Los Angeles - Bombshell, which depicts the sexual harassment scandal that ousted Fox News co-founder Roger Ailes, led the Screen Actors Guild Awards nominations Wednesday, boosting its Oscar hopes.
Lionsgate's star-studded #MeToo drama secured acting nods for its lead Charlize Theron, who plays TV news anchor Megyn Kelly, as well as supporting actresses Nicole Kidman and Margot Robbie, and an overall cast nomination.
It narrowly beat divorce tearjerker Marriage Story, Martin Scorsese's gangster epic The Irishman and Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood, which each secured three acting nominations.
But Marriage Story, which on Monday topped the Golden Globes nominations and added further individual nods for Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver, surprisingly missed out on best cast - the SAG's top award.
Instead the remaining best cast nominations went to Nazi satire Jojo Rabbit - which also stars Johansson - and South Korean class warfare drama Parasite.
Robert De Niro was again overlooked for his lead role in Scorsese's three-and-a-half hour The Irishman after missing out on a Golden Globes nomination.
On the television side The Marvelous Mrs Maisel, Amazon's story of a 1950s housewife-turned-standup comic, followed a strong showing at the Emmys by topping the SAG nominations with four.
Although less high-profile than the Golden Globes, the SAG awards are seen as more of an indicator of Oscars glory, since actors represent the largest branch of the roughly 10 000 voters for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
The strong return for Bombshell throws the movie firmly back into Oscars contention, especially for best picture, after it managed just two nominations at the Golden Globes.
Elsewhere, acting frontrunners Joaquin Phoenix (Joker) and Renee Zellweger (Judy) burnished their credentials by picking up further nominations.
'THRONES' BOWS OUT
Netflix repeated its Globes success by again comfortably topping both the film and television nominations.
But there was no recognition for Anthony Hopkins nor Jonathan Pryce, who both earned Globes nods for their roles in the streaming giant's Vatican drama The Two Popes.
And Eddie Murphy, making his acting comeback in Netflix's blaxploitation biopic Dolemite Is My Name, also missed out.
Instead, SAG votes favoured Taron Egerton's turn as Elton John in musical biopic Rocketman, and Christian Bale's daredevil racer in Ford v Ferrari.
Lupita Nyong'o also picked up an individual nomination for acclaimed horror flick Us, a film shunned entirely by the Globes.
For television, Apple TV+ flagship The Morning Show - about a news television program hit by a #MeToo scandal - secured the platform's first three nominations including for Jennifer Aniston, although her co-star Reese Witherspoon missed out.
The new cast of The Crown, led by Olivia Colman for season three, also picked up three nods, as did Emmys breakout hit Fleabag, the dark British comedy from Phoebe Waller-Bridge.
But the much-maligned final season of Game of Thrones had to settle for just two acting nominations - best cast in a drama series, and an individual nod for Peter Dinklage as sharp-tongued Tyrion Lannister.
Other drama cast contenders included star-studded Big Little Lies and perennial big-hitters The Handmaid's Tale and Stranger Things.
Dark hitman comedy Barry, Michael Douglas vehicle The Kominsky Method and offbeat Canadian hit Schitt's Creek rounded off the comedy ensemble nods.
The nominations were announced at a Los Angeles ceremony hosted by America Ferrera (Ugly Betty) and Danai Gurira (The Walking Dead).
The 26th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards will take place on 19 January in Los Angeles.
See the full list of nominees here
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
Christian Bale, Ford v Ferrari
Leonardo DiCaprio, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Adam Driver, Marriage Story
Taron Egerton, Rocketman
Joaquin Phoenix, Joker
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
Cynthia Erivo, Harriet
Scarlett Johansson, Marriage Story
Lupita Nyong’o, Us
Charlize Theron, Bombshell
Renée Zellweger, Judy
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
Jamie Foxx, Just Mercy
Tom Hanks, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
Al Pacino, The Irishman
Joe Pesci, The Irishman
Brad Pitt, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
Laura Dern, Marriage Story
Scarlett Johansson, Jojo Rabbit
Nicole Kidman, Bombshell
Jennifer Lopez, Hustlers
Margot Robbie, Bombshell
Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
Bombshell (Lionsgate)
The Irishman (Netflix)
Jojo Rabbit (Fox)
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (Sony)
Parasite (Neon)
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
Mahershala Ali, True Detective
Russell Crowe The Loudest Voice
Jared Harris, Chernobyl
Jharrel Jerome, When They See Us
Sam Rockwell, Fosse/Verdon
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
Patricia Arquette, The Act
Toni Collette, Unbelievable
Joey King, The Act
Emily Watson, Chernobyl
Michelle Williams, Fosse/Verdon
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series
Sterling K. Brown, This Is Us
Steve Carell, The Morning Show
Billy Crudup, The Morning Show
Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones
David Harbour, Stranger Things
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series
Jennifer Aniston, The Morning Show
Helena Bonham Carter, The Crown
Olivia Colman, The Crown
Jodie Comer, Killing Eve
Elisabeth Moss, The Handmaid’s Tale
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series
Alan Arkin, The Kominsky Method
Michael Douglas, The Kominsky Method
Bill Hader, Barry
Andrew Scott, Fleabag
Tony Shalhoub, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series
Cristina Applegate, Dead to Me
Alex Borstein, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Rachel Brosnahan, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Catherine O’Hara, Schitt’s Creek
Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Fleabag
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
Big Little Lies (HBO)
The Crown (Netflix)
Game of Thrones (HBO)
The Handmaid’s Tale (Hulu)
Stranger Things (Netflix)
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series
Barry (HBO)
Fleabag (Amazon)
The Kominsky Method (Netflix)
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon)
Schitt’s Creek (CBC Television)
Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Comedy or Drama Series
Game of Thrones
GLOW
Stranger Things
The Walking Dead
Watchman
Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture
Avengers: Endgame
Ford v Ferrari
The Irishman
Joker
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood