Perhaps a bit too late to make a difference, but even Steven Spielberg thinks Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight should have gotten an Oscar nomination for Best Picture.
Following on from the Oscar nominations he received on Tuesday, Spielberg has been praising the expansion of the Best Picture category to 10 selections from the previous cap of five. The director and writer was thrilled to see the inclusions of Top Gun: Maverick and Avatar: The Way of Water, films that have brought in a combined $3.5 billion at the box office.
“I’m really encouraged by that. It came late for the film that should have been nominated a number of years ago, Christopher Nolan’s, The Dark Knight,” Spielberg told Deadline, “That movie would have definitely garnered a Best Picture Nomination today, so having these two blockbusters solidly presented on the top 10 list is something we should all be celebrating.”
The expansion of the category was announced on June 24, 2009 and took effect with the 82nd Academy Awards. The Dark Knight was released in 2008, meaning the expansion came one year too late for it to have qualified. The film did receive eight nominations and won for Best Sound Editing and for Best Supporting Actor for Heath Ledger.
The Batman received three nominations this year for Sound Design, Makeup & Hair Styling, and Visual Effects.
The Academy Awards ceremony will take place on March 12, 2023 and will air on ABC in the United States.
IMAGE SOURCE: Shutterstock – Steven Spielberg – Fred Duval
