What the SAG Awards nominations might tell us about the 2021 Oscars

After a wild set of Golden Globe nominations, the race to the Oscars continued Thursday with more precursor nominees, giving a few films and performers a key boost.

The nominees for the 2021 Screen Actors Guild Awards were unveiled Thursday, and in Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture, the nominees were Da 5 Bloods, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, Minari, One Night in Miami, and The Trial of the Chicago 7. Among the most notable omissions in this category was Nomadland, seen as a major Best Picture contender, as well as Mank, which led Wednesday's Golden Globe nominations. But Da 5 Bloods scored a nod after it was shockingly shut out at the Globes, and Chadwick Boseman was posthumously nominated for his performance, in addition to a nomination for Ma Rainey's Black Bottom.

In the past, the Oscars' Best Picture winner has generally been nominated for SAG's best cast award with three exceptions, suggesting that 2021's victor may be one of these five films — though pundits observed Nomadland's absence could be blamed on its lack of a large cast compared to other contenders.

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There's also often overlap between the SAG Awards and the Oscars in terms of acting winners, so Thursday's nominations dealt a blow to Da 5 Bloods' Delroy Lindo, who was surprisingly snubbed after also failing to earn a Golden Globe nod. Mank's Amanda Seyfried also lost some momentum after not earning a SAG nomination, despite being recognized at the Golden Globes.

On the other hand, Minari's Oscar prospects were raised after it came away with nominations not just for best cast, but also for stars Steven Yeun and Youn Yuh-jung. And then there was Jared Leto, who earned another surprise supporting actor nod for The Little Things, potentially suggesting his previous shock nomination at the Golden Globes was no fluke.

The 2021 SAG Awards are scheduled for April 4, while the Oscars are set for April 25.