the Empire Awards 2018 nominations
THE EIGHTH instalment of the sci-fi saga — which was helmed by Rian Johnson — has been nominated for a total of nine prizes including Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor and Best Actress.
Johnson is set to go head-tohead against Edgar Wright, Jordan Peele, Taika Waititi and Patty Jenkins — which marks the first time this year that a woman has been nominated in the Best Director category.
Leading man John Boyega, who stars as Stormtrooper turned Resistance fighter Finn in the movie, has been nominated for the Best Actor award alongside Hugh Jackman, Armie Hammer, Andy Serkis and Gary Oldman.
In the Best Actress category, ‘Wonder Woman’ star Gal Gadot goes against ‘Star Wars’ lead actress Daisy Ridley as well as Frances McDormand, Tiffany Haddish and Emma Watson.
With eight nominations, ‘Thor: Ragnarok’ comes second having been nominated for Best Film and Best Director.
Josh O’Connor and Timothee Chalamet have both been nominated for the Best Newcomer category for their roles in the two LGBT movies ‘God’s Own Country’ and ‘Call Me By Your Name’ respectively.
The psychological thriller ‘Get Out’ has bagged five nods altogether including Best Film, Best Director and Best Male Newcomer for Daniel Kaluuya.
Florence Pugh and Tessa Thompson — who have also been nominated for Baftas EE Rising Star Award — are to compete against Dafne Keen, Kelly Marie Tran and Emily Beecham for Best Female Newcomer.
For TV, ‘Big Little Lies’ — which stars Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon — leads with four nominations and ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’, ‘Twin Peaks’, ‘The Crown’ and ‘Stranger Things 2’ also have been nominated.
Voting is now open for the public and closes on Feb 2. The winners will be announced on Mar 18.