LOS ANGELES (REUTERS) - Trumbo, the movie about the 1947 Hollywood blacklist, led the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) nominations on Wednesday in a diverse field that hinted at likely Oscar contenders but snubbed presumed front-runners The Martian and new Jennifer Lawrence drama Joy.
Trumbo, about a group of screenwriters and directors shunned for their associations to the Communist Party, earned three nominations, including the guild's top prize for best ensemble cast.
Other nominees for best ensemble include Netflix African war drama Beasts Of No Nation, Wall Street comedy The Big Short, Catholic Church abuse probe Spotlight and rap movie Straight Outta Compton.
Adam McKay, director of The Big Short"said he was impressed by the range of topics covered by the nominations.
"You're talking about the advent of hip hop, child soldiers, the sex scandal in Catholic church and malfeasance in Wall Street - I'm pretty proud of that for Hollywood," he told Reuters.
The top winners at the SAG awards, chosen by more than 100,000 actors, often go on to win Oscars.
The list was announced a day ahead of Thursday's Golden Globe nominations and January's nominations for the Oscars.
Trumbo star Bryan Cranston earned a best actor nod for his role as Dalton Trumbo, while Helen Mirren got a best supporting actress nomination for playing gossip columnist Hedda Hopper. Mirren was also nominated for best actress for Woman In Gold.
Other lead movie actors nods went to Johnny Depp for Black Mass, Leonardo DiCaprio for The Revenant, Michael Fassbender for Steve Jobs and Eddie Redmayne for playing a transgender pioneer in The Danish Girl.
Among the women, Cate Blanchett was nominated for the lesbian drama Carol, Brie Larson for psychological thriller Room, Saoirse Ronan for Irish immigrant tale Brooklyn and Sarah Silverman for I Smile Back.
But Oscar-winner Lawrence was absent from the list, along with David O. Russell's new film Joy and Matt Damon's box-office hit space adventure The Martian.
Quentin Tarantino's Western drama The Hateful Eight, and the football head injury movie Concussion and its star Will Smith also came away empty-handed.
The nominations of Beasts of No Nation and Straight Outta Compton, which both feature black male casts, came at a time when Hollywood movies have been criticised for lack of racial diversity.
Beasts actor Idris Elba landed a best supporting actor nod, but no women of colour made it into either the best actress or supporting actress categories in film.
"I'm just floored and humbled right now. It's such a huge honour to be recognised by my friends and peers," said Elba, who also earned a best leading TV drama actor nod for Luther.
In the television categories, medieval fantasy saga Game Of Thrones and thriller Homeland led the way with three nominations each.
British period drama Downton Abbey, political thriller House Of Cards and advertising drama Mad Men were also nominated for best drama ensemble cast.
The winners will be announced in Los Angeles on Jan 30.
Following is a list of key nominees for the awards for performances in movies and television.
MOVIES BEST ENSEMBLE CAST
Beasts Of No Nation
The Big Short
Spotlight
Straight Outta Compton
Trumbo
BEST ACTOR
Bryan Cranston (Trumbo)
Johnny Depp (Black Mass)
Leonardo DiCaprio (The Revenant)
Michael Fassbender (Steve Jobs)
Eddie Redmayne (The Danish Girl)
BEST ACTRESS
Cate Blanchett (Carol)
Brie Larson (Room)
Helen Mirren (Woman In Gold)
Saoirse Ronan (Brooklyn)
Sarah Silverman (I Smile Back)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Christian Bale (The Big Short)
Idris Elba (Beasts Of No Nation)
Mark Rylance (Bridge Of Spies)
Michael Shannon (99 Homes)
Jacob Tremblay (Room)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Rooney Mara (Carol)
Rachel McAdams (Spotlight)
Helen Mirren (Trumbo)
Alicia Vikander (The Danish Girl)
Kate Winslet (Steve Jobs)
Outstanding performance by an ensemble in a drama series
Downton Abbey
Game of Thrones
Homeland
House Of Cards
Mad Men
Outstanding performance by an ensemble in a comedy series
The Big Bang Theory
Key & Peele
Modern Family
Orange Is The New Black
Transparent
Veep
Outstanding performance by a male actor in a drama series
Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones)
Jon Hamm (Mad Men)
Rami Malek (Mr Robot)
Bob Odenkirk (Better Call Saul)
Kevin Spacey (House Of Cards)
Outstanding performance by a female actor in a drama series
Claire Danes (Homeland)
Viola Davis How To Get Away With Murder)
Julianna Margulies (The Good Wife)
Maggie Smith (Downton Abbey)
Robin Wright (House Of Cards)
Outstanding performance by a male actor in a comedy series
Ty Burrell (Modern Family)
Louis C.K. (Louie)
William H. Macy (Shameless)
Jim Parsons (The Big Bang Theory)
Jeffrey Tambor (Transparent)
Outstanding performance by a female actor in a comedy series
Uzo Aduba (Orange Is The New Black)
Edie Falco (Nurse Jackie)
Ellie Kemper (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt)
Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Veep)
Amy Poehler (Parks and Recreation)
Outstanding performance by a male actor in a television movie or miniseries
Idris Elba (Luther)
Ben Kingsley (Tut)
Ray Liotta (Texas Rising)
Bill Murray (A Very Murray Christmas)
Mark Rylance (Wolf Hall)
Outstanding performance by a female actor in a television movie or miniseries
Nicole Kidman (Grace of Monaco)
Queen Latifah (Bessie)
Christina Ricci (The Lizzie Borden Chronicles)
Susan Sarandon (The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe)
Kristen Wiig (The Spoils Before Dying)
