Christopher Nolan Honors Heath Ledger During Golden Globes Director Speech as Robert Downey Jr. Tears Up

Bradley Cooper, Greta Gerwig, Yorgos Lanthimos, Martin Scorsese and Celine Song were also in the running for best director at the 2024 Golden Globes

The 2024 Golden Globes have selected their winner for best director of a motion picture: Christopher Nolan for Oppenheimer.

Also in the running were filmmakers Bradley Cooper for Maestro, Greta Gerwig for Barbie, Yorgos Lanthimos for Poor Things, Martin Scorsese for Killers of the Flower Moon and Celine Song for Past Lives.

In his acceptance speech, Nolan, 53, recalled of the year his 2008 film The Dark Knight was up for awards, "The only time I've ever been on this stage before was accepting one of these on behalf of our dear friend, [the late] Heath Ledger, and that was complicated and challenging for me."

"And in the middle of speaking, I looked down at Robert Downey Jr., [who] caught my eye and gave me a look of support. The same look [he's] giving me now — the same love and support he showed so many people in your community over the years," added Nolan.

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Nolan blasted his way into this year’s Globes with his fifth and sixth overall nominations for directing Oppenheimer and adapting its screenplay from Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin’s J. Robert Oppenheimer biography American Prometheus.

Now the highest-grossing biopic of all time, Oppenheimer has made Globe-winning cast members Downey Jr., 58, and Cillian Murphy, plus nominee Emily Blunt, shoo-ins for acting honors this awards season.

Without adjusting for inflation, the film is Nolan’s most lucrative global release since 2012’s The Dark Knight Rises, which surpassed the global $1 billion threshold.

Related: Leonard Bernstein's Daughter on 'Surreal' Experience Seeing Maestro Film About Her Family: 'What a Ride'

Cooper has brought his overall Golden Globe nomination tally to six thanks to Leonard Bernstein biopic Maestro, which follows the famed composer’s complicated marriage with Felicia Montealegre Bernstein (played by fellow nominee Carey Mulligan).

Just like with 2019’s Lady Gaga-starring A Star Is Born, Cooper, 49, notched Globe nods for both directing and acting in Maestro (a feat that, with A Star Is Born, he repeated at the subsequent Oscars).

He also co-wrote the script with Josh Singer, produced the film alongside Scorsese, Steven Spielberg and more and trained extensively to capture Bernstein’s magnetic composing skills.

Related: Greta Gerwig Had 'Big Meeting' to Defend Keeping Ryan Gosling's 'I'm Just Ken' Dance Scene in Barbie

Barbie helmer Gerwig, 40, didn’t just come into this year’s Golden Globes strong — envisioning 2023’s biggest box office hit, riding the biggest buzz of her Hollywood career and nabbing nominations for both directing and co-writing with husband Noah Baumbach.

She also bears the rare distinction of a behind-the-camera Globe nominee who has also been recognized for acting; in 2014 the filmmaker earned her first of four nods for leading Frances Ha.

Gerwig and producer-star Margot Robbie are poised to continue their winning streak all the way to the Academy Awards. Plus, among Barbie’s tally of nine Golden Globe nods is a brand-new category in 2024: cinematic and box office achievement.

Related: Poor Things Director on Why Emma Stone Didn't 'Shy Away from' Sex Scenes: 'She Had to Be Free'

Lanthimos, 50, continues to bring his oddball sensibilities to Hollywood with the awe-inspiring Poor Things, a Frankenstein’s monster-esque tale about a revivified woman (Globe winner Emma Stone) discovering the world’s pleasures.

Though this marks his first Globe nod, Lanthimos has made it onto countless awards shortlists for The Lobster and The Favourite, and has notched three Oscar nominations so far. 

Related: Killers of the Flower Moon Cast Discuss Using 'Authentic' Osage Language in New Clip (Exclusive)

Scorsese leads his fellow writing and directing Golden Globe nominees in recognition from the awards body. The 81-year-old’s Globe tally, which stretches back to 1981 for Raging Bull, now includes 12 nods, three directing wins and a special Cecil B. DeMille Award in 2010.

He’s also directed a remarkable amount of performances that have earned Hollywood’s top awards, especially from Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio.

Both star in Killers of the Flower Moon, Scorsese’s brutal retelling of a dark chapter in American history: the serial killings of members of the Osage Nation in 1920s Oklahoma.

Related: Christopher Nolan and Celine Song to Be Honored at 2024 Sundance Film Festival Opening Night Gala

Not only is Song, 36, being anointed by the Golden Globes for the first time for both directing and writing Past Lives — it’s also her feature directorial debut. The story of a South Korean expat (Globe nominee Greta Lee) has dominated indie awards lists this season, taking home the Gotham Awards’ top prize.

Past Lives, which costars Teo Yoo and John Magaro, was also recognized by the Globes in their drama motion picture and non-English language motion picture categories.

Barbie led the film nominations with nine total, followed by Oppenheimer with eight and both Killers of the Flower Moon and Poor Things with seven. In television categories, Succession's final season also totaled nine nods, followed by The Bear and Only Murders in the Building, with five nods.

See PEOPLE's full coverage of the 81st annual Golden Globes as they're broadcasting live from The Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles on CBS and Paramount+.

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