A song from the Robbie Williams biopic “Better Man” has been disqualified from the Oscars after the song landed on the shortlist of 15 Best Original Song contenders last week.
The song, “Forbidden Road,” which was written by Williams, Sacha Skarbek, and Freddy Wexler, was found to have incorporated “material from an existing song that was not written for this film,” according to a note sent to members of the Academy’s Music Branch from the branch’s executive committee (and obtained by IndieWire).
The executive committee reviewed materials for the song and determined it doesn’t meet eligibility for this year’s Oscars and was deemed ineligible for award consideration.
An insider tells IndieWire the Academy’s decision is final without the chance for an appeal and another song will not be added on the shortlist to replace it. Voters in the category will instead choose from the remaining 14 songs on the list once voting kicks off on January 8.
“This is a decision that both honors our rules and protects the special nature of the Original Song and Score categories,” the executive branch wrote in the letter sent to the 400+ music branch members on Friday morning.
“Forbidden Road,” an acoustic ballad (listen to it here), has a melody that’s similar to “I Got a Name,” a song performed by Jim Croce for the 1973 film “The Last American Hero.” Charles Fox, who co-wrote “I Got a Name” with Norman Gimbel, is one of the three governors in the Academy’s music branch.
Reps for the songwriters and for Paramount, which distributes “Better Man,” did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“Better Man,” which is a musical biopic on the life of British pop icon Robbie Williams, but reimagines him as a CGI chimpanzee, opens in limited release on Christmas Day and nationwide on January 10. The soundtrack for the film, which contains “Forbidden Road,” will be made available digitally on December 27.