The 42nd Saturn Awards, presented by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films and honoring the best in science fiction, fantasy, horror, and other genres in film, television, home entertainment, and local theatre in 2015 and early 2016, were held on June 22, 2016, in Burbank, California, and hosted by actor John Barrowman. Nominations were announced on February 24, 2016. This ceremony featured several major changes on the television side, with all "Best Television Series" categories being replaced by new ones, with the exception of Best Superhero Adaptation Television Series.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens became the most nominated film in Saturn Award history, with nominations in all 13 categories it was eligible for (except Best Performance by a Younger Actor). With double nominations for both Best Actor (John Boyega and Harrison Ford) and Best Supporting Actress (Carrie Fisher and Lupita Nyong'o), The Force Awakens received a total of fifteen nominations, followed by Mad Max: Fury Road with ten (including a nomination in a "Home Entertainment" category) and Crimson Peak with nine. The Walking Dead led the nominations for television for the second year in a row with seven, including triple nominations for Best Supporting Actress on Television (Tovah Feldshuh, Danai Gurira, and Melissa McBride); Game of Thrones and Hannibal followed with five nominations each.
For film, Star Wars: The Force Awakens won the most awards with eight, including Best Science Fiction Film, Best Actor for Harrison Ford, and John Williams' eighth win for Best Music, with Crimson Peak being the only other film to score multiple wins with three, including Best Horror Film. For television, The Walking Dead won the most awards for the second year in a row with three wins, including the inaugural Best Horror Television Series and Chandler Riggs becoming the first individual to win Best Performance by a Younger Actor on Television twice; Hannibal and Outlander followed with two wins each.
Additionally, eight individuals earned double nominations: J. J. Abrams, Guillermo del Toro, Alex Garland, George Miller, and Colin Trevorrow were all nominated for both Best Director and Best Writing, with only Abrams winning for writing, while Neal Scanlan received nominations for both Best Make-up and Best Special Effects for The Force Awakens, winning both. Lastly, both Gillian Anderson and Jessica Chastain were the only acting nominees to receive two nominations for different works, with only the latter winning one: Best Supporting Actress for Crimson Peak.
Overview
Film Star Wars: The Force Awakens won eight awards, tying The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) as the second most award-winning film at the Saturn Awards, behind Avatar (2009), which won ten awards at the 36th Saturn Awards in 2010. The Force Awakens wins were for Best Science Fiction Film, Best Actor for Harrison Ford, Best Supporting Actor for Adam Driver, Best Writing (Lawrence Kasdan, J. J. Abrams, and Michael Arndt), Best Editing, Best Make-up, Best Music, and Best Special Effects.
This was only the second time a trio won Best Writing: Kasdan had already won the award for Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) and had received nominations for two other Star Wars films: The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Return of the Jedi (1983). It was also the first win in the category for both Abrams and Arndt, who had both been nominated once before; Abrams had also won Best Director four years earlier for Super 8 (2011) and would go on to win five years later for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019). Ford had previously won Best Actor for Raiders and had already been nominated for playing his Star Wars character, Han Solo, at the 5th Saturn Awards in 1978.
Crimson Peak was the only other film to secure multiple wins: Best Horror Film, Best Supporting Actress for Jessica Chastain, and Best Production Design. This was Chastain's first win and fifth nomination, including her Best Actress nomination the same year for The Martian.
Eleven features won a single award: Ant-Man, Bridge of Spies, Cinderella, Furious 7, Inside Out, Room, and Turbo Kid won the other "Best Film" categories. Furthermore, The Martian won Best Director (Ridley Scott's first win since Alien at the 7th Saturn Awards in 1980), Mad Max: Fury Road won Best Actress for Charlize Theron (her first win and fifth nomination), Jurassic World won Best Performance by a Younger Actor for Ty Simpkins, and Avengers: Age of Ultron won Best Costume Design (Alexandra Byrne's second win).
Television This year, the Saturn Awards introduced several new "Best Television Series" categories, replacing older ones: the fourth and final season of Continuum won the inaugural Best Science Fiction Television Series, winning its first and only Saturn Award after ten nominations overall. The second half of Outlanders first season (the first half having been aired the previous year) won the inaugural Best Fantasy Television Series, with its lead actress Caitríona Balfe winning Best Actress on Television for the second year in a row; Balfe would go on to win a third in 2021.
The Walking Dead, which had won the "Best Television Series" award it was nominated for all of its previous seasons (Best Television Presentation in 2011 and 2012, and Best Syndicated/Cable Television Series in 2013, 2014, and 2015), continued its long winning streak by winning the inaugural Best Horror Television Series. The series also won Best Supporting Actress in Television for Danai Gurira, while Chandler Riggs became the first performer to win Best Performance by a Younger Actor on Television twice; Riggs would go on to win a third in 2018, surpassing his own record. Hannibal concluded its own winning streak by winning Best Action / Thriller Television Series for its third and final season, after winning Best Network Television Series in 2014 and 2015. Its guest star Richard Armitage won Best Supporting Actor on Television, a year after winning Best Supporting Actor in a Film for The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies.
The Flash won Best Superhero Adaptation Television Series, its second win in the same category, after winning the inaugural award the previous year, while Daredevil won the inaugural Best New Media Television Series.
Other award-winning programs were Haven winning Best Guest Starring Role on Television for William Shatner (his second win after Best Actor in a Film for Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan at the 10th Saturn Awards in 1983), and Doctor Who, which won Best Television Presentation for its Christmas special "The Husbands of River Song". Although it is the first win in the category for the series itself, the eponymous 1996 film, which is a part of a common chronology, had won as well. Lastly, Ash vs Evil Dead won Best Actor on Television for Bruce Campbell, making it the third installment of the Evil Dead franchise to win a Saturn Award after The Evil Dead (1981) and Army of Darkness (1992).
Winners and nominees
Film Best Science Fiction Film Best Fantasy Film Star Wars: The Force Awakens Ex Machina Jurassic World Mad Max: Fury Road The Martian Terminator Genisys Cinderella The Age of Adaline Baahubali: The Beginning Goosebumps The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 Ted 2 Best Horror Film Best Thriller Film Crimson Peak Insidious: Chapter 3 It Follows Krampus The Visit What We Do in the Shadows Bridge of Spies Black Mass The Gift The Hateful Eight Mr. Holmes Sicario Best Action / Adventure Film Best International Film Furious 7 Everest Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation The Revenant Spectre Spy Turbo Kid Goodnight Mommy The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared Labyrinth of Lies Legend The Wave Best Comic-to-Film Motion Picture Best Animated Film Ant-Man Attack on Titan – Part 1 Avengers: Age of Ultron Kingsman: The Secret Service The Peanuts Movie Inside Out Anomalisa The Good Dinosaur Kung Fu Panda 3 Minions When Marnie Was There Best Director Best Writing Ridley Scott – The Martian J. J. Abrams – Star Wars: The Force Awakens Guillermo del Toro – Crimson Peak Alex Garland – Ex Machina George Miller – Mad Max: Fury Road Peyton Reed – Ant-Man Colin Trevorrow – Jurassic World Lawrence Kasdan, J. J. Abrams, and Michael Arndt – Star Wars: The Force Awakens Guillermo del Toro and Matthew Robbins – Crimson Peak Alex Garland – Ex Machina Drew Goddard – The Martian Jane Goldman and Matthew Vaughn – Kingsman: The Secret Service Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver, Derek Connolly, and Colin Trevorrow – Jurassic World George Miller, Brendan McCarthy, and Nico Lathouris – Mad Max: Fury Road Best Actor Best Actress Harrison Ford – Star Wars: The Force Awakens as Han Solo John Boyega – Star Wars: The Force Awakens as Finn Matt Damon – The Martian as Mark Watney Leonardo DiCaprio – The Revenant as Hugh Glass Taron Egerton – Kingsman: The Secret Service as Gary "Eggsy" Unwin Domhnall Gleeson – Ex Machina as Caleb Smith Samuel L. Jackson – The Hateful Eight as Major Marquis Warren Paul Rudd – Ant-Man as Scott Lang / Ant-Man Charlize Theron – Mad Max: Fury Road as Imperator Furiosa Emily Blunt – Sicario as Kate Macer Jessica Chastain – The Martian as Melissa Lewis Blake Lively – The Age of Adaline as Adaline Bowman Daisy Ridley – Star Wars: The Force Awakens as Rey Mia Wasikowska – Crimson Peak as Edith Cushing Best Supporting Actor Best Supporting Actress Adam Driver – Star Wars: The Force Awakens as Kylo Ren Paul Bettany – Avengers: Age of Ultron as J.A.R.V.I.S. / Vision Michael Douglas – Ant-Man as Dr. Hank Pym Walton Goggins – The Hateful Eight as Sheriff Chris Mannix Simon Pegg – Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation as Benji Dunn Michael Shannon – 99 Homes as Rick Carver Jessica Chastain – Crimson Peak as Lady Lucille Sharpe Carrie Fisher – Star Wars: The Force Awakens as General Leia Organa Evangeline Lilly – Ant-Man as Hope van Dyne Lupita Nyong'o – Star Wars: The Force Awakens as Maz Kanata Tamannaah Bhatia – Baahubali: The Beginning as Avanthika Alicia Vikander – Ex Machina as Ava Best Performance by a Younger Actor Best Music Ty Simpkins – Jurassic World as Gray Mitchell Olivia DeJonge – The Visit as Becca James Freedson-Jackson – Cop Car as Travis Milo Parker – Mr. Holmes as Roger Elias Schwarz and Lukas Schwarz – Goodnight Mommy as Elias and Lukas Jacob Tremblay – Room as Jack Newsome John Williams – Star Wars: The Force Awakens Tom Holkenborg – Mad Max: Fury Road Jóhann Jóhannsson – Sicario M. M. Keeravani – Baahubali: The Beginning Ennio Morricone – The Hateful Eight Fernando Velázquez – Crimson Peak Best Editing Best Production Design Star Wars: The Force Awakens – Maryann Brandon and Mary Jo Markey Ant-Man – Dan Lebental and Colby Parker Jr. Furious 7 – Christian Wagner, Dylan Highsmith, Kirk Morri, and Leigh Folsom Boyd Jurassic World – Kevin Stitt Kingsman: The Secret Service – Eddie Hamilton and Jon Harris Mad Max: Fury Road – Margaret Sixel | valign="top" | Crimson Peak – Thomas E. Sanders Baahubali: The Beginning – Sabu Cyril Jurassic World – Ed Verreaux Mad Max: Fury Road – Colin Gibson Star Wars: The Force Awakens – Rick Carter and Darren Gilford Tomorrowland – Scott Chambliss |- ! style="background:#EEDD82; width:50%" | Best Costume Design ! style="background:#EEDD82; width:50%" | Best Make-up |- | valign="top" | Avengers: Age of Ultron – Alexandra Byrne Baahubali: The Beginning – Rama Rajamouli and Prashanti Tipirneni Cinderella – Sandy Powell Crimson Peak – Kate Hawley Kingsman: The Secret Service – Arianne Phillips Star Wars: The Force Awakens – Michael Kaplan | valign="top" | Star Wars: The Force Awakens – Neal Scanlan Black Mass – Joel Harlow and Kenny Niederbaumer Crimson Peak – David Martí, Montse Ribé, and Xavi Bastida The Hateful Eight – Greg Nicotero, Howard Berger, and Heba Thorisdottir Mad Max: Fury Road – Damian Martin and Nadine Prigge