Greta Gerwig is one of the few women to be nominated for the DGA
The all important Directors Guild announced the five nominees of the year, and there wasn't a real surprise among them:
- Guillermo del Toro, The Shape of Water
- Greta Gerwig, Lady Bird
- Martin McDonagh, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
- Christopher Nolan, Dunkirk
- Jordan Peele, Get Out
These are the movies that have basically hit every guild and the DGA is right there with them. The real question is who gets snubbed by the Academy's directors branch? Usually 1-2 people from the DGA miss out, sometimes even three. And the ones who seem vulnerable to a miss there are Gerwig and/or Peele, because that directors branch likes to go for flashy, artistic "vision" nominees, and often there can be people who show up there who didn't make it in anywhere else leading up to it. But no matter who gets left off or doesn't, the fact that Get Out and Lady Bird both hit the DGA means either one of them can win Best Picture, because the support is there across the board. I would rather it be either of them than Three Billboards, that's for sure. As for who's going to win director specifically, I really think it's Guillermo del Toro, and I think that will repeat for him at the Oscars. But I also think it's going to be a split year for Picture and Director, so one of these others is going to take Best Picture, but we don't know which yet. It's a close race right now.
Here are the DGA's other category nominees, for first time director, where Jordan Peele got in twice (and I bet he wins here):
- Geremy Jasper, Patty Cake
- William Oldroyd, Lady Macbeth
- Jordan Peele, Get Out
- Taylor Sheridan, Wind River
- Aaron Sorkin, Molly's Game
