Peter Jackson - The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Leads Saturn Awards Nominations

The Lord of the Rings prequel is up for the Best Fantasy prize alongside The Amazing Spider-Man, Life of Pi and Snow White and the Huntsman, while Jackson is shortlisted in the Best Director category with Christopher Nolan (The Dark Knight Rises), Joss Whedon (The Avengers) and Ang Lee (Life of Pi).

Best Picture Oscar favourites Argo and Zero Dark Thirty make unexpected appearances among the Best Horror/Thriller nominees - a group which also features The Impossible, The Woman in Black, Seven Psychopaths and The Cabin in the Woods, while hit movie musical Les Miserables has earned a surprise mention as a contender for the Best Action/Adventure honour. The other nominees in that category are The Bourne Legacy, The Dark Knight Rises, Django Unchained, Skyfall and Taken 2.

In the Tv categories, Fringe scored six nominations, just ahead of Dexter with five, while Breaking Bad, Falling Skies, Revolution and The Walking Dead are also among the frontrunners.

The Saturn Awards, compiled by officials from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films, will be announced at a Hollywood ceremony in June (13).