There’s no more reliable Oscar precursor for the best picture Oscar race than the Producers Guild of America, known as the Darryl F. Zanuck Award.
The PGA, which is around the same size as the Academy — both have about 10,000 members — and shares the preferential voting system, has matched with the Oscar Best Picture winner 11 out of the past 14 years.
Here are the 10 nominees for the 35th annual Producers Guild of America:
AMERICAN FICTION
ANATOMY OF A FALL
BARBIE
THE HOLDOVERS
KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON
MAESTRO
OPPENHEIMER
PAST LIVES
POOR THINGS
THE ZONE OF INTEREST
This year’s Best Picture lineup will be very easy to predict. I’m banking on these 10 being our nominees at the Oscars. It’s as simple as that.
I really don't think there's a path for “Air,” “The Color Purple”, “May December”, or “Across The Spider-Verse”. What’s most striking is that the PGA, contrary to the Academy, tends to go for blockbusters and instead they went for two International films.
It’s particularly interesting that more-mainstream PGA went for “The Zone of Interest.” I was banking on “The Color Purple” taking its spot, but opting instead for the Glazer is quite adventurous. Good for them.
As far as “Anatomy of A Fall” goes, its nomination today only further enhances the sheer lunacy of the French Oscar committee’s — political — decision to instead submit “The Taste of Things” as that country’s Oscar pick for International Film. Is there any other way to describe this situation? ‘Anatomy’ might very well be Best Picture nominated.