Robbie Williams’ song “Forbidden Road” from his upcoming biopic Better Man was initially shortlisted for the 2025 Academy Awards but has been disqualified. The Academy’s music branch sent out a letter on Friday stating that the song was removed from the best original song shortlist because it contains material from an existing song that was not specifically written for the film. This decision was made after a review by the music committee.
In order to qualify for an Oscar nomination, a song must be entirely original. With “Forbidden Road” out of the running, the shortlist now consists of 14 songs competing for the top five nomination slots, as no replacement song will be added.
Among the songs still in contention are Emilia Pérez’s “El Mal” and “Mi Camino,” Pharrell Williams’ “Piece by Piece,” Elton John and Brandi Carlile’s “Never Too Late,” Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “Tell Me It’s You,” Maren Morris’ “Kiss the Sky,” Lainey Wilson’s “Out of Oklahoma,” Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’ “Compress/Repress,” and Diane Warren’s “The Journey.”
Better Man is set for a limited release on Dec. 25, followed by a wide release on Jan. 10. The film explores Williams’ life and features him being portrayed by a computer-generated monkey. It was co-written, produced, and directed by Michael Gracey.
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