‘Wicked’ and ‘Dune: Part Two’ receive major blows with shocking Golden Globe snubs

The cinematic awards season has begun, and with it will come the none-too-pleasant reminder that there are a limited number of possible nominations, and so it’s highly likely that your favorite artists are going to miss out on some major industry races.

For example, take a gander at the official Golden Globe nominees for the Best Director — Motion Picture category, and note the distinct lack of Jon M. Chu and Denis Villeneuve, the masterminds of Wicked and Dune: Part Two; two films that bear the distinction of being box office juggernauts in a sea of films that far fewer people saw or had the opportunity to see.

As expected, fans have already taken said gander and have made their opinions known.

That’s not to say the films themselves are hurting right now. Wicked has four nominations to its name and is expected to have a strong continued presence as the awards season goes on, while Dune: Part Two, despite just having two nods, is widely agreed to have exceeded its Oscar-nominated predecessor, and so can probably lean on that legacy to keep it afloat in the coming races.

Of course, no one seems to be talking about how Chu’s and Villeneuve’s absence from the Best Director category is actually a kindness; by not nominating these two, they’ll be spared the sting of what will be an inevitable loss to The Substance‘s Coralie Fargeat.

Now, it is of course impossible to say anything definitive in the sea of chaos that is the cinematic awards circuit, but if Fargeat somehow isn’t named the blowout winner of the Golden Globe’s Best Director — Motion Picture category, then we might as well start deciding winners on the spot by drawing names out of a pointy hat.

It might be true that The Substance‘s competitors boast their own soaring merits in terms of cinematic flourish and controlled subtleties, but the visual chord that Fargeat strikes in her sensational body horror feature is nearly uncategorizable. Indeed, the way Fargeat uses the frame to construct tension is only matched by how singularly evocative her presentation of the film’s proceedings are (whether it’s something as gonzo as a monster spraying blood on a crowd of people, or as routine as a man taking a piss). As a result, The Substance is quite safely one of the most visually interesting films of the last several years, and has every right to be nabbing Fargeat this Golden Globe.

As for who will get the opportunity to lose to Fargeat, those names consist of Jacques Audiard (Emilia Pérez), Sean Baker (Anora), Edward Berger (Conclave), Brady Corbet (The Brutalist), and Payal Kapadia (All We Imagine as Light).

Wicked, meanwhile, has its foot in the door of Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy (Cynthia Erivo), Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture (Ariana Grande), Cinematic and Box Office Achievement, and Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy.

Dune: Part Two, for its part, has its sights set on Best Motion Picture – Drama and Best Original Score – Motion Picture. The 2025 Golden Globes ceremony is scheduled to air on Sunday, Jan. 5 at 5PM PT on CBS, and will also be streaming on Paramount Plus in the United States.