LOS ANGELES - The Batman blockbuster "The Dark Knight," slighted in earlier Hollywood honors, was among best-picture nominees Monday for the Producers Guild of America Awards.

Other best-picture nominees were Brad Pitt's romantic fantasy "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," Ron Howard's Richard Nixon saga "Frost/Nixon," Sean Penn's Harvey Milk film biography "Milk" and Danny Boyle's rags-to-riches tale "Slumdog Millionaire."

Hollywood's biggest blockbuster in a decade and one of the year's most-acclaimed films, "The Dark Knight" missed out on a best-picture slot for Sunday's Golden Globes and was overlooked for an ensemble cast nomination at the Screen Actors Guild Awards.

The Producers Guild lineup generally is a close match of best-picture nominees for the Academy Awards. The guild picks could give "The Dark Knight" and other contenders a last-minute nudge for the Oscars, whose nomination balloting closes Jan. 12. Oscar nominations will be announced Jan. 22.

Nominated for best animated feature by the Producers Guild were the dog tale "Bolt," the martial-arts comedy "Kung Fu Panda" and the robot adventure "WALL-E."

Contenders for television comedy: "Curb Your Enthusiasm," "Entourage," "The Office, "30 Rock" and "Weeds." The TV drama nominees: "Boston Legal," "Damages," "Dexter," "Lost" and "Mad Men."

Winners will be announced at a Jan. 24 ceremony in Hollywood.

Other nominees:

Best documentary: "Man on Wire," "Standard Operating Procedure" and "Trouble the Water."

Long-form television: "24: Redemption," "Bernard and Doris," "John Adams," "A Raisin in the Sun" and "Recount."

Nonfiction television: "Deadliest Catch," "Frontline," "Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List," "60 Minutes" and "This American Life."

Live TV and competition programs: "The Amazing Race," "The Colbert Report," "Project Runway," "Top Chef" and "Real Time with Bill Maher."