Logan Has Been Sent to Academy Award Voters

Twentieth Century Fox is making a big Oscars push for Logan by sending out their DVD screeners to Academy voters first. The James Mangold-directed film stars Hugh Jackman as the titular role and tackles the final days of the beloved X-Men member as he helps save mutantkind after the arrival of his clone, X-23/Laura, played by Dafne Keen. Sir Patrick Stewart also reprised his Professor Charles Xavier role for one last time, making the film more poignant for fans who have been watching the two veteran actors for almost two decades playing our favorite Marvel characters.


The movie was both a box office and critical success. It nabbed over $616 million worldwide, making Fox a hefty profit from just a $97 million budget. Critics loved the film, giving Logan rave reviews commending its grounded, character-driven and almost indie/southern-like vibe, perfectly infused with superhero tropes. This made up for a fresh take on the comic book film genre. For fans, it was a perfect send-off for Jackman and Stewart, who have portrayed their respective roles in numerous films and have almost become synonymous with their characters. Wolverine die-hards, in particular, were satiated as they were finally provided with arguably the most source-accurate version of the scruffy, cigar-smoking mutant.

In a new report from Deadline , Fox has apparently already sent out Logan screeners to Academy voters, making it the first movie to do so. The film studio has not been particularly aggressive when it comes to the Oscars, but if anything, this move proves that they are serious in making a huge push for this year’s race.


Since its release in March, buzz about Logan‘s chances to at least be considered in this year’s Academy Awards race started. Many, however, were skeptical of its chances, partly because of its genre, but mainly because of its very early release date – allowing other films to build momentum just as the Oscars draw near. But this move by Fox only proves they are serious in nabbing a nod for the film, whether for the project as a whole or some acting accolade for Jackman and/or Stewart – or a directing nod for Mangold.


The Australian actor has another Oscar-contender coming up with the Christmas release of The Greatest Showman , in which he plays real-life showman and circus founder P.T. Barnum. The film boasts a star-studded cast with Michelle Williams as Charity Barnum (P.T.’s wife), Rebecca Ferguson as Jenny Lind, Zac Efron as Phillip Carlyle and Spider-Man: Homecoming ‘s Zendaya as Anne Wheeler. The biographical musical drama, like Logan, is also from Fox.


Aside from the Jackman-starring movies, a slew of possible great contenders from the studio are expected to draw award season attention including Steven Spielberg’s The Post, starring Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks; The Mountain Between Us with Kate Winslet and Idris Elba; as well as Kenneth Branagh’s jam packed Murder on the Orient Express remake. And then, there is also this summer’s War for the Planet of the Apes , which Fox is said to also be pushing for at least a special citation for Andy Serkis’ brilliant mo-cap performance as Caesar.