44th Saturn Awards

44th Saturn Awards
DateJune 27, 2018
SiteBurbank, California, U.S.
Hosted byJonah Ray
Highlights
Most awardsFilm:
Black Panther (5)
Television:
Better Call Saul (3)
Twin Peaks: The Return (3)
Most nominationsFilm:
Black Panther (14)
Television:
The Walking Dead (7)

The 44th Saturn Awards, presented by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films and honoring the best in science fiction, fantasy, horror, and other genres belonging to genre fiction in film, television, home entertainment and local theatre from February 2017 to February 2018, were held on June 27, 2018, in Burbank, California, and hosted by comedian Jonah Ray.[1][2][3][4] Nominations were announced on March 15, 2018.[5][6][7]

Black Panther led the nominations for film with fourteen, becoming the second most nominated film in the awards' history behind Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) with fifteen, as the former scored nominations in every category for eligibility (2019's Avengers: Endgame would also receive fourteen nominations the following ceremony, sharing Black Panther's nomination record as the second/third most nominated film in the awards' history). It was followed by Star Wars: The Last Jedi with thirteen nominations, and Blade Runner 2049 and The Shape of Water with nine nominations each.[5][6][7]

The Walking Dead led the nominations for television for the fourth year in a row with seven, followed by streaming newcomer Star Trek: Discovery and the limited series Twin Peaks: The Return with five each.[5][8][9] Seven individuals earned two nominations each, including double writing nominations for Michael Green (for his work on Blade Runner 2049 and Logan, sharing the nods with other writers), and two acting nominations for both film and television for Danai Gurira (for her performances in Black Panther and The Walking Dead, winning for the former).

For film, Black Panther won the most awards with five, including Best Comic-to-Motion Picture Release and Best Film Director (Ryan Coogler),[1][2][3] followed by Star Wars: The Last Jedi with three and Coco with two.[1][2][3] For television, Better Call Saul and Twin Peaks: The Return won the most awards with three each (ending The Walking Dead's four-year long streak as the top-winning series), followed by Star Trek: Discovery and The Walking Dead with two each.[1][10][11][12] However, Rian Johnson's win for Best Writing for Star Wars: The Last Jedi caused some backlash from fans, who expressed their disdain with the decision on Twitter.[13]

Other notable wins include Mark Hamill's record-tying third Best Actor in a Film win for Star Wars: The Last Jedi (thirty-four years after his second win for 1983's Return of the Jedi), making him the first person to have won three Saturn Awards for the same role in film (Robert Downey Jr. would tie this record the following year for 2019's Avengers: Endgame), and Tom Holland's second consecutive win for Best Performance by a Younger Actor in a Film for Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), making him the first performer to win the category twice for the same role or to win it in two consecutive years; Holland won a third the following year for 2019's Spider-Man: Far From Home, surpassing his own record.[1][14][15]

  1. ^ a b c d e Hammond, Pete (June 27, 2018). "'Black Panther' Tops 44th Saturn Awards with Five; 'Blade Runner 2049', 'The Shape of Water', 'Get Out' Also Score". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 27, 2018.
  2. ^ a b c McNary, Dave (June 27, 2018). "'Black Panther' Reigns at Saturn Awards, 'Better Call Saul' and 'Twin Peaks' Top TV Field". Variety. Retrieved June 27, 2018.
  3. ^ a b c Chitwood, Adam (June 28, 2018). "'Black Panther' Tops Saturn Awards with Five Wins; 'The Last Jedi' Takes Best Screenplay". Collider. Retrieved June 28, 2018.
  4. ^ Ryan, Jackson (June 27, 2018). "'Black Panther', 'The Last Jedi' win big at the 44th Saturn Awards". CNET. Retrieved June 27, 2018.
  5. ^ a b c McNary, Dave (March 15, 2018). "'Black Panther', 'Walking Dead' Rule Saturn Awards Nominations". Variety. Retrieved March 15, 2018.
  6. ^ a b Butler, Mary Anne (March 15, 2018). "Here are the 44th Annual Saturn Awards Nominations". Bleeding Cool. Retrieved March 15, 2018.
  7. ^ a b Anderson, Erik (March 15, 2018). "Saturn Awards: 'Black Panther' leads film nominations with 14; 'Walking Dead' leads TV mentions". AwardsWatch. Retrieved March 15, 2018.
  8. ^ Pollock, Sarabeth (March 18, 2018). "'The Walking Dead', 'Fear' earn multiple Saturn Award nominations". Undead Walking. Retrieved March 18, 2018.
  9. ^ TrekMovie.com Staff (March 15, 2018). "'Star Trek: Discovery' Nominated for 5 Saturn Awards". SciFanatic Network. TrekMovie.com. Retrieved March 15, 2018.
  10. ^ Pollock, Sarabeth (June 28, 2018). "'The Walking Dead', Chandler Riggs Win at Saturn Awards". Undead Walking. Retrieved June 28, 2018.
  11. ^ TrekMovie.com Staff (June 27, 2018). "'Star Trek: Discovery' Wins Best Streaming Series Saturn Award, Sonequa Martin-Green Wins for Acting". SciFanatic Network. TrekMovie.com. Retrieved June 27, 2018.
  12. ^ "'The Walking Dead' Wins Best Horror TV Show at the 2018 Saturn Awards". Skybound Entertainment. June 28, 2018. Archived from the original on October 25, 2023. Retrieved October 25, 2023.
  13. ^ Norkey, Trevor (June 28, 2018). "Internet Savagely Reacts to Rian Johnson's 'Last Jedi' Saturn Award Win". MovieWeb. Retrieved June 28, 2018.
  14. ^ Carbone, Gina (June 28, 2018). "2018 Saturn Awards Winners: 'The Last Jedi' wins Best Actor & Best Writing". Moviefone. Retrieved June 28, 2018.
  15. ^ Boucher, Geoff (September 13, 2019). "Saturn Awards: 'Spider-Man' Star Tom Holland Wins for Third Year in a Row". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved September 13, 2019.