Oscars 2016 Snubs and Surprises

Will Smith, Aaron Sorkin and Ridley Scott were left off the list of nominees.

ByABC News
January 14, 2016, 11:17 AM

— -- The 2016 Oscar nominations were announced this morning, and, as always, there were several snubs and surprises.

"The Revenant," leading with 12 nominations, was not a surprise. But "Mad Max: Fury Road," landing 10 nominations, including one for Best Picture, certainly was.

But it's the names left off the list that have people talking and tweeting, particularly about the lack of diversity among the nominees. The hashtag #OscarsSoWhite is already popping up on Twitter.

The #Oscars this year looking a lot like a Trump rally. All White.

— Michael Skolnik (@MichaelSkolnik) January 14, 2016

Chris Rock is hosting during #OscarsSoWhite circa 2016 in the last year of Obama presidency. Good luck to @TheAcademy. @emergingUS

— Jose Antonio Vargas (@joseiswriting) January 14, 2016

Here are seven of the biggest snubs. See if you agree.

’Diversity’

Diversity seems to be the big loser again this year in Hollywood. The Academy snubbed "Concussion" and its star Will Smith, who earned a Golden Globe nomination for his role as forensic pathologist Dr. Bennet Omalu. Besides Sylvester Stallone’s landing a best supporting nod for his role in "Creed," the film and its star, Michael B. Jordan, were shut out.

Idris Elba was also overlooked for his role in "Beasts of No Nation." And while many thought "Straight Outta Compton" might earn a best picture nod, it will have to settle for a nomination for best original screenplay.

'Star Wars: The Force Awakens'

While the latest "Star Wars" film did scoop up a number of the technical award nominations, including visual effects, and one for best original score for John Williams, it was snubbed for Best Picture, and director J.J. Abrams was left off the list.

’Carol’

Despite leading the Golden Globe nominations and being a critics' darling, "Carol" failed to earn a best picture nod or a nomination for director Todd Haynes. It still did well, earning nods for stars Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara, as well as score, costume design, adapted screenplay and cinematography.

Ridley Scott

Many had hoped Ridley Scott would finally earn his first best director Oscar for "The Martian," which landed seven nominations overall, including one for star Matt Damon. But Scott failed to even make the list this year.

Aaron Sorkin

Previous Oscar winner Aaron Sorkin was left out of the nominations for best adapted screenplay, despite winning the Golden Globe Sunday. At least "Jobs" earned nominations for stars Michael Fassbender and Kate Winslet.

Quentin Tarantino

Sorkin wasn't the only writer who got snubbed. Quentin Tarantino also failed to make the list for adapted screenplay and his "Hateful Eight" was omitted from the best picture and best director lists. It did get nominations, though, for composer Ennio Morricone, cinematographer Robert Richardson and star Jennifer Jason Leigh.

Get real-time updates as this story unfolds. To start, just "star" this story in ABC News' phone app. Download ABC News for iPhone here or ABC News for Android here.

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Chris Rock is hosting during #OscarsSoWhite circa 2016 in the last year of Obama presidency. Good luck to @TheAcademy. @emergingUS

— Jose Antonio Vargas (@joseiswriting) January 14, 2016

Here are seven of the biggest snubs. See if you agree.

’Diversity’

Diversity seems to be the big loser again this year in Hollywood. The Academy snubbed \"Concussion\" and its star Will Smith, who earned a Golden Globe nomination for his role as forensic pathologist Dr. Bennet Omalu. Besides Sylvester Stallone’s landing a best supporting nod for his role in \"Creed,\" the film and its star, Michael B. Jordan, were shut out.

Idris Elba was also overlooked for his role in \"Beasts of No Nation.\" And while many thought \"Straight Outta Compton\" might earn a best picture nod, it will have to settle for a nomination for best original screenplay.

'Star Wars: The Force Awakens'

While the latest \"Star Wars\" film did scoop up a number of the technical award nominations, including visual effects, and one for best original score for John Williams, it was snubbed for Best Picture, and director J.J. Abrams was left off the list.

’Carol’

Despite leading the Golden Globe nominations and being a critics' darling, \"Carol\" failed to earn a best picture nod or a nomination for director Todd Haynes. It still did well, earning nods for stars Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara, as well as score, costume design, adapted screenplay and cinematography.

Ridley Scott

Many had hoped Ridley Scott would finally earn his first best director Oscar for \"The Martian,\" which landed seven nominations overall, including one for star Matt Damon. But Scott failed to even make the list this year.

Aaron Sorkin

Previous Oscar winner Aaron Sorkin was left out of the nominations for best adapted screenplay, despite winning the Golden Globe Sunday. At least \"Jobs\" earned nominations for stars Michael Fassbender and Kate Winslet.

Quentin Tarantino

Sorkin wasn't the only writer who got snubbed. Quentin Tarantino also failed to make the list for adapted screenplay and his \"Hateful Eight\" was omitted from the best picture and best director lists. It did get nominations, though, for composer Ennio Morricone, cinematographer Robert Richardson and star Jennifer Jason Leigh.

Get real-time updates as this story unfolds. To start, just \"star\" this story in ABC News' phone app. Download ABC News for iPhone here or ABC News for Android here.

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