LOS ANGELES: Dark comedy “Birdman” boosted its Oscars hopes Sunday after landing the top prize at the 21st Screen Actors Guild Awards, a barometer of likely success at the all-important Academy Awards.

The film about a washed up superhero movie star attempting to revive his career on Broadway took the SAG equivalent of the Oscars best picture with victory in the outstanding performance by a cast category.

The comedy emerged victorious ahead of coming-of-age drama “Boyhood,” Wes Anderson’s screwball caper “The Grand Budapest Hotel,” World War II drama “The Imitation Game” and the Stephen Hawking biopic “The Theory of Everything.”

The honor for “Birdman” came just 24 hours after Mexican director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu’s film scooped the top prize at the Producers Guild of America awards, another significant Oscars bellwether.

The victory leaves the film on pole position heading into next month’s Academy Awards, which will be handed out in Hollywood on Feb. 22.

In the acting honors, Britain’s Eddie Redmayne thrust himself into Oscars contention by winning the best actor award for his portrayal of stricken physicist Hawking in “The Theory of Everything.”

Redmayne, 33, beat out competition from Michael Keaton (“Birdman“), seen by many as a favorite, Benedict Cumberbatch (“The Imitation Game“), Steve Carell (“Foxcatcher“) and Jake Gyllenhaal (“Nightcrawler“).

In his acceptance speech, Redmayne paid tribute to the wheelchair-bound Hawking, who suffers from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

“Thank you for allowing someone who gave up science when they were 14 years old to enter your orbit,” Redmayne said.

“And thank you for reminding me of the overwhelming power of the will to love and the will to live every second of your life as fully and as passionately as possible.”

Perennial Hollywood favorite Julianne Moore, who has swept most of the awards season honors for her portrayal of a woman suffering from Alzheimer’s in “Still Alice,” took the best actress prize.