Oscars 2018: “Shape of Water” leads with 13 nominations

“The Shape of Water,” Guillermo del Toro's romantic ode to the horror films of his youth, dominated the 90th Academy Awards nominations on Tuesday (January 23), picking up a leading 13 nominations.

It was followed by “Dunkirk” with eight nominations, and “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” with seven nominations. All three films earned Best Picture nods. The rest of the category was rounded out by “Call Me By Your Name,” “Darkest Hour,” “Get Out,” “Lady Bird,” “Phantom Thread,” and “The Post.”

This year's Oscars are unfolding at a time of tumult for the movie business. In October, dozens of women stepped forward to accuse mogul and producer Harvey Weinstein of sexual harassment and assault. Weinstein was a mainstay of awards season, credited with creating the modern Oscar campaign. Since the allegations broke, Weinstein has been fired from his company and drummed out of the industry. But the issue has only widened. Scores of big names — a group ranging from Oscar winners Kevin Spacey and Dustin Hoffman to A-list director and film financier Brett Ratner — have all been accused of sexual misconduct or assault, often at the cost of their careers.

Christopher Plummer was nominated for best supporting actor after he became a last-minute replacement for Spacey in “All the Money in the World,” filming his part as oil baron J. Paul Getty in a matter of weeks after principal photography had been completed. At 88, he is the oldest Oscar acting nominee in history.

 James Franco had been viewed as a lead actor contender for his work in “The Disaster Artist.” But allegations of misconduct affected last-minute ballots; when best actor nominations were announced, Franco's name wasn't among them.

It was a morning of barrier-breaking in some important categories. Rachel Morrison became the first woman nominated for a cinematography Oscar for her work in “Mudbound.” Greta Gerwig  is only the fifth woman nominated in the best director category for bringing “Lady Bird,” , while “Get Out”s' Jordan Peele became the fifth black man nominated in the best director category. And Meryl Streep extended her record streak of nominations, picking up a 21st nod for her performance as a newspaper publisher in “The Post.”

Christopher Nolan finally snagged his first best director nomination for “Dunkirk.” The other nominated directors include Peele, Gerwig, del Toro, and “Phantom Thread's” Paul Thomas Anderson.

With Franco out of the mix and Hanks overlooked, the leading actor category comes down to Gary Oldman (“Darkest Hour”), Daniel Day-Lewis (“Phantom Thread”), Timothée Chalamet (“Call Me By Your Name”), Daniel Kaluuya (“Get Out”), and Denzel Washington (“Roman J. Israel, Esq.”).

In addition to Streep, the best actress category is comprised of Sally Hawkins (“The Shape of Water”), Frances McDormand (“Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri”), Margot Robbie (“I, Tonya”), and Saoirse Ronan (“Lady Bird”).

The Oscars will be handed out on March 4, 2018 on ABC. Late night host Jimmy Kimmel will return for his second stint as emcee.