Entertainment

Babylon, Brad Pitt and Black Panther among Oscar nomination snubs

The announcement contained a number of surprise omissions.
The announcement contained a number of surprise omissions. The announcement contained a number of surprise omissions.

Babylon starring Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie has missed out on an Oscar nomination in one of the season’s major snubs.

The film was left out of the best picture category during Tuesday’s nominations announcement, while Hollywood stars Pitt and Robbie failed to make it into the acting lists.

Babylon, which has received positive reviews, traces the rise and fall of a cast of characters during an era of decadence and depravity in 1920s Hollywood.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever – European premiere
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever – European premiere Stars at the London premiere of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (Suzan Moore/PA)

Whiplash and La La Land director Damien Chazelle had worked on the complex story for more than a decade before filming began.

It was, however, nominated in categories such as best original score and best costume design.

Other notable snubs include Black Panther: Wakanda Forever missing out on a nomination for best picture despite a strong showing at the box office and rave reviews in the press.

Tom Cruise was also absent from the best actor category despite his Top Gun sequel Maverick becoming one of 2022’s biggest films.

Top Gun: Maverick UK Premiere – London
Top Gun: Maverick UK Premiere – London Tom Cruise has not been nominated for an Oscar for the long-awaited and well received Top Gun sequel (Ian West/PA)

However, the blockbuster did receive a nomination for best picture, among others.

Famous faces including Hayley Atwell, Rebecca Ferguson, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg and Vanessa Kirby star alongside Cruise in the film.

Empire Of Light was also snubbed by the voting Academy.

The film, set in an old cinema in the English seaside town of Margate in the early 1980s, did not make it into the best picture category, while its star Olivia Colman was absent from the best leading actress list.

Its director Sir Sam Mendes, who won the best director Oscar for American Beauty in 2000, did not make that category this year.

Taylor Swift failed to make it into the best original song category with Carolina, which was produced with Aaron Dessner of The National for the film Where The Crawdads Sing.

Rihanna, Diane Warren and Lady Gaga will now go head to head for the prize.

The Woman King, starring Viola Davis as an African general in the 1820s, was completely absent, as was Jordan Peele’s neo-horror Nope.