Chris here. I have seen a few folks suggesting online that The Greatest Showman could currently be greatly underestimated in the Oscar race. Sure, we're talking about an opulent original musical with one of the biggest movie stars taking center stage, so dismissing it entirely from the conversation is perhaps historically unwise. While the trailer and first two released songs have gotten a decidedly mixed response, let's not underestimate the financial success of recent musicals during the Christmas holiday window - maybe this is a splashy musical with box office gold in its sights ahead of statues.
But its also perhaps wise to note that the film's promotional campaign is just beginning, and we've got some new character posters to ogle! Let's do just that and drum up some Oscar talk while we're at it...
That "lyricists" qualifier is an odd crediting of Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, no? "Did you specifically like La La Land for its lyrics alone?" They may not be a household name, but they also won the Tony this year! Best Original Song should be any easy nomination (regardless your thoughts on the tracks), but we'll see if they can keep the wins going.
Rebecca Ferguson serving austere is an easy way to get my butt in a seat, but the bigger question here is "does she sing?" Now that could pique my curiosity further.
Could Hugh Jackman get his second nomination for this? Musicals are one of the two modes we love him most, and recognition for Logan seems like more of a pipe dream, though that movie's success this year certainly can't hurt his chances here. Best Actor is such a wasteland this year, so one of our most beloved actors could reap the benefits of returning to the genre that nabbed him his first nomination.
The taste level here again tells me this is aiming for the widest possible audience and not necessarily Oscar - lovely, but rather derivative for a Best Picture play, at least. Some nominations below the line are a stronger possibility, as they typically are for musicals. The costuming sure is flashy!
But why does The Greatest Showman even need Oscar consideration to justify its existance? For my money, I'll take a junk musical if it means more musicals period (should this not be good, that is). And from these more dance-y posters here we get the promise of people who should be cast in musicals actually being cast in them for once! Zac Efron made a name for himself with High School Musical (remember those?!), Michelle Williams gave us a batty Sally Bowles on Broadway, and Zendaya's primed to be the next big thing. Let's be happy we're getting a movie musical at all.