An “October surprise” refers to a major revelation deliberately timed to influence the outcome of a Presidential election. The Oscars, then, regularly offer a January surprise, in which a contender comes out of nowhere to elbow their way into the awards conversation. This year’s big shock is permanently smirking superhero send-up Deadpool, which has already upended plenty of predictions by racking up nominations among various industry guild groups. Superhero movies have never been able to crack the Best Picture race, but perhaps the self-reflexive meta streak in Deadpool could give it the edge it needs to sneak into the category. The nominations will be announced one week from today, and who’ll end up at the big dance is anyone’s guess.

Deadpool star Ryan Reynolds, meanwhile, couldn’t be more pleased about his picture’s unlikely shot at Oscar glory. He sat down for The Hollywood Reporter’s “Awards Chatter” podcast this week and gushed about his excitement for a possible nomination, saying:

If it does end up in that category, I think that’s kind of a cool moment, for not just us, but for everybody — for the people that went to see the movie, the people that made the movie, the studio, even the Academy. I don’t think that any superhero film has ever really broken that glass ceiling, so it would be nice to see one like Deadpool do it. And I can certainly promise one f---ing crazy reaction video online. In the Deadpool suit. Guaranteed.

Well, now I’m torn. On the one hand, the thought of populist blockbuster Deadpool landing a nomination while dozens of other worthy indies — The FitsThe Love Witch, and Krisha, to name a few — go unrecognized makes me want to eat my hands. On the other hand, I just can’t say no to the guileless enthusiasm of Canada’s favorite son. Good thing it’s all out of our hands!

 

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