“Top Gun: Maverick” scored a 2023 Golden Globes nomination for best drama film Monday — after star Tom Cruise returned his previous trophies amid a diversity scandal.
Though he was not nominated for best actor, the best drama nod counts as a nomination for Cruise, who produced the action sequel in addition to reprising his role as the hotshot Navy pilot Capt. Pete “Maverick” Mitchell from 1986′s original “Top Gun.”
Last year, Cruise reportedly gave back the three Golden Globes trophies he won as an actor following the revelation the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which organizes the awards show, didn’t have a single Black voting member, among other complaints.
“Top Gun: Maverick” is up against James Cameron’s science-fiction sequel “Avatar: The Way of Water,” Steven Spielberg’s semi-autobiographical “The Fabelmans,” the Cate Blanchett-led “TÁR” and Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis Presley biopic “Elvis” in the best motion picture, drama category.
Jerry Bruckheimer, who produced the new “Top Gun” with Cruise, described the nomination as an “honor.”
“‘Top Gun: Maverick’ brought audiences back to theatres at a time when we needed entertainment the most,” Bruckheimer said in a statement. “I am overjoyed to share this nomination with Paramount, Tom and the entire cast and crew who made this possible.”
Scheduled for Jan. 10 at the The Beverly Hilton in Southern California, the 2023 Golden Globes will return to the NBC airwaves after the network declined to broadcast this year’s ceremony due to the scandal. The HFPA added 103 new voters from different backgrounds for the 2023 show.
Will Smith, whose slap of Chris Rock at March’s Academy Awards led to a 10-year Oscars ban, was noticeably not nominated Monday for his “Emancipation” performance as an enslaved man who escapes a Louisiana plantation.
Smith won a Golden Globe last year for his portrayal of Richard Williams, the eccentric father of tennis greats Venus and Serena Williams, in “King Richard.”
Martin McDonagh’s “The Banshees of Inisherin,” a dark dive into a damaged friendship, led all films Monday with eight Golden Globes nominations, while the multiverse movie “Everything Everywhere All at Once” starring Michelle Yeoh finished second with six.
Both films are nominated for best motion picture in the musical or comedy category, along with the Daniel Craig-led whodunit “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery,” Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie’s 1920s-set “Babylon” and the deserted-island satire “Triangle of Sadness.”
Yeoh and Robbie are among the finalists for best actress in a musical or comedy, while Blanchett is nominated in the equivalent drama category. Craig is up for best actor in a musical or comedy, while Austin Butler is among the nominees on the drama side for his portrayal of Presley in “Elvis.”
Monday’s TV nominations, meanwhile, saw ABC’s school-set “Abbott Elementary” lead the way with five nods, including for best musical or comedy series.
Other finalists in that category include Netflix’s Addams Family spinoff “Wednesday,” the restaurant-focused “The Bear,” the Jean Smart-led “Hacks” and the true-crime comedy “Only Murders in the Building” starring Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez.
The best drama series nominees, meanwhile, include the “Game of Thrones” prequel “House of the Dragon,” the royal-centered “The Crown,” the drug cartel-focused “Ozark,” the Ben Stiller-directed “Severance” and the “Breaking Bad” spinoff “Better Call Saul.”
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