It’s been an award season of a different sort this year. With the knock-on effects of the global health crisis still rippling through our lives, even the usual awards ceremony campaign trail can’t go ahead as previously. The Golden Globes were bumped from their typical January slot to a later date, and the field they are nominating from has been profoundly impacted by the films that didn’t get made, as well as the ones that did. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience in which everything is up in the air. With that in mind, BLAKE & WANG P.A entertainment lawyer San Francisco dives deeper into the Golden Globe nominations.
A virtual ceremony and more
Before getting into the nitty-gritty, however, it’s worth a mention that the ceremony- now slated for the end of February- will itself go virtual this year, a first in its 78 years of history. That aside, however, this award season definitely saw some presumed guaranteed nominations snubbed, so let’s take a closer look.
Meryl Streep, Delroy Lindo, and Ben Affleck
Meryl Streep makes a noted- if sad- milestone in her acting career with this year’s Golden Globe snub. She’s had 32 nominations over her long career, but despite some stellar work in 2020, she’s been ignored for Prom and Let Them All Talk both. She’s joined by veteran actor Delroy Lindo, whose performance in Da 5 Bloods has already netted him some award-season wins. The entire movie, however, has been ignored by the Globes. Ben Affleck’s performance in The Way Back is notable as one of the few that was able to have a theatrical release in 2020, and was widely considered a favorite. Yet he’s been left off the list- albeit in favor of some exceptionally strong performances.
Other notable acting snubs
These three are joined by Steven Yeun in Minari, despite its stellar Sundance performance. This could be due to the somewhat controversial decision to list Minari as a foreign film, despite its U.S production. Zendaya (Malcom and Marie) also is missing again- the second year where a snub is notable. Kate Winslet (Ammonite), another actress typically favored by the Globes, probably will miss out on the Oscars too with this latest snub. Lastly, Michaela Coel and I May Destroy You were completely passed over, despite the critical acclaim the series netted.
Uzo Aduba (Mrs America) was ignored in favor of the supporting role for Cate Blanchett, while both Jurnee Smollett and Jonathan Majors (Lovecraft Country) were missed off the list too. Oddly, the production got a nomination there- and both actors certainly turned in a stellar performance. It’s difficult to follow the reasoning for that one.
Production snubs
People aside, there were some productions notable only in their absence, too. Bridgerton, despise being Netflix’s biggest TV hit this year, got nothing. Dead to Me got notable Emmy nominations, but didn’t even make the ballot. What We Do in the Shadows, a quirky vampire-focused comedy, was another Emmy hit that has been completely shut out. This could be because the HFPA does like to be the ‘first’ to celebrate a show, and could also explain misses for The Flight Attendant and Ted Lasso.
While these noted Golden Globe snubs may seem strange on paper, in an award season where anything goes, perhaps it’s not so strange that many fantastic performances and productions would go unacknowledged. How these snubs will shape Oscar nominations will be an interesting development- as always, BLAKE & WANG P.A will be there to keep you informed.
This would bypass fears of the virus lockdowns impacting box office takings in a more traditional theater environment entirely.
The point’s been rendered slightly moot at the moment, given ‘No Time to Die’ has been pushed back to a 2021 release alongside other potential blockbuster tentpoles such as Dune, The Batman, and Black Widow.
While ‘No Time to Die’ may be the biggest film suggested to go direct-to-stream, it’s far from the only one.
Sony and Paramount have already boosted their bottom lines by millions this year selling movies to streaming services, leaving the struggling exhibition industry and its uncertain future out of the deal entirely.
Insiders from MGM suggest the price tag for the next installment in the 007 franchise would be around the $600 million marks anyway, far beyond the pockets of even the bravest streaming services.
Not to mention any such deal would still require the approval of Eon production company, who may well not want to see Daniel Craig’s last outing as 007 skip the theater environment for the first time in film history.
