The race shapes up
| 1 | The Shape of Water | 13 noms |
| 2 | Dunkirk | 8 noms |
| 3 | Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri | 7 noms |
| 4 | Darkest Hour | 6 noms |
| Phantom Thread | 6 noms |
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences revealed the nominees for the 90th Academy Awards early Tuesday morning, recognizing the best films, filmmakers, and on- and off-screen talent of 2017. It was a year when Kobe Bryant received an Oscar nomination, but expected nominee James Franco didn't.
Leading all movies with 13 nominations (and just the 10th film in history to receive that many) was Guillermo del Toro's The Shape of Water. Thanks to being one of the few major best picture contenders to heavily feature special effects, the film picked up numerous technical nominations to ultimately finish with five more nominations than any other film this year.
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, another potential best picture winner in an unpredictable year, also did well, placing third overall, just one behind Christopher Nolan's WWII epic Dunkirk.
Listed below are the 2018 Academy Award nominees in all 24 categories.
Best picture and director
Best picture
| Metascore / Film / Producers | |
|---|---|
| Call Me by Your Name Peter Spears, Luca Guadagnino, Emilie Georges and Marco Morabito | |
| Darkest Hour Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Lisa Bruce, Anthony McCarten and Douglas Urbanski | |
| Dunkirk Emma Thomas and Christopher Nolan | |
| Get Out Sean McKittrick, Jason Blum, Edward H. Hamm Jr. and Jordan Peele | |
| Lady Bird Scott Rudin, Eli Bush and Evelyn O'Neill | |
| Phantom Thread JoAnne Sellar, Paul Thomas Anderson, Megan Ellison and Daniel Lupi | |
| The Post Amy Pascal, Steven Spielberg and Kristie Macosko Krieger | |
| The Shape of Water Guillermo del Toro and J. Miles Dale | |
| Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri Graham Broadbent, Pete Czernin and Martin McDonagh | |
There aren't many surprises here; the Academy's nine picks (more than some experts had predicted) actually match up pretty closely with the consensus best picture leaders based on other previously announced awards. (If there's a mild surprise, it's probably Darkest Hour, though it's hard to be shocked by the inclusion of a hisorical drama featuring a strong lead performance by an actor impersonating a well-known figure—that's what Oscars are made for.)
Omissions inlcude The Florida Project and The Big Sick, and, to a lesser extent, I, Tonya and Mudbound (though each of these four films was nominated elsewhere). No title on the list above stands out as a surprise nominee, though Get Out's inclusion (which was widely predicted, as well as deserved) would have been impossible to foresee a year ago, given the Academy's usual aversion to genre films.
Note that Steven Spielberg has now increased his record of best picture nominations (for any one individual producer) to 10, though his film, The Post, underperformed overall with just two total nominations—a bit of a disappointment for its backers given that the film seems to have been engineered to be an Oscar contender.
Director
| Nominee | Film | Career Oscar Totals* | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Noms. | Wins | ||
| Paul Thomas Anderson | Phantom Thread | 8 | 0 |
| Guillermo del Toro | The Shape of Water | 4 | 0 |
| Greta Gerwig | Lady Bird | 2 | 0 |
| Christopher Nolan | Dunkirk | 5 | 0 |
| Jordan Peele | Get Out | 3 | 0 |
This is actually Christopher Nolan's first nomination as a director; his previous three nominations came as producer or screenwriter. He had two nominations today, including for best picture. In fact, everyone here received multiple nominations today, including two triple nominees in Guillermo del Toro and Jordan Peele (each also nominated for original screenplay and best picture). Peele follows Warren Beatty (Heaven Can Wait) and James L. Brooks (Terms of Endearment) to receive directing, writing, and best picture nominees for his directorial debut. Greta Gerwig is also a first-time Oscar nominee today, and becomes just the fifth woman to be nominated for best director in Oscar history. (Only one of those women, Kathryn Bigelow, has won.)
Writing
Original screenplay
| Nominee | Film | Career Oscar Totals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Noms. | Wins | ||
| Guillermo del Toro & Vanessa Taylor | The Shape of Water | 4/1 | 0 |
| Greta Gerwig | Lady Bird | 2 | 0 |
| Emily V. Gordon and Kumail Nanjiani | The Big Sick | 1 | 0 |
| Martin McDonagh | Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri | 4 | 1 |
| Jordan Peele | Get Out | 3 | 0 |
Nobody here has won a screenplay Oscar before; Martin McDonagh's previous win was for a short film. As a whole, the category pretty much played out as expected. If there's a major omission, it probably is Paul Thomas Anderson, for Phantom Thread.
Adapted screenplay
| Nominee | Film | Career Oscar Totals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Noms. | Wins | ||
| Scott Frank & James Mangold and Michael Green | Logan | 2/1/1 | 0 |
| James Ivory | Call Me by Your Name | 4 | 0 |
| Scott Neustadter & Michael H. Weber | The Disaster Artist | 1 | 0 |
| Aaron Sorkin | Molly's Game | 3 | 1 |
| Virgil Williams and Dee Rees | Mudbound | 1 | 0 |
There are no surprises in this field, either. We will likely see a first-time screenplay winner here as well, as the only previous winner (Aaron Sorkin, who won for The Social Network in 2010) is not necessarily the favorite to take home another trophy given that his film didn't make much of a splash. Of the five nominations, only two (Call Me by Your Name, Mudbound) are for films that were also nominated in other categories.
Acting
Lead actress
| Nominee | Film | Career Oscar Totals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Noms. | Wins | ||
| Sally Hawkins | The Shape of Water | 2 | 0 |
| Frances McDormand | Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri | 5 | 1 |
| Margot Robbie | I, Tonya | 1 | 0 |
| Saoirse Ronan | Lady Bird | 3 | 0 |
| Meryl Streep | The Post | 21 | 3 |
Meryl Streep has once again broken her own record as the most-nominated performer in Oscar history, though she doesn't seem likely to pick up her fourth trophy, given that the Academy didn't seem to love her film. Frances McDormand, however, could be one of this year's rare repeat winners (she previously won for Fargo, the only other time she was nominated in the lead actress category), though it isn't guaranteed, given the level of competition—Sally Hawkins and Saoirse Ronan have picked up numerous wins elsewhere on the awards circuit. There are no major snubs here, with Jessica Chastain (Molly's Game) likely the next leading vote getter based on awards from other groups (though we'll never know).
Lead actor
| Nominee | Film | Career Oscar Totals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Noms. | Wins | ||
| Timothée Chalamet | Call Me by Your Name | 1 | 0 |
| Daniel Day-Lewis | Phantom Thread | 6 | 3 |
| Daniel Kaluuya | Get Out | 1 | 0 |
| Gary Oldman | Darkest Hour | 2 | 0 |
| Denzel Washington | Roman J. Israel, Esq. | 9 | 2 |
The obvious surprise inclusion here is Denzel Washington, given that his film made little impression on moviegoers and received mediocre reviews (and wasn't nominated in any other category). His nomination seemingly comes at the expense of The Disaster Artist's James Franco, whose recent scandal may have cost him a chance at reprising his Golden Globes win (though much of the Oscar voting was conducted prior to the negative news).
Supporting actress
| Nominee | Film | Career Oscar Totals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Noms. | Wins | ||
| Mary J. Blige | Mudbound | 2 | 0 |
| Allison Janney | I, Tonya | 1 | 0 |
| Lesley Manville | Phantom Thread | 1 | 0 |
| Laurie Metcalf | Lady Bird | 1 | 0 |
| Octavia Spencer | The Shape of Water | 3 | 1 |
It's the rare Oscar category to feature mostly new faces. Only Octavia Spencer (an Oscar winner for The Help in 2011) has been nominated as an actress in the past; Mary J. Blige's other nomination (also this year) is for best original song. Omissions (based on awards given out by other groups) include The Big Sick's Holly Hunter and Girls Trip's Tiffany Haddish.
Supporting actor
| Nominee | Film | Career Oscar Totals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Noms. | Wins | ||
| Willem Dafoe | The Florida Project | 3 | 0 |
| Woody Harrelson | Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri | 3 | 0 |
| Richard Jenkins | The Shape of Water | 2 | 0 |
| Christopher Plummer | All the Money in the World | 3 | 1 |
| Sam Rockwell | Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri | 1 | 0 |
Last-minute Kevin Spacey replacement Christopher Plummer, previously the oldest-ever Oscar acting winner (for Beginners in 2011), is now the oldest-ever Oscar acting nominee, at 88. Who was snubbed here? A pair of actors from Call Me by Your Name, who picked up numerous honors elsewhere: Michael Stuhlbarg and Armie Hammer. (Also, to a lesser degree, Logan's Patrick Stewart.) So the fact that Three Billboards received two nominations here could be a good sign for its best picture chances—the Academy clearly likes the film.
Other best film nominations
Animated feature
| Metascore / Film / Producers | |
|---|---|
| The Boss Baby Tom McGrath and Ramsey Naito | |
| The Breadwinner Nora Twomey and Anthony Leo | |
| Coco Lee Unkrich and Darla K. Anderson | |
| Ferdinand Carlos Saldanha | |
| Loving Vincent Dorota Kobiela, Hugh Welchman and Ivan Mactaggart | |
Barring any major surprises, Pixar's Coco should win here, as it has been dominating a weaker-than-usual field throughout awards season so far.
Documentary feature
| Metascore / Film / Producers | |
|---|---|
| Abacus: Small Enough to Jail Steve James, Mark Mitten and Julie Goldman | |
| Faces Places Agnes Varda, JR and Rosalie Varda | |
| Icarus Bryan Fogel and Dan Cogan | |
| Last Men in Aleppo Feras Fayyad, Kareem Abeed and Søren Steen Jespersen | |
| Strong Island Yance Ford and Joslyn Barnes | |
Plenty of high-scoring documentaries were snubbed here, including Jane, EX LIBRIS – The New York Public Library and City of Ghosts. Also omitted was the crowd-pleasing Turskish cat doc Kedi, though that film, unlike the others mentioned above, didn't even make the 15-film shortlist announced last month. (However, even the Academy was unable to ignore Agnes Varda's Faces Places, 2017's highest-scoring film in any genre.)
Foreign-language feature
| Metascore / Film / Country of Origin | |
|---|---|
| A Fantastic Woman Chile | |
| The Insult Lebanon | |
| Loveless Russia | |
| On Body and Soul Hungary | |
| The Square Sweden | |
Traditionally, few Oscar categories have as many snubs as the foreign-language field, though that's partially due to the rules imposed by the Academy. (Among other considerations, each country may only submit one film.) So which films were snubbed this year? France's BPM (Beats Per Minute), for one. But that film, like Angelina Jolie's First They Killed My Father, didn't even make the nine-film shortlist despite being popular with other awards groups. Among the shortlisted films omitted from the final field, Israel's Foxtrot (one of the year's best-reviewed films) and Germany's In the Fade (which just won a Golden Globe) are the most notable.
Short subjects
| Animated Short |
|---|
| Dear Basketball Glen Keane and Kobe Bryant |
| Garden Party Victor Caire and Gabriel Grapperon |
| Lou Dave Mullins and Dana Murray |
| Negative Space Max Porter and Ru Kuwahata |
| Revolting Rhymes Jakob Schuh and Jan Lachauer |
| Documentary Short |
|---|
| Edith + Eddie Laura Checkoway and Thomas Lee Wright |
| Heaven Is a Traffic Jam on the 405 Frank Stiefel |
| Heroin(e) Elaine McMillion Sheldon and Kerrin Sheldon |
| Knife Skills Thomas Lennon |
| Traffic Stop Kate Davis and David Heilbroner |
| Live-Action Short |
|---|
| DeKalb Elementary Reed Van Dyk |
| The Eleven O'Clock Derin Seale and Josh Lawson |
| My Nephew Emmett Kevin Wilson Jr. |
| The Silent Child Chris Overton and Rachel Shenton |
| Watu Wote/All of Us Katja Benrath and Tobias Rosen |
Music
Original score
| Composer | Film | Career Oscar Totals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Noms. | Wins | ||
| Carter Burwell | Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri | 2 | 0 |
| Alexandre Desplat | The Shape of Water | 9 | 1 |
| Jonny Greenwood | Phantom Thread | 1 | 0 |
| John Williams | Star Wars: The Last Jedi | 51 | 5 |
| Hans Zimmer | Dunkirk | 11 | 1 |
Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood, a frequent Paul Thomas Anderson collaborator, picked up his first-ever nomination, while legend John Williams collected his 51st—more than any other human not named Walt Disney.
Original song
| Song/Composer | Film |
|---|---|
| "Mighty River" by Mary J. Blige, Raphael Saadiq and Taura Stinson |
Mudbound |
| "Mystery of Love" by Sufjan Stevens |
Call Me by Your Name |
| "Remember Me" by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez |
Coco |
| "Stand Up for Something" by Diane Warren and Lonnie R. Lynn |
Marshall |
| "This Is Me" by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul |
The Greatest Showman |
Technical categories
Cinematography
| Nominee | Film | Career Oscar Totals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Noms. | Wins | ||
| Roger A. Deakins | Blade Runner 2049 | 14 | 0 |
| Bruno Delbonnel | Darkest Hour | 5 | 0 |
| Hoyte van Hoytema | Dunkirk | 1 | 0 |
| Rachel Morrison | Mudbound | 1 | 0 |
| Dan Laustsen | The Shape of Water | 1 | 0 |
There will be a first-time winner in the cinematography field. Will the Oscar finally go to the legendary Roger Deakins? He leads all living cinematographers in career nominations, yet has never won an Oscar. Rachel Morrison, meanwhile, is the first woman ever to be nominated in this category.
Film Editing
| Nominee | Film | Career Oscar Totals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Noms. | Wins | ||
| Jon Gregory | Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri | 1 | 0 |
| Paul Machliss and Jonathan Amos | Baby Driver | 1 | 0 |
| Tatiana S. Riegel | I, Tonya | 1 | 0 |
| Lee Smith | Dunkirk | 3 | 0 |
| Sidney Wolinksy | The Shape of Water | 1 | 0 |
Costumes/Makeup
| Costume Design | Makeup and Hairstyling |
|---|---|
| Beauty and the Beast | Darkest Hour |
| Darkest Hour | Victoria & Abdul |
| Phantom Thread | Wonder |
| The Shape of Water | |
| Victoria & Abdul |
Sound
| Sound Editing | Sound Mixing |
|---|---|
| Baby Driver | Baby Driver |
| Blade Runner 2049 | Blade Runner 2049 |
| Dunkirk | Dunkirk |
| The Shape of Water | The Shape of Water |
| Star Wars: The Last Jedi | Star Wars: The Last Jedi |
Visuals
More Oscar coverage to come
Jimmy Kimmel will host the Oscars for the second time when the 90th Annual Academy Awards ceremony airs live on ABC on Sunday, March 4, 2018 at 8:00p ET / 5:00p PT. Look for additional Oscars coverage on this site over the coming weeks, including a chance for you to predict this year's winners as well as a roundup of Oscar predictions from dozens of critics and industry experts. You can also check out our 2017-18 Film Awards Scorecard for a compilation of this season's movie awards from 58 different organizations.
What's your take?
What do you think of the Academy's picks this year? Let us know in the comments section below.
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