Producers Guild Nominations (PGA)

Shocks and awes came in waves this morning as the Producers Guild of America announced its nominees for 2014 Theatrical Feature Films and Animated Theatrical Feature Films. The usual suspects of Birdman, Boyhood, The Imitation Game and The Theory of Everything were here but missing out were the high-profile but mired in controversy Selma. American Sniper proves again that it is a force to be reckoned with. As it was the only realistic nomination for Warner Brothers though, it wasn’t a surprise. As Universal‘s only pony in the race, the snub for Unbroken (especially with its huge box office) was. Foxcatcher making it in was eye-opening as that film’s awards trajectory has been quite a yo-yo this season. With it and Whiplash‘s nominations here only Sony Pictures Classics and Fox Searchlight (Birdman, The Grand Budapest Hotel) have dual mentions.

Now, the Producers Guild and Oscar’s Best Picture haven’t matched up since the mid-90s so we’re going to see at least one film from this list not make it and quite likely more, especially if AMPAS wants to make room for a snubbed film (like Selma or Unbroken). Currently, the films to hit NBR, AFI, BFCA, and PGA: Birdman, Boyhood, The Imitation Game, and Nightcrawler. Nightcrawler’s awards nomination haul has been one of the biggest surprises this season. But can Open Road Films take it all the way?

Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures:

American Sniper (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Producers: Bradley Cooper, p.g.a., Clint Eastwood, p.g.a., Andrew Lazar, p.g.a., Robert Lorenz, p.g.a., Peter Morgan, p.g.a.

Birdman (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
Producers: Alejandro G. Iñárritu, John Lesher, James W. Skotchdopole

Boyhood (IFC Films)
Producers: Richard Linklater, p.g.a., Cathleen Sutherland, p.g.a.

Foxcatcher (Sony Pictures Classics)
Producers: Megan Ellison, p.g.a., Jon Kilik, p.g.a., Bennett Miller, p.g.a.

Gone Girl (20th Century Fox)
Producer: Ceán Chaffin, p.g.a.

The Grand Budapest Hotel (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
Producers: Wes Anderson & Scott Rudin, Jeremy Dawson, Steven Rales

The Imitation Game (The Weinstein Company)
Producers: Nora Grossman, p.g.a., Ido Ostrowsky, p.g.a., Teddy Schwarzman, p.g.a.

Nightcrawler (Open Road Films)
Producers: Jennifer Fox, Tony Gilroy

The Theory of Everything (Focus Features)
Producers: Tim Bevan & Eric Fellner, Lisa Bruce, Anthony McCarten

Whiplash (Sony Pictures Classics)
Producers: Jason Blum, Helen Estabrook, David Lancaster

For quick reference, here is how PGA and AMPAS matched up since the expanded field in 2009. A single asterisk (*) is for films that hit both, double asterisk and bold (**)is for the films that won both the PGA and Oscar Best Picture.

2012
Argo**
Beasts of the Southern Wild*
Django Unchanied*
Les Misérables*
Life of Pi*
Lincoln*
Moonrise Kindgom
Silver Linings Playbook*
Zero Dark Thirty*

2011
The Artist**
Bridesmaids
The Descendants*
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
The Help*
Hugo*
The Ides of March
Midnight in Paris*
Moneyball*
War Horse*

2010
The King’s Speech**
127 Hours*
Black Swan*
Inception*
The Fighter*
The Kids Are All Right*
The Social Network*
The Town
Toy Story 3*
True Grit*

2009
The Hurt Locker**
Avatar*
District 9*
An Education*
Inglourious Basterds*
Invictus
Precious: Based on the Novel “Push” by Sapphire*
Star Trek
Up*
Up in the Air*
[divider]
Outstanding Producer of Animated Theatrical Motion Pictures:

Big Hero 6 (Walt Disney Animation Studios)
Producer: Roy Conli, p.g.a.

The Book of Life (20th Century Fox)
Producers: Brad Booker, p.g.a., Guillermo del Toro, p.g.a.

The Boxtrolls (Focus Features)
Producers: David Bleiman Ichioka, p.g.a., Travis Knight, p.g.a.

How To Train Your Dragon 2 (20th Century Fox)
Producer: Bonnie Arnold, p.g.a.

The LEGO Movie (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Producer: Dan Lin