2020 has finally come to an end, and with it ends the strangest and most unique year in cinematic history. Thanks to the worldwide pandemic shutting down the entire industry for six months, there were fewer new releases this year than any year in recent memory, and the box office results are entirely different from what movie fans have been accustomed to the past few years.
Another aspect of movies set to go through an adjustment is awards season, which usually gets into full swing near this time of the year. In the specific case of the Academy Awards, the eligibility window for qualifying films has been extended nearly two months, movies aren't required to have a theatrical run to earn consideration, and the show itself won't occur until April 2020.
All these changes mean that studios are beginning to push their biggest contenders into consideration right now, including the studio behind one of the largest superhero releases in 2020.
NEWS
Warner Bros. Studios posted a "For Your Consideration" page for Wonder Woman 1984 in preparation for the 2021 awards season on their website. The studio is putting the movie into contention for 15 different categories, including in acting, production, and best picture, 14 of which are Academy Award-specific groups:
Best Picture - Charles Roven, Deborah Snyder, Zack Snyder, Patty Jenkins, Gal Gadot Stephen Jones
Best Director - Patty Jenkins
Best Adapted Screenplay - Screenplay by Patty Jenkins, Geoff Johns & Dave Callaham; Story by Patty Jenkins & Geoff Johns
Best Actress - Gal Gadot
Best Supporting Actress
Kristen Wiig
Robin Wright
Connie Nielsen
Best Supporting Actor
Chris Pine
Pedro Pascal
Best Ensemble Cast - Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Kristen Wiig, Pedro Pascal, Robin Wright, Connie Nielsen
Best Cinematography - Matthew Jensen
Best Film Editing - Richard Pearson
Best Production Design - Production Designer: Aline Bonetto; Set Decorator: Anna Lynch-Robinson
Best Costume Design - Lindy Hemming
Best Makeup and Hairstyling - Makeup & Hair Designer: Jan Sewell; Prosthetic Designer: Mark Coulier; Makeup Artist to Gal Gadot: Sarah Brock
Best Sound
Best Visual Effects
Best Original Score - Hans Zimmer
WHAT THIS MEANS
The awards season may look different this year, but this comes as standard practice for the studios behind the year's biggest blockbuster movies, like Warner Bros. and Wonder Woman 1984.
It remains to be seen how successful Wonder Woman 1984 will be against its competitors, especially considering these kinds of awards shows notoriously don't favor superhero movies (2019's Joker notwithstanding). As of 2020, nine superhero movies have won Academy Awards, the most coming from 2018's Black Panther which earned six nominations and three wins overall.
The official nominations won't come for a few weeks, and it will be interesting to see how much the mixed public opinion on Wonder Woman 1984 affects its chances for winning awards. Warner Bros. and director Patty Jenkins did their best to put forth a worthy sequel last year, despite numerous issues behind the scenes. Hopefully, some of their work will be rewarded critically over the coming months.
