‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ And ‘Gladiator II’ Make The 2025 Visual Effects Oscars Shortlist’

The Academy revealed the annual Oscar shortlists this morning and for 2025 the Visual Effects category once again held some surprises. As expected, “Dune: Part II,” “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes,” and “Twisters” made the cut. Something of a surprise was the inclusion of Alex Garland’s sadly forgotten “Civil War.”

READ MORE: ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’: [Spoiler] Came Back Because Ryan Reynolds Has “The Midas Touch”

Other entries on the 10-film cut-down included “Wicked,” “Gladiator II,” “Better Man,” and “Alien: Romulus.” The Visual Effects Branch will now consider each remaining contender after the annual “Bake-Off” presentations on Saturday, January 11.

Overall, “Emilia Perez” led all films with six mentions in the 10 categories. “Wicked” and “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” earned 4 while “Dune: Part Two,” “Gladiator II,” “The Wild Robot,” “Alien: Romulus,” and “Blitz” earned 3 each. “Nosferatu,” “Mufasa: The Lion King,” “The Six Triple Eight,” “Deadpool & Wolverine,” “Sing Sing,” “Better Man,” “Dahomey,” and “Challengers” earned 2 respectively.

This year’s complete list of finalists is as follows:

“Alien: Romulus”
“Better Man”
“Civil War”
“Deadpool & Wolverine”
“Dune: Part Two”
“Gladiator II”
“Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes”
“Mufasa: The Lion King”
“Twisters”
“Wicked”

Additionally, the shortlisted films for Sound were revealed. These 10 contenders include “Dune: Part II,” “Gladiator II,” “Emilia Perez,” and “Blitz.” A complete rundown is as follows:

“Alien: Romulus”
“Blitz”
“A Complete Unknown”
“Deadpool & Wolverine”
“Dune: Part Two”
“Emilia Pérez”
“Gladiator II”
“Joker: Folie à Deux”
“Wicked”
“The Wild Robot”

The 97th Academy Awards nominee will be announced bright and early on Friday, January 17.