LOS ANGELES _ The most unpredictable Oscar season in years finally came into focus Tuesday morning as the 90th Academy Awards nominations were announced, with nine films representing a wide range of genres earning best picture nods and Guillermo del Toro's fantastical fable "The Shape of Water" leading the field with 13 nominations.
Best picture nominations went to the romantic drama "Call Me By Your Name," the Winston Churchill biopic "Darkest Hour," the World War II thriller "Dunkirk," the horror satire "Get Out," the coming-of-age dramedy "Lady Bird," the period romance "Phantom Thread," the Pentagon Papers drama "The Post," "The Shape of Water" and the dark morality tale "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri."
Scoring nods for directing were Christopher Nolan ("Dunkirk"), Jordan Peele ("Get Out"), Paul Thomas Anderson ("Phantom Thread"), Guillermo del Toro ("The Shape of Water") and Greta Gerwig ("Lady Bird"), who became only the fifth woman ever nominated for best director.
In the lead actor category, Timothee Chalamet ("Call Me By Your Name"), Daniel Day-Lewis ("Phantom Thread"), Daniel Kaluuya ("Get Out"), Gary Oldman ("Darkest Hour") and Denzel Washington ("Roman J. Israel, Esq") all earned nominations.
Lead actress nods went to Sally Hawkins ("The Shape of Water"), Frances McDormand ("Three Billboards"), Margot Robbie ("I, Tonya"), Saoirse Ronan ("Lady Bird") and Meryl Streep ("The Post.")
In the supporting actress category, Mary J. Blige ("Mudbound"), Allison Janney ("I, Tonya"), Lesley Manville ("Phantom Thread"), Laurie Metcalf ("Lady Bird") and Octavia Spencer ("The Shape of Water") all earned nods.
Supporting actor nominations went to Willem Dafoe ("The Florida Project"), Woody Harrelson ("Three Billboards"), Richard Jenkins ("The Shape of Water"), Christopher Plummer ("All the Money In the World") and Sam Rockwell ("Three Billboards").
Rachel Morrison became the first woman ever nominated in the cinematography category for her work on the period drama "Mudbound." And Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant scored a nomination for the live-action short "Dear Basketball."
The Academy Awards will be held on March 4, with Jimmy Kimmel hosting.
