Abbott Elementary,” “Barry,” “The Bear,” “Hacks” and “Only Murders in the Building.”

Feature films nominated under the television and streaming banner were “Fire Island,” “Hocus Pocus 2,” “Pinocchio,” “Prey” and “Weird: The Al Yankovic Story.”

The PGA, a nonprofit trade organization, represents over 8,500 producers working in film, television and new media.

Awards will be handed out at an untelevised ceremony in Los Angeles on Feb. 25, where Tom Cruise will be honored with the David O. Selznick Achievement Award.