Tag: Superman

The 53rd Annual Saturn Awards have announced their 2026 nominations, spotlighting the year’s standout achievements in science fiction, fantasy, horror, superhero, action-adventure, and animation across both film and television.

This year’s list reflects a highly competitive awards season, with major franchise releases and prestige TV series dominating the conversation. Films like Avatar: Fire and Ash, Superman, and Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning lead the movie categories, while shows including Andor, Severance, The Last of Us, and Stranger Things anchor the television slate.

Notably, DC Studios recorded a strong showing with 13 total nominations, driven by Superman, Peacemaker, Creature Commandos, and Harley Quinn, highlighting the studio’s growing momentum across live-action and animated storytelling.

Below is the complete list of 2026 Saturn Awards nominations, ahead of the ceremony scheduled for March 8, 2026.

FILM CATEGORIES

Best Science Fiction Film

• Avatar: Fire and Ash
• Bugonia
• Jurassic World: Rebirth
• Predator: Badlands
• The Running Man
• Tron: Ares

Best Fantasy Film

• Freakier Friday
• Hamnet
• How to Train Your Dragon
• The Life of Chuck
• Lilo & Stitch
• Wicked: For Good

Best Horror Film

• 28 Years Later
• The Conjuring: Last Rites
• Final Destination: Bloodlines
• Frankenstein
• The Monkey
• Weapons

Best Thriller Film

• Highest 2 Lowest
• The Housemaid
• The Long Walk
• Marty Supreme
• Sinners
• Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery

Best Action / Adventure Film

• Ballerina
• F1: The Movie
• Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning
• Novocaine
• Now You See Me: Now You Don’t
• One Battle After Another

Best Film Adaptation (From Another Medium)

• Black Phone 2
• Captain America: Brave New World
• The Fantastic Four: First Steps
• A Minecraft Movie
• Superman
• Thunderbolts: The New Avengers

FILM PERFORMANCE CATEGORIES

Best Actor in a Film

• David Corenswet (Superman)
• Tom Cruise (Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning)
• Tom Hiddleston (The Life of Chuck)
• Oscar Isaac (Frankenstein)
• Michael B. Jordan (Sinners)
• Pedro Pascal (The Fantastic Four: First Steps)
• Sam Worthington (Avatar: Fire and Ash)

Best Actress in a Film

• Rachel Brosnahan (Superman)
• Cynthia Erivo (Wicked: For Good)
• Elle Fanning (Predator: Badlands)
• Julia Garner (Weapons)
• Vanessa Kirby (The Fantastic Four: First Steps)
• Zoe Saldaña (Avatar: Fire and Ash)
• Emma Stone (Bugonia)

Best Supporting Actor (Film)

• Jacob Elordi (Frankenstein)
• Edi Gathegi (Superman)
• Jeff Goldblum (Wicked: For Good)
• Stephen Lang (Avatar: Fire and Ash)
• Delroy Lindo (Sinners)
• Mads Mikkelsen (Dust Bunny)
• Ebon Moss-Bachrach (The Fantastic Four: First Steps)

Best Supporting Actress (Film)

• Oona Chaplin (Avatar: Fire and Ash)
• Mia Goth (Frankenstein)
• Ariana Grande (Wicked: For Good)
• Amy Madigan (Weapons)
• Hailee Steinfeld (Sinners)
• Florence Pugh (Thunderbolts: The New Avengers)
• Sigourney Weaver (Dust Bunny)

FILM TECHNICAL CATEGORIES

Best Director

• James Cameron (Avatar: Fire and Ash)
• Ryan Coogler (Sinners)
• Guillermo del Toro (Frankenstein)
• James Gunn (Superman)
• Christopher McQuarrie (Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning)
• Matt Shakman (The Fantastic Four: First Steps)
• Dan Trachtenberg (Predator: Badlands)

Best Visual / Special Effects

• Avatar: Fire and Ash
• The Fantastic Four: First Steps
• How to Train Your Dragon
• Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning
• Superman
• Wicked: For Good

TELEVISION CATEGORIES

Best Science Fiction Television Series

• Andor
• The Ark
• Foundation
• Severance
• Silo
• Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

Best Fantasy Television Series

• Anne Rice’s Mayfair Witches
• Ghosts
• The Librarians: The Next Chapter
• Outlander
• Stranger Things
• Wednesday

Best Horror Television Series

• Anne Rice’s Talamasca: The Secret Order
• The Institute
• It: Welcome to Derry
• The Last of Us
• The Walking Dead: Dead City
• Yellowjackets

Best Superhero Television Series

• Daredevil: Born Again
• Gen V
• Invincible
• Ironheart
• Peacemaker
• The Sandman

Best Animated Television Series

• Creature Commandos
• Harley Quinn
• Marvel Zombies
• Predator: Killer of Killers
• Star Wars: Tales of the Underworld
• Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man
• Solo Leveling Season 2

TELEVISION PERFORMANCE CATEGORIES

Best Actor in a Television Series

• Sterling K. Brown (Paradise)
• John Cena (Peacemaker)
• Michael C. Hall (Dexter: Resurrection)
• Sam Heughan (Outlander)
• Diego Luna (Andor)
• Norman Reedus (The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon)
• Adam Scott (Severance)

Best Actress in a Television Series

• Caitriona Balfe (Outlander)
• Millie Bobby Brown (Stranger Things)
• Sydney Chandler (Alien: Earth)
• Britt Lower (Severance)
• Melissa McBride (The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon)
• Jenna Ortega (Wednesday)
• Rhea Seehorn (Pluribus)

James Gunn’s Superman has officially entered the 2026 Academy Awards conversation.

According to a newly released list published by Variety, Superman is among 201 films that are eligible for nomination in the Best Picture category at the 98th Academy Awards. While eligibility does not guarantee a nomination, the film’s inclusion confirms that it has met all of the Academy’s strict Best Picture qualification requirements for the 2025 awards year.

The Academy’s Best Picture eligibility rules go beyond a standard Oscar qualification. For Superman to appear on this list, it had to satisfy multiple layers of criteria, not just its release date.

1. Release Within the 2025 Awards Year

Superman was released in July 2025, placing it firmly within the Academy’s eligibility window of January 1 to December 31, 2025.

2. Required Theatrical Qualification

The film completed the Academy’s mandatory paid theatrical run, which includes:

• A minimum one-week run in a qualifying U.S. market
• A feature-length runtime (over 40 minutes)

This is the baseline requirement for Oscar consideration.

3. Expanded Theatrical Run for Best Picture

Best Picture contenders face stricter rules than other categories. Eligible films must play:

• At least seven days
• In 10 of the top 50 U.S. theatrical markets
• Within 45 days of their initial release

Superman meeting this threshold confirms it had a sufficiently wide theatrical footprint, not just a limited awards run.

4. Compliance With the Academy’s Representation and Inclusion Standards

Since recent award cycles, Best Picture eligibility also requires films to:

• Submit the Academy’s RAISE (Representation and Inclusion Standards Entry) form
• Meet at least two of four inclusion standards, covering areas such as:
  
  • On-screen representation
  • Creative leadership and crew composition
  • Industry access and opportunities
  • Marketing and distribution teams

Films that do not submit or meet these standards are excluded from Best Picture consideration, even if they qualify theatrically.

Oscar nominations for the 2026 ceremony are expected to be announced later this month.

James Gunn’s Superman has officially advanced to the BAFTA 2026 Special Visual Effects longlist, marking a major early recognition for the film ahead of the upcoming awards season.

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) confirmed that Superman is one of 10 films selected from a total of 71 submissions in the Special Visual Effects category. The longlist was determined by members of BAFTA’s SVFX chapter, made up of industry professionals working across visual effects and post-production.

Full BAFTA Special Visual Effects Longlist (2026)

The films advancing to the longlist are:

• Avatar: Fire and Ash
• F1
• Frankenstein
• How to Train Your Dragon
• Jurassic World Rebirth
• The Lost Bus
• Mickey 17
• Superman
• Tron: Ares
• Wicked: For Good

Making the BAFTA VFX longlist is a significant milestone. The selection indicates that Superman’s visual effects work has already been evaluated and endorsed by professionals within the VFX industry, rather than general voters or critics.

Unlike popularity based awards or fan-driven recognition, BAFTA’s VFX category is assessed primarily on technical execution, innovation, and craft. For Superman, this places the film in early contention among some of the most visually ambitious studio projects of the year.

The longlist places Superman alongside major franchise and effects-driven films, including:

• Avatar: Fire and Ash, the latest installment in James Cameron’s visually groundbreaking series
• Tron: Ares, a film built around digital environments and stylized effects
• Jurassic World Rebirth, continuing the effects-heavy dinosaur franchise
• Wicked: For Good, a large-scale musical adaptation with extensive CGI requirements

BAFTA’s Voting Process Explained

According to BAFTA, the process unfolds in stages:

1. SVFX chapter members vote to determine the longlist and subsequent nominations.
2. From the longlist, a smaller group of films will be selected as official nominees.
3. In the final round, all film-voting BAFTA members vote to determine the category winner.

Historically, most films that secure nominations emerge from the longlist, making this step a crucial gateway rather than a symbolic mention.

Superman is the first major theatrical release under the new DC Studios leadership, with James Gunn also serving as co-head of the studio. While plot details and audience reception remain unknown, the BAFTA recognition suggests that the film’s technical and visual foundations are already being taken seriously within the industry.

While BAFTA recognition does not guarantee success at other awards ceremonies, the BAFTA VFX longlist often overlaps with later Oscar consideration in the Best Visual Effects category. Films that perform well at BAFTA frequently remain in the broader awards conversation as the season progresses.

Advancing to BAFTA’s Special Visual Effects longlist is a notable early achievement for Superman. In a field narrowed down from 71 submissions to just 10 films, the selection reflects industry-level confidence in the film’s visual work and technical ambition.

Calling Superman nostalgic will be a hyperbole, but it is. James Gunn’s ‘Superman’ takes me back to the days when I woke up at 3 in the morning to watch cartoons without my parents’ knowledge (I’m pretty sure my mum was aware), the days when everything seemed bright in the world, and the days that made me fall in love with superheroes and comics. 

James Gunn’s Superman is meant to remind us of why we fell in love with the character and comics as a whole, but did it achieve its job?

In the plethora of points made by the ever-divided fandom of DC, a standout point of argument is that “Man of Steel” is too dark. For the general audience, this means nothing; movies are movies. Why should a parent who has worked all month take their precious money to see this movie? 

The creatives and execs at the time of DCEU left a big dent in the DC brand, and with James Gunn steering the ship, will everything be bright and beautiful? Can this DCU rival the already falling MCU? Time will tell.

Movie Overview

Superman follows Clark Kent/Superman, who must reconcile his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing while saving the world from a self-centered billionaire with a saviour complex, determined to destroy him both emotionally and literally.

While the movie has a nod to today’s world, I will argue that this is a classic case of life imitating art. From tone to action and dialogue, this is a movie that raises the question, “What does being good in today’s world look like?”

The Positives

Think of the first time you opened a comic book, or the first animation you watched as a kid… In rare cases, your introduction to that world is an origin story. James Gunn has said this on multiple occasions: this is not an origin story; expect to be dropped right in the middle. 

The concerns of many, rightfully so, will be the amount of jokes in this movie and to my surprise, it’s way less than you will expect. 

James Gunn managed to create a film with heartfelt moments without his jokes, which may come off as corny to some. The funniest jokes are those in real situations that everyday people can relate to. Some jokes sadly did not stick, and some could be felt a mile away, but the funniest of them is a surprise cameo.

With past iterations trying to drag and showcase Superman’s power set, this movie is about who he is or, at the very least, believes himself to be at the core. Questions like, should those with too much power oppress or intervene? Superman ignorantly believes in the good of humanity.

The casting of this movie is arguably the best casting of all iterations of Superman. Every cast did 150% with what they had. More on our YouTube:

Neutral Point

Despite being the coal to the Orient Express, the score was all over the place. The nostalgia in the John Williams theme was useful in some parts of the movie, but in most places, it felt over the top.

The flying scenes were a choice, but the action mid-flight was beautiful.

Negative Point

Despite how “comic booky” this movie is, the number of characters could use more screen time, especially a female superhero. Each tertiary character tried to shine, but with such great talent, you forget this is a Superman movie.

To compensate for not being an origin story, James Gunn found the worst way to make the audience understand why things are the way they are. I don’t think there is a reason why actual people will have to explain, without being asked, why you only wear a gold chain. This movie found a way to make callbacks annoying. What’s worse is there’s nothing to call back to.

Conclusion

Superman delivers on its promises: a great movie experience that poses the question, “What does it mean to be good?” This is a great start to the vision of the DCU, but will it end up like the old DC and new Marvel?

Streamdorm Movie Rating: 8.5/10