'Dark Knight' leads Producers Guild nominations

'Milk' and 'Slumdog Millionaire' also pick up nominations for Motion Picture Producer of the Year

By HitFix Staff Monday, Jan 5, 2009 7:15 PM

Heath Ledger in 'The Dark Knight'

Credit: Warner Bros.

The summer blockbuster "The Dark Knight" is among the five films nominated for best picture at the 20th Annual Producers Guild Awards.

Joining "The Dark Knight" on the PGA short-list are "Slumdog Millionaire," "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," "Frost/Nixon" and "Milk."

While all five PGA nominated films had already been considered Oscar frontrunners, the recognition was probably most important for "The Dark Knight," which had been left off the Golden Globe best picture list and had been excluded from the Screen Actors Guild outstanding ensemble category.

Last year's winner -- the category is technically "Motion Picture Producer of the Year" -- was "No Country For Old Men." Interestingly, 2008 was the first time that the PGA winner and the Oscar best picture winner lined up since 2004, when "Lord of the Rings: Return of the King" won both prizes.

Documentary feature nominees were "Man on Wire," "Standard Operating Procedure" and "Trouble in the Water," while "Bolt," "Kung Fu Panda" and "Wall-E" earned animation nods.

Inside Analysis

Breathe easy geeks. “The Dark Knight” is in.

Like the SAG Award nominations last month, the industry plays close attention to anytime the guilds start dolling out their annual awards. Why you ask? Because many of them are actually in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as well. By placing Christopher Nolan’s critically acclaimed commercial blockbuster in its top five, the Producers sent a shot out across the bow that the picture is worth of serious Oscar consideration (something SAG failed to do by not including it as one of its Best Ensemble nominees)...

Read More Analysis in Awards Campaign 2009

On the television side, nominees for the Danny Thomas Producer of the Year in Episodic Television-Comedy "Curb Your Enthusiasm," "Entourage," "The Office," "30 Rock" and "Weeds."

"Boston Legal," "Damages," "Dexter," "Lost" and "Mad Men" were nominated for dramatic TV series.

"24: Redemption," "Bernard and Doris," "John Adams," "A Raisin in the Sun" and "Recount" were nominated for the David L. Wolper Producer of the Year in Long-Form Television award.

The 20th Annual Producers Guild Awards will be held on Jan. 24, 2009 at the Hollywood Palladium.

Stay tuned to HitFix for more information.