The Awardist

Producers Guild of America announces 2017 award nominees

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Published on January 10, 2017 12:34PM EST

rush-photo — Photo: Dale Robinette; Hopper Stone; Joe Lederer

La La Land and Moonlight take one step closer to clinching best picture nominations at the Academy Awards as the Producers Guild of America — one of the most influential guilds in the entertainment industry — announces its annual slate of award nominees.

The 7,500-strong union, comprised of producing teams in film, television, and new media, revealed its crop of honorees on Tuesday, firming up best picture frontrunner La La Land's bid for further awards season domination after the Damien Chazelle-directed musical became the most decorated film in Golden Globes history Sunday night.

Ryan Reynolds' Deadpool racked up another high-profile nod to cement itself as a legitimate contender to become the first superhero movie in history to appear among the Academy's best picture set.

Following a surprise upset over Rogue One at the weekend box office, where it amassed an impressive $22.8 million three days after Oscar balloting began, the PGA recognized Hidden Figures with its third major nomination from a major industry guild, following top notices from both the Screen Actors Guild and the Casting Society of America.

The PGA is one of the most accurate Academy forecasters in the film industry. Since calendar year 2009 — the same year the Academy upped the total number of best picture slots from five to 10 (it now fluctuates between the two) — roughly 85 percent of the PGA's theatrical motion picture nominees have gone on to either win or be nominated for the best picture Oscar. Of the 28 films that have won the PGA's highest prize since 1989, 19 have also won best picture.

In recent history, the PGA came close to matching AMPAS' best picture nominees film-for-film in two consecutive years: In 2010, The Blind Side scored a surprise nomination from the Academy, likely taking the place of the PGA's alternate, Invictus. Similarly, the following year, the indie stunner Winter's Bone edged out The Town for a spot among the Academy's nominees.

The PGA, which shares crossover membership with AMPAS, uses the same complex preferential ballot system as the Academy, which likely explains the similarities in their voting patterns.

On Jan. 5, the guild announced its annual television nominations, with major nods for Stranger Things, Black Mirror, The Night Of, The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story, Westworld, Atlanta, and Veep, among others.

The 28th Annual Producers Guild Awards will be held Saturday, Jan. 28 at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles. Read on for a full list of the group's 2017 nominees.

Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures

Arrival

Producers: Dan Levine, Shawn Levy, Aaron Ryder, David Linde

Deadpool

Producers: Simon Kinberg, Ryan Reynolds, Lauren Shuler Donner

Fences

Producers: Scott Rudin, Denzel Washington, Todd Black

Hacksaw Ridge

Producers: Bill Mechanic, David Permut

Hell or High Water

Producers: Carla Hacken, Julie Yorn

Hidden Figures