With the Screen Actors Guild nominations already unveiled, the Producers Guild of America announced the nominees for their 25th annual awards ceremony earlier today. A top prognosticator to the Academy Awards, the PGA selected 10 films to contend for the coveted Darryl F. Zanuck prize.

In terms of sure things leading up to the 86th Academy Awards, 12 Years a Slave (a NYFF Main Slate selection), American Hustle, Gravity, Nebraska (NYFF Main Slate selection) and Her (NYFF Closing Night selection) netted noms for Best Motion Picture of the Year; all five are expected to garner Oscar nominations for Best Picture come January 16. Somewhat less expected were the inclusions of Blue Jasmine (a sure-thing for a Best Actress nomination for Cate Blanchett), Captain Phillips (Tom Hanks and his co-star Barkhad Abdi remain strong contenders) and Dallas Buyers Club (a shoo-in for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor nods). Will the Academy, which can choose anywhere from five to 10 Best Picture nominees, find it in their hearts to select these films which are, unfairly or not, considered “performance-based” movies?

Many were shocked that Inside Llewyn Davis was not among the 10 nominees this morning. The latest film from directors Joel and Ethan Coen, which screened at the New York Film Festival, has been a critical slam dunk, appearing on many Best of 2013 lists including <em>Film Comment magazine's, which it topped.

Both Saving Mr. Banks and The Wolf of Wall Street made the cut as well. Saving Mr. Banks will most likely continue to gain attention for Emma Thompson's lead performance as P.L. Travers, the author of the world famous Mary Poppins children books, but today's nomination by the PGA surprised some. If you've been following the heated online discussions about whether The Wolf of Wall Street glorifies the ruthless characters' bawdy behavior, then you may have expected Martin Scorsese's latest to miss the cut. One thing to keep in mind, as Anne Thompson of Thompson on Hollywood points out, is that PGA voting had closed by the time the film opened for the public on Christmas Day. The controversial chatter will prove much more difficult to overcome as the month goes on.

One interesting bit of trivia is that seven of the films selected by the PGA are also current Golden Globe Best Picture nominees, bringing light to the fact that a general consensus has now emerged. Also of note is that, as producers, filmmakers Spike Jonze and Alfonso CuarĂłn recieved nominations as being producers on their respective films (Her and Gravity). Brad Pitt, who is featured in 12 Years a Slave, also produced the celebrated work and thus finds himself a PGA nominee today as well. He was previously nominated for producing the 2011 hit Moneyball.

The winners will be announced on Sunday, January 19 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California. For a complete list of nominees (including the films chosen for Best Animated Feature of the Year), scroll on…

The Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures:

American Hustle (Columbia Pictures)
Producers: Megan Ellison, Jon Gordon, Charles Roven, Richard Suckle

Blue Jasmine (Sony Pictures Classics)
Producers: Letty Aronson, Stephen Tenenbaum

Captain Phillips (Columbia Pictures)
Producers: Dana Brunetti, Michael De Luca, Scott Rudin

Dallas Buyers Club (Focus Features)
Producers: Robbie Brenner, Rachel Winter

Gravity (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Producers: Alfonso CuarĂłn, David Heyman

Her (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Producers: Megan Ellison, Spike Jonze, Vincent Landay

Nebraska (Paramount Pictures)
Producers: Albert Berger, Ron Yerxa

Saving Mr. Banks (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
Producers: Ian Collie, Alison Owen, Philip Steuer

12 Years a Slave (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
Producers: Anthony Katagas, Jeremy Kleiner, Steve McQueen, Brad Pitt & Dede Gardner

Wolf of Wall Street (Paramount Pictures)
Producers: Riza Aziz, Emma Koskoff, Joey McFarland

The Award for Outstanding Producer of Animated Theatrical Motion Pictures:

The Croods (DreamWorks Animation)
Producers: Kristine Belson, Jane Hartwell

Despicable Me 2 (Universal Pictures)
Producers: Janet Healy, Chris Meledandri

Epic (Twentieth Century Fox)
Producers: Jerry Davis, Lori Forte

Frozen (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
Producer: Peter Del Vecho

Monsters University (Pixar Animation)
Producer: Kori Rae