Ben Affleck and George Clooney, two of the producers behind Affleck's Iran hostage drama “Argo,” and the team that brought Quentin Tarantino's darkly humorous slavery Western “Django Unchained” to the screen also won nods for the awards handed out by the Producers Guild of America.
The critically acclaimed James Bond blockbuster “Skyfall,” which last weekend surpassed $1 billion at the worldwide box office, got a big boost to its Oscar hopes when producers
Barbara Broccoli and Michael Wilson were included. They joined an eclectic list that featured Ang Lee's shipwreck tale “Life of Pi,” and quirky comedy “Silver Linings Playbook.”
Wes Anderson's “Moonrise Kingdom,” and mythical indie film “Beasts of the Southern Wild” rounded out the feature film nominations, the PGA said in a statement.
The Producers Guild Awards will be handed out at a ceremony in Los Angeles on Jan. 26 and will be a key indication of Hollywood sentiment ahead of the Oscars on Feb. 24.
Many of the PGA-nominated movies are expected to feature strongly on the list of Oscar nominations when those are announced on Jan. 10. Eight of the movies are also in the running for best picture Golden Globe trophies on Jan. 13.
But the PGA had nothing for “The Hobbit” from director Peter Jackson. It also left early awards hopeful “The Master” out of the running in a sign that the cult tale starring Philip Seymour Hoffman may be losing steam in Hollywood.
Batman movie “The Dark Knight Rises” also failed to make the list.
The PGA nominated the producers of five films for its animated movie honors - Tim Burton's “Frankenweenie,” Disney family films “Wreck-it-Ralph” and “Brave,” and “ParaNorman” and “Rise of the Guardians.”
The PGA also named its picks for producers of television movies and miniseries. Ryan Murphy's “American Horror Story,” the team behind HBO film “Game Change” about Sarah Palin's 2008 vice presidential bid, and Britain's modern twist on detective
Sherlock Holmes “Sherlock” were among the five making the cut.
They were joined by “Hatfields & McCoys,” about a legendary family feud starring Kevin Costner who was also one of the producers, and the PBS chronicle of the 1930s drought “The Dust Bowl.”
