The Producers Guild is the latest to jump on board the “Everything Everywhere All At Once” train, which has been steam-rollering its way through awards season.
At its awards Saturday night held at the Beverly Hilton, “EEAAO” strengthened its hold as the Best Picture winner frontrunner by taking the PGA’s top prize, Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures.
Ten of the last twelve PGA winners have gone on to take the top trophy at the Oscars, and the PGA uses a ranked voting system comparable to that of the Academy Awards.
“Everything Everywhere” has racked up an incredible array of hardware as award season heads into its final stretch going into the March 12 Oscars.
Yet that fervor did not extend to the BAFTAs, where “All Quiet on the Western Front” took the best film prize last weekend in London, along with a slew of other trophies.
Another awards season darling, “Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio”took the Animated Feature honor. The prize was awarded early in the evening and Del Toro left the venue to hop over to the Annie Awards, where his film also took top honors in animation.
The spotlight also shone brightly on “Top Gun: Maverick” producer Tom Cruise, who was presented the David O. Selznick Achievement Award by former Paramount CEO Sherry Lansing, who recalled casting him in 1981’s “Taps.”
“He had that magical undefinable quality called charisma. Equally important, Tom had an incredible work ethic. Even then, he was always the first on the set, always well prepared and respectful to everyone,” said Lansing. “Over 42 years later, despite phenomenal success, Tom Cruise is still that very same person.”
Cruise thanked Lansing, along with Jerry Bruckheimer, his fellow “Top Gun” producer and Steven Spielberg, calling them all mentors and collaborators.
“You’ve all enabled me the adventurous life that I’ve wanted,” Cruise said. “I’ve been able to travel the world and work and watch films in so many countries to share in their cultures and realize how much we all have in common, and to admire our differences.”
Cruise praised his fellow filmmakers in the room and said he was “rooting” for them.
“I know that things don’t just happen. I know it’s not just luck. You have to create that luck. You have to will it into existence. I want you to know that I’m always rooting for you. I’m rooting for all of you,” he said.
“The better every studio does, the better every film does, the better we all do and the better it is for everyone,” Cruise continued. “I look forward to seeing what you create in the future, and I’ll continue to do all I can to contribute and help this industry and this art form that I love.”
Here are the PGA winners and nominees:
Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures
- Avatar: The Way of Water
- The Banshees of Inisherin
- Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
- Elvis
- Everything Everywhere All At Once – WiNNER
- The Fabelmans
- Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
- Tár
- Top Gun: Maverick
- The Whale
Award for Outstanding Producer of Animated Theatrical Motion Pictures
- Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio – WINNER
- Marcel the Shell with Shoes On
- Minions: The Rise of Gru
- Puss in Boots: The Last Wish
- Turning Red
Norman Felton Award for Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television – Drama
- Andor
- Better Call Saul
- Ozark
- Severance
- The White Lotus – WINNER
Danny Thomas Award for Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television – Comedy
- Abbott Elementary
- Barry
- The Bear – WINNER
- Hacks
- Only Murders in the Building
David L. Wolper Award for Outstanding Producer of Limited or Anthology Series Television
- DAHMER – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story
- The Dropout – WINNER
- Inventing Anna
- Obi-Wan Kenobi
- Pam & Tommy
Award for Outstanding Producer of Televised or Streamed Motion Pictures
- Fire Island
- Hocus Pocus 2
- Pinocchio
- Prey
- Weird: The Al Yankovic Story – WINNER
Award for Outstanding Producer of Non-Fiction Television
- 30 for 30
- 60 Minutes
- George Carlin’s American Dream
- Lucy and Desi
- Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy – WINNER
Award for Outstanding Producer of Live Entertainment, Variety, Sketch, Standup & Talk Television
- The Daily Show with Trevor Noah
- Jimmy Kimmel Live!
- Last Week Tonight with John Oliver – WINNER
- The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
- Saturday Night Live
Award for Outstanding Producer of Game & Competition Television
- The Amazing Race
- Lizzo’s Watch Out For The Big Grrrls – WiNNER
- RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars
- Top Chef
- The Voice
The following nominees were previously announced.
The Award for Outstanding Producer of Documentary Motion Picture
- All That Breathes
- Descendant
- Fire of Love
- Navalny – WINNER
- Nothing Compares
- Retrograde
- The Territory
The Award for Outstanding Sports Program
- Formula 1: Drive to Survive
- Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Detroit Lions
- Legacy: The True Story of the LA Lakers
- McEnroe
- Tony Hawk: Until the Wheels Come Off – ***WINNER***
The Award for Outstanding Children’s Program
- Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock
- Green Eggs and Ham
- Sesame Street – ***WINNER***
- Snoopy Presents: It’s the Small Things, Charlie Brown
- Waffles + Mochi’s Restaurant
The Award for Outstanding Short-Form Program
- Better Call Saul: Filmmaker Training
- Love, Death + Robots
- Only Murders in the Building: One Killer Question – ***WINNER***
- Sesame Street’s #ComingTogether Word of the Day Series
- Tales of the Jedi
