'Arrival' Ineligible For Best Original Score Oscar; See The Shortlist Of Contenders

Johann Johannsson's (Sicario) heart pounding Arrival score was disqualified as a contender in the Best Original Score category. The Academy deemed Leslie Barber's Manchester by the Sea and Kathryn Kluge's Silence scores ineligible as well. They were ruled out for not being "substantial enough," but the exclusion of Arrival had to do with Max Richter's "This Bitter Earth."

Below, check out the best original score shortlist.

As stated by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' rules, a score "shall not be eligible if it has been diluted by the use of pre-existing music, or it has been diminished in impact by the predominant use of songs or any music not composed specifically for the film by the submitting composer." According to Variety, 86% of Arrival's soundtrack is original music from its two-time Academy Award-nominated composer. The reason it's ineligible is because, according to the Academy, the voters wouldn't be able to distinguish the score cues, and that Richter's music would've influenced voters too much. There is no way to appeal the decision.

Johannsson did write music for the opening and ending of Arrival, but director Denis Villeneuve decided to go with Richter's "This Bitter Earth" — a choice Johannsson fully supported. As for Richter, his original scores for Miss Sloane and Morgan are in the running this year. Here's the entire shortlist of contenders, which includes work from John Williams (The BFG), Mica Levi (Jackie), Clint Mansell (High-Rise), John Mellencamp (Ithaca), Tom Holkenborg/Junkie XL (Deadpool), Nick Cave and Warren Ellis (Hell or High Water), and many others:

"The Abolitionists," Tim Jones, composer

"Absolutely Fabulous The Movie," Jake Monaco, composer

"The Accountant," Mark Isham, composer

"Alice through the Looking Glass," Danny Elfman, composer

"Allied," Alan Silvestri, composer

"Almost Christmas," John Paesano, composer

"American Pastoral," Alexandre Desplat, composer

"The Angry Birds Movie," Heitor Pereira, composer

"Anthropoid," Robin Foster, composer

"Armenia, My Love," Silvia Leonetti, composer

"Assassin's Creed," Jed Kurzel, composer


"The BFG," John Williams, composer

"Believe," Michael Reola, composer


"Bilal," Atli Örvarsson, composer


"The Birth of a Nation," Henry Jackman, composer

"Bleed for This," Julia Holter, composer

"The Boss," Christopher Lennertz, composer

"Bridget Jones's Baby," Craig Armstrong, composer

"The Bronze," Andrew Feltenstein and John Nau, composers

"Captain America: Civil War," Henry Jackman, composer

"The Charnel House," Todd Haberman, composer

"The Choice," Marcelo Zarvos, composer

"Collateral Beauty," Theodore Shapiro, composer

"The Conjuring 2," Joseph Bishara, composer

"Criminal," Bryan Tyler and Keith Power, composers

"Deadpool," Tom Holkenborg, composer

"Deepwater Horizon," Steve Jablonsky, composer

"Denial," Howard Shore, composer

"Doctor Strange," Michael Giacchino, composer

"The Dressmaker," David Hirschfelder, composer

"Eddie the Eagle," Matthew Margeson, composer

"The Edge of Seventeen," Atli ?rvarsson, composer

"Elle," Anne Dudley, composer



"Fences," Marcelo Zarvos, composer

"Finding Dory," Thomas Newman, composer


"Florence Foster Jenkins," Alexandre Desplat, composer


"The Founder," Carter Burwell, composer

"Free State of Jones," Nicholas Britell, composer

"Ghostbusters," Theodore Shapiro, composer

"The Girl on the Train," Danny Elfman, composer

"Gleason," Dan Romer and Saul Simon MacWilliams, composers

"Gold," Daniel Pemberton, composer

"Greater," Stephen Raynor-Endelman, composer

"Hacksaw Ridge," Rupert Gregson-Williams, composer

"Hail, Caesar!," Carter Burwell, composer

"The Handmaiden," Cho Young-wuk, composer

"Hands of Stone," Angelo Milli, composer


"Hidden Figures," Pharrell Williams and Benjamin Wallfisch, composers

"High-Rise," Clint Mansell, composer

"How to Be Single," Fil Eisler, composer



"Ice Age: Collision Course," John Debney, composer


"Indignation," Jay Wadley, composer

"The Invitation," Theodore Shapiro, composer

"Ithaca," John Mellencamp, composer


"Jackie," Mica Levi, composer

"Julieta," Alberto Iglesias, composer

"The Jungle Book," John Debney, composer

"Keeping Up with the Joneses," Jake Monaco, composer

"Kicks," Brian Reitzell, composer

"Krisha," Brian McOmber, composer

"Kubo and the Two Strings," Dario Marianelli, composer

"La La Land," Justin Hurwitz, composer

"Land of Mine," Sune Martin, composer

"Landfill Harmonic," Michael A. Levine, composer

"The Legend of Ben Hall," Ronnie Minder, composer



"The Light between Oceans," Alexandre Desplat, composer

"Lights Out," Benjamin Wallfisch, composer

"Lion," Dustin O'Halloran and Hauschka, composers


"Live by Night," Harry Gregson-Williams, composer

"Loving," David Wingo, composer

"Maggie's Plan," Michael Rohatyn, composer

"Me before You," Craig Armstrong, composer

"The Meddler," Jonathan Sadoff, composer

"Midnight Special," David Wingo, composer


"Miracles from Heaven," Carlo Siliotto, composer


"Miss Sloane," Max Richter, composer

"Mr. Church," Mark Isham, composer

"Moana," Mark Mancina, composer

"Money Monster," Dominic Lewis, composer

"The Monkey King 2," Christopher Young, composer

"A Monster Calls," Fernando Velázquez, composer

"Moonlight," Nicholas Britell, composer

"Morgan," Max Richter, composer


"The Neon Demon," Cliff Martinez, composer

"The Nice Guys," John Ottman, composer

"No Letting Go," Alain Mayrand, composer

"Nocturnal Animals," Abel Korzeniowski, composer

"Now You See Me 2," Brian Tyler, composer




"The Ottoman Lieutenant," Geoff Zanelli, composer


"Our Kind of Traitor," Marcelo Zarvos, composer

"Passengers," Thomas Newman, composer

"Paterson," Carter Logan and Jim Jarmusch, composers

"Patriots Day," Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, composers


"Pete's Dragon," Daniel Hart, composer

"Po," Burt Bacharach, composer

"Queen of Katwe," Alex Heffes, composer

"Race," Rachel Portman, composer

"The Red Turtle," Laurent Perez Del Mar, composer

"Ride Along 2," Christopher Lennertz, composer


"Sausage Party," Alan Menken and Christopher Lennertz, composers

"The Secret Life of Pets," Alexandre Desplat, composer

"Silicon Cowboys," Ian Hultquist, composer

"Sing," Joby Talbot, composer

"Snowtime!," Eloi Painchaud and Jorane, composers

"Southside with You," Stephen James Taylor, composer

"Star Trek Beyond," Michael Giacchino, composer

"Storks," Mychael Danna and Jeff Danna, composers

"Suicide Squad," Steven Price, composer

"Sully," Christian Jacob, composer



"10 Cloverfield Lane," Bear McCreary, composer

"10 Days in a Madhouse," Jamie Hall, composer


"Trolls," Christophe Beck, composer

"20th Century Women," Roger Neill, composer

"Warcraft," Ramin Djawadi, composer

"Whiskey Tango Foxtrot," Nick Urata, composer

"X-Men: Apocalypse," John Ottman, composer

"Zoolander 2," Theodore Shapiro, composer

"Zootopia," Michael Giacchino, composer