{"id":339274,"date":"2026-03-20T14:34:09","date_gmt":"2026-03-20T14:34:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/339274\/"},"modified":"2026-03-20T14:34:09","modified_gmt":"2026-03-20T14:34:09","slug":"a-way-too-early-preview-of-the-2027-best-picture-oscar-race","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/339274\/","title":{"rendered":"A Way-Too-Early Preview of the 2027 Best Picture Oscar Race"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a class=\"ui-rounded-5xl ui-w-fit ui-items-center motion-safe:ui-transition-colors ui-font-gt-america ui-py-2.5 ui-px-4 ui-text-body-md-medium ui-text-white ui-bg-white\/10 ui-border-white ui-backdrop-blur-[3px] hover:ui-bg-white hover:ui-text-black ui-hidden lg:ui-flex\" data-sentry-element=\"Comp\" data-sentry-component=\"Tag\" data-sentry-source-file=\"tag.tsx\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theringer.com\/topic\/oscars\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Oscars<\/a><a class=\"ui-rounded-5xl ui-w-fit ui-items-center motion-safe:ui-transition-colors ui-font-gt-america ui-py-2 ui-px-3 ui-text-body-sm-medium ui-text-white ui-bg-white\/10 ui-border-white ui-backdrop-blur-[3px] hover:ui-bg-white hover:ui-text-black ui-flex lg:ui-hidden\" data-sentry-element=\"Comp\" data-sentry-component=\"Tag\" data-sentry-source-file=\"tag.tsx\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theringer.com\/topic\/oscars\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Oscars<\/a>Congratulations to \u2018One Battle After Another.\u2019 It\u2019s now time to begin preparing for another stacked year of contenders.<img alt=\"\" data-sentry-element=\"Image\" data-sentry-source-file=\"article-hero.tsx\" loading=\"eager\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"fill\" class=\"ui-object-cover ui-rounded-4xl\" style=\"position:absolute;height:100%;width:100%;left:0;top:0;right:0;bottom:0;object-position:52% 25%;color:transparent\"   src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1774017248_359_image.jpeg\"\/>Getty Images\/Ringer illustration<a data-sentry-element=\"Link\" data-sentry-source-file=\"article-info-block.tsx\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theringer.com\/creator\/julianna-ress\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img alt=\"\" data-sentry-element=\"Image\" data-sentry-source-file=\"article-info-block.tsx\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"56\" height=\"56\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"ui-object-cover h-full w-full rounded-full border grayscale ui-border ui-border-black\" style=\"color:transparent;object-position:50% 50%\"  src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1774017248_221_image.jpeg\"\/><\/a>By <a class=\"text-body-md-medium lg:text-body-lg-medium hover:opacity-70\" data-sentry-element=\"Link\" data-sentry-source-file=\"article-info-block.tsx\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theringer.com\/creator\/julianna-ress\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Julianna Ress<\/a>March 20, 12:18 pm UTC \u2022 15 min<\/p>\n<p data-sentry-element=\"Text\" data-sentry-component=\"Component\" data-sentry-source-file=\"paragraph.tsx\" class=\"motion-safe:ui-transition-colors ui-text-black motion-safe:transition-colors\">We\u2019ve reached the final edition of Statue Season. After tracking the closest races, the winningest narratives, and all of the plain old movie magic that led up to the 98th Oscars, we finally saw One Battle After Another take home the Academy\u2019s top prize last Sunday night. But before we say goodbye to awards season, let\u2019s take a way-too-early look ahead at what movies might be in next year\u2019s Best Picture race.<\/p>\n<p data-sentry-element=\"Text\" data-sentry-component=\"Component\" data-sentry-source-file=\"paragraph.tsx\" class=\"motion-safe:ui-transition-colors ui-text-black motion-safe:transition-colors\">After an <a href=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/2026\/film\/columns\/oscars-march-date-too-late-1236677075\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">unusually long awards season<\/a> in which a number of key races came down to the wire, you might be ready to click out of Gold Derby and take a much-needed break from the Oscars. Or, if you\u2019re anything like me, you might already be wondering what the One Battle After Another vs. Sinners of 2027 will be. The Odyssey vs. Dune: Part Three? Digger vs. the eventual Neon-distributed Palme d\u2019Or winner? A five-way battle of all the movies Anne Hathaway is starring in? 2026 already looks to be packed with films that have Oscar glory in their sights\u2014with everyone from Steven Spielberg to Aaron Sorkin to Luca Guadagnino hoping to follow in Paul Thomas Anderson\u2019s footsteps. Here\u2019s a comprehensive guide to the movies we\u2019re tracking in the Best Picture race for the 2027 Academy Awards.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The Locks<\/p>\n<p data-sentry-element=\"Text\" data-sentry-component=\"Component\" data-sentry-source-file=\"paragraph.tsx\" class=\"motion-safe:ui-transition-colors ui-text-black motion-safe:transition-colors\">The Odyssey (dir. Christopher Nolan)<br \/>Dune: Part Three (dir. Denis Villeneuve)<br \/>Disclosure Day (dir. Steven Spielberg)<\/p>\n<p data-sentry-element=\"Text\" data-sentry-component=\"Component\" data-sentry-source-file=\"paragraph.tsx\" class=\"motion-safe:ui-transition-colors ui-text-black motion-safe:transition-colors\">If all three of these hit with critics and audiences, this blockbuster Best Picture triumvirate will make One Battle After Another vs. Sinners look like Thursday Night Football. Outside of movies featuring Marvel and Star Wars characters (two franchises you will not find on this list), these are the three most anticipated releases of the year.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p data-sentry-element=\"Text\" data-sentry-component=\"Component\" data-sentry-source-file=\"paragraph.tsx\" class=\"motion-safe:ui-transition-colors ui-text-black motion-safe:transition-colors\">The Odyssey is Christopher Nolan\u2019s follow-up to Oppenheimer, which dominated the 2023-24 awards season and won Best Picture. Like Oppenheimer, The Odyssey is scheduled for the peak of summer blockbuster season and has an absurdly stacked cast including Anne Hathaway (one of her five roles in 2026), Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson, Zendaya, Charlize Theron, Jon Bernthal, and Matt Damon leading the film as Odysseus. (And also, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gq.com\/story\/the-odyssey-christopher-nolan-travis-scott\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Travis Scott is in it?<\/a> Wonder how close <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cosmopolitan.com\/entertainment\/celebs\/a70768030\/timothee-chalamet-travis-scott-oscars-party-run-in\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">he and Timoth\u00e9e Chalamet<\/a> will be seated at next year\u2019s Oscars.)\u00a0<\/p>\n<p data-sentry-element=\"Text\" data-sentry-component=\"Component\" data-sentry-source-file=\"paragraph.tsx\" class=\"motion-safe:ui-transition-colors ui-text-black motion-safe:transition-colors\">Speaking of Chalamet, the first Dune: Part Three trailer dropped on Tuesday to much excitement, and it also featured some crossover with the Odyssey cast\u2014including <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/DiscussingFilm\/status\/2033943430770954379?s=20\" rel=\"nofollow\">Pattinson as some kind of weird little oddball<\/a>, a role we can assume he\u2019ll excel at (and surely he\u2019ll use <a href=\"https:\/\/decider.com\/2022\/05\/13\/robert-pattinson-accents-ranked-by-how-bizarre\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">an accent none of us are prepared to hear<\/a>). The only roadblock ahead for Paul Atreides and Co. is that Dune: Part Three is currently slated to open against Avengers: Doomsday on December 18 (my thoughts are already with the multiplex employees who will be working that weekend), which could dip into Dune\u2019s box office returns. Nevertheless, the Dune films have been auto-noms in the Best Picture field, and even though the franchise doesn\u2019t have many statuettes to show for it, Part Three is being sold as the \u201cepic conclusion\u201d to the saga and could definitely have a Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King\u2013esque coronation ahead of it.<\/p>\n<p data-sentry-element=\"Text\" data-sentry-component=\"Component\" data-sentry-source-file=\"paragraph.tsx\" class=\"motion-safe:ui-transition-colors ui-text-black motion-safe:transition-colors\">Steven Spielberg\u2019s Disclosure Day should be just as much of a guarantee\u2014I mean, come on, it\u2019s Spielberg plus aliens! That\u2019s one of cinema\u2019s undefeated combos. But while Spielberg is still a regular at the Oscars (The Fabelmans, West Side Story, and The Post are some of his recent Best Picture nominees), his last miss with the Academy was Ready Player One, which garnered only a Best Visual Effects nomination despite an impressive box office showing. The Academy might just prefer Spielberg\u2019s more traditional prestige dramas these days. But, at the very least, Disclosure Day does appear to have greater awards bona fides than Ready Player One did\u2014it\u2019s got a great cast featuring Josh O\u2019Connor, who\u2019s coming off a fantastic 2025 and is zeroing in on his first Oscar nomination, as well as Emily Blunt and Colman Domingo, both of whom were nominated recently; it\u2019s also slated for a summer release rather than spring. If it does all come together for Disclosure Day, expect the cinephile in your life to be delighted to see Spielberg\u2019s UFOs back in the Oscars race.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p data-sentry-element=\"Text\" data-sentry-component=\"Component\" data-sentry-source-file=\"paragraph.tsx\" class=\"motion-safe:ui-transition-colors ui-text-black motion-safe:transition-colors\">\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Already on the Academy\u2019s Radar<\/p>\n<p data-sentry-element=\"Text\" data-sentry-component=\"Component\" data-sentry-source-file=\"paragraph.tsx\" class=\"motion-safe:ui-transition-colors ui-text-black motion-safe:transition-colors\">Digger (dir. Alejandro G. I\u00f1\u00e1rritu)<br \/>Wild Horse Nine (dir. Martin McDonagh)<br \/>Josephine (dir. Beth de Ara\u00fajo)<br \/>Project Hail Mary (dir. Phil Lord and Christopher Miller)<br \/>Werwulf (dir. Robert Eggers)\u00a0<\/p>\n<p data-sentry-element=\"Text\" data-sentry-component=\"Component\" data-sentry-source-file=\"paragraph.tsx\" class=\"motion-safe:ui-transition-colors ui-text-black motion-safe:transition-colors\">Digger is my single biggest question mark of 2026. The black comedy will <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theringer.com\/2025\/05\/28\/movies\/tom-cruise-mission-impossible-final-reckoning-oscar-next-movie-pta\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">star Tom Cruise in his first nonaction role<\/a> in over a decade, after reports in early 2024 stated that \u201che\u2019d like to return to working with auteurs like Paul Thomas Anderson\u201d and was angling for a role in Quentin Tarantino\u2019s new movie before it was scrapped. He ended up with Alejandro G. I\u00f1\u00e1rritu, who may not be PTA or Tarantino but was a multi-time nominee in the 2010s with Birdman and The Revenant. Both films are remembered as pretty polarizing Oscar players, although the former nabbed Best Picture in 2014. And then I\u00f1\u00e1rritu followed those up in 2022 with Bardo, which got some of the worst reviews of his career.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p data-sentry-element=\"Text\" data-sentry-component=\"Component\" data-sentry-source-file=\"paragraph.tsx\" class=\"motion-safe:ui-transition-colors ui-text-black motion-safe:transition-colors\">But does it even matter if Digger is good? Cruise has been a huge advocate for the cinematic experience during the industry\u2019s most challenging times as it navigated the COVID-19 pandemic and the Hollywood strikes. Top Gun: Maverick was such a huge win for Hollywood that the Academy nominated it for Best Picture and, bafflingly, Best Adapted Screenplay. (There were also rumors at the time that Cruise was considered for a Best Actor nod, which would\u2019ve been wildly atypical for a stunt-heavy action role.) Cruise has his sights set on the Oscar win that has long eluded him, and the Academy would probably love to give it to him Plus, have you seen the Digger cast list? Supporting Cruise are Sandra H\u00fcller, John Goodman, Michael Stuhlbarg, Jesse Plemons, Riz Ahmed, Sophie Wilde, and Emma D\u2019Arcy\u2014a who\u2019s who of buzzy stars both past and present. Digger might have to be only halfway decent for the Academy to eat it up. It\u2019s also being distributed by Warner Bros., who could be looking for another big awards push between Digger and Dune after a banner 2025 featuring One Battle and Sinners.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p data-sentry-element=\"Text\" data-sentry-component=\"Component\" data-sentry-source-file=\"paragraph.tsx\" class=\"motion-safe:ui-transition-colors ui-text-black motion-safe:transition-colors\">Rounding out this tier are Project Hail Mary, which comes out this weekend and has been <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theringer.com\/2026\/03\/18\/movies\/project-hail-mary-hype-explained-amazon-big-budget-ryan-gosling-andy-weir-the-martian\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">the source of major hype<\/a> that could translate to awards consideration; Werwulf, gothic horror maestro Robert Eggers\u2019s follow-up to four-time Oscar nominee Nosferatu; and Josephine, the Gemma Chan\u2013 and Channing Tatum\u2013led indie that won the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theringer.com\/2026\/02\/02\/movies\/sundance-film-festival-2026-best-movies-catalog-highlights\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Sundance<\/a> in January. Last, we have Martin McDonagh\u2019s Wild Horse Nine\u2014McDonagh has become an Oscars regular for better (The Banshees of Inisherin) or worse (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri), so his new film will definitely be in awards conversations.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Picked Up by Neon (or Destined to Be)<\/p>\n<p data-sentry-element=\"Text\" data-sentry-component=\"Component\" data-sentry-source-file=\"paragraph.tsx\" class=\"motion-safe:ui-transition-colors ui-text-black motion-safe:transition-colors\">Fjord (dir. Cristian Mungiu)<br \/>All of a Sudden (dir. Ryusuke Hamaguchi)<br \/>A Place in Hell (dir. Chloe Domont)<br \/>Bucking Fastard (dir. Werner Herzog)<br \/>Parallel Tales (dir. Asghar Farhadi)<br \/>Sheep in the Box (dir. Hirokazu Kore-eda)<\/p>\n<p data-sentry-element=\"Text\" data-sentry-component=\"Component\" data-sentry-source-file=\"paragraph.tsx\" class=\"motion-safe:ui-transition-colors ui-text-black motion-safe:transition-colors\">The Cannes Film Festival lineup won\u2019t be announced until April 9, so while we don\u2019t yet know what will be in contention for the prestigious Palme d\u2019Or, we do know that Neon will be there with a checkbook and a dream. The indie studio has acquired the North American rights to the past six Palme winners and this year it distributed four of the five Best International Feature nominees at the Oscars, two of which (The Secret Agent and Sentimental Value) broke into the Best Picture field. Lucas Shaw of Bloomberg recently <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/news\/newsletters\/2026-03-16\/oscars-2026-how-much-neon-made-from-a-best-picture-oscar\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">reported<\/a> that Neon started turning a profit only in 2024, with its biggest expense by far being distributing and marketing its films. The company is willing to shell out in pursuit of awards recognition, which in turn has led to gains from physical sales as well as licensing its catalog to streaming services and TV networks after its movies leave theaters With its strategy finally starting to pay dividends, Neon will certainly look to bolster its reputation as the prestige destination for independent and international fare.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p data-sentry-element=\"Text\" data-sentry-component=\"Component\" data-sentry-source-file=\"paragraph.tsx\" class=\"motion-safe:ui-transition-colors ui-text-black motion-safe:transition-colors\">Neon has already picked up All of a Sudden, A Place in Hell, and Sheep in the Box. All of a Sudden is directed by Ryusuke Hamaguchi, who earned a Best Picture nod in 2022 with Drive My Car and nabbed Best International Feature. A Place in Hell is a thriller by Chloe Domont (Fair Play) that Neon snatched up back in May, and it stars Michelle Williams, Daisy Edgar-Jones, and Andrew Scott. Sheep in the Box is a sci-fi drama with an AI-related premise, directed by former Palme winner Hirokazu Kore-eda (Shoplifters), who has two films coming out this year\u00a0<\/p>\n<p data-sentry-element=\"Text\" data-sentry-component=\"Component\" data-sentry-source-file=\"paragraph.tsx\" class=\"motion-safe:ui-transition-colors ui-text-black motion-safe:transition-colors\">The rest of this tier are likely Cannes premieres. Cristian Mungiu is a former Palme winne returning with a family drama starring Renate Reinsve and Sebastian Stan, two recent Oscar nominees whose last costarring picture, A Different Man, was a fringe awards player in 2024-25. Bucking Fastard will be Werner Herzog\u2019s first feature since 2019, and it stars Kate and Rooney Mara as twin sisters, while Parallel Tales will be the latest effort from two-time Best International Feature winner Asghar Farhadi Of course, until we find out which films get <a href=\"https:\/\/www.indiewire.com\/gallery\/longest-cannes-standing-ovations-applause-ever\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">ridiculously long standing ovations at Cannes<\/a>, it\u2019s hard to know what else could emerge in this category. Just know that if a movie gets picked up by Neon, it\u2019s one to keep your eye on.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Sequels Associated With David Fincher<\/p>\n<p data-sentry-element=\"Text\" data-sentry-component=\"Component\" data-sentry-source-file=\"paragraph.tsx\" class=\"motion-safe:ui-transition-colors ui-text-black motion-safe:transition-colors\">The Social Reckoning (dir. Aaron Sorkin)<br \/>The Adventures of Cliff Booth (dir. David Fincher)<\/p>\n<p data-sentry-element=\"Text\" data-sentry-component=\"Component\" data-sentry-source-file=\"paragraph.tsx\" class=\"motion-safe:ui-transition-colors ui-text-black motion-safe:transition-colors\">David Fincher isn\u2019t technically involved in Aaron Sorkin\u2019s The Social Reckoning, but since it&#8217;s a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theringer.com\/2025\/06\/25\/movies\/why-are-they-making-social-network-part-ii-sequel-aaron-sorkin-jesse-eisenberg\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">companion piece to The Social Network<\/a>, Fincher comparisons will be inevitable. The Social Reckoning chronicles the 2021 Facebook leaks, which proved that the company was aware of misinformation and harmful content promoted on its platforms and exempted high-profile users from its rules. Jeremy Strong will portray Mark Zuckerberg, and after his hammy performances in The Apprentice and Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere, it\u2019s clear that Strong is in hot pursuit of an Oscar. Rounding out the cast are Mikey Madison, Jeremy Allen White, Bill Burr, and Wunmi Mosaku. I won\u2019t lie, this movie sounds kind of made up\u2014but it is happening! And while Sorkin\u2019s directing career has been spotty at best, his films have still regularly earned Oscar nominations (Being the Ricardos, The Trial of the Chicago 7, Molly&#8217;s Game). But Sorkin did write a fantastic script for the original Social Network, and he will be writing Reckoning in addition to directing\u2014maybe Zuckerberg just serves as his greatest muse?<\/p>\n<p data-sentry-element=\"Text\" data-sentry-component=\"Component\" data-sentry-source-file=\"paragraph.tsx\" class=\"motion-safe:ui-transition-colors ui-text-black motion-safe:transition-colors\">Fincher himself is turning his attention to The Adventures of Cliff Booth, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theringer.com\/2025\/04\/03\/movies\/once-upon-a-time-in-hollywood-sequel-quentin-tarantino-david-fincher\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">sequel<\/a> to Tarantino\u2019s Once Upon a Time \u2026 in Hollywood that\u2019s focused on Brad Pitt\u2019s character. Tarantino wrote the script but, as he still tries to nail down <a href=\"https:\/\/deadline.com\/2025\/08\/quentin-tarantino-why-pulled-plug-the-movie-critic-1236490046\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">his final directorial effort<\/a>, decided to pass the director\u2019s chair to Fincher. Again, I did not believe that this movie was really happening until I saw <a href=\"https:\/\/www.avclub.com\/cliff-booth-trailer-brad-pitt\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">that Super Bowl trailer<\/a> (and it actually didn\u2019t look half bad!). Once Upon a Time earned 10 Oscar nominations in 2020\u2014and won Pitt his first and only statuette\u2014so we have to consider this an awards player until proven otherwise. Or at least until Netflix, who is distributing the film, bungles the awards campaign. Speaking of \u2026\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><a aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"ui-overflow-hidden ui-flex-shrink-0 hover:ui-brightness-80 motion-safe:ui-transition-all ui-size-[7.5rem] ui-rounded-xl\" tabindex=\"-1\" type=\"button\" data-sentry-element=\"Link\" data-sentry-component=\"MediaImage\" data-sentry-source-file=\"image.tsx\" href=\"https:\/\/wp.theringer.com\/2025\/06\/25\/movies\/why-are-they-making-social-network-part-ii-sequel-aaron-sorkin-jesse-eisenberg\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img alt=\"\" data-sentry-element=\"Image\" data-sentry-source-file=\"image.tsx\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"120\" height=\"120\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"ui-object-cover ui-h-full\" style=\"color:transparent;object-position:44% 39%\"  src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1774017248_364_image.jpeg\"\/><\/a><a aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"ui-overflow-hidden ui-flex-shrink-0 hover:ui-brightness-80 motion-safe:ui-transition-all ui-size-[7.5rem] ui-rounded-xl\" tabindex=\"-1\" type=\"button\" data-sentry-element=\"Link\" data-sentry-component=\"MediaImage\" data-sentry-source-file=\"image.tsx\" href=\"https:\/\/wp.theringer.com\/2025\/04\/03\/movies\/once-upon-a-time-in-hollywood-sequel-quentin-tarantino-david-fincher\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img alt=\"\" data-sentry-element=\"Image\" data-sentry-source-file=\"image.tsx\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"120\" height=\"120\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"ui-object-cover ui-h-full\" style=\"color:transparent;object-position:49% 33%\"  src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1774017249_543_image.jpeg\"\/><\/a><a aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"ui-overflow-hidden ui-flex-shrink-0 hover:ui-brightness-80 motion-safe:ui-transition-all ui-size-[4.5rem] ui-rounded-md\" tabindex=\"-1\" type=\"button\" data-sentry-element=\"Link\" data-sentry-component=\"MediaImage\" data-sentry-source-file=\"image.tsx\" href=\"https:\/\/wp.theringer.com\/2025\/06\/25\/movies\/why-are-they-making-social-network-part-ii-sequel-aaron-sorkin-jesse-eisenberg\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img alt=\"\" data-sentry-element=\"Image\" data-sentry-source-file=\"image.tsx\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"72\" height=\"72\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"ui-object-cover ui-h-full\" style=\"color:transparent;object-position:44% 39%\"  src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1774017248_364_image.jpeg\"\/><\/a><a aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"ui-overflow-hidden ui-flex-shrink-0 hover:ui-brightness-80 motion-safe:ui-transition-all ui-size-[4.5rem] ui-rounded-md\" tabindex=\"-1\" type=\"button\" data-sentry-element=\"Link\" data-sentry-component=\"MediaImage\" data-sentry-source-file=\"image.tsx\" href=\"https:\/\/wp.theringer.com\/2025\/04\/03\/movies\/once-upon-a-time-in-hollywood-sequel-quentin-tarantino-david-fincher\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img alt=\"\" data-sentry-element=\"Image\" data-sentry-source-file=\"image.tsx\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"72\" height=\"72\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"ui-object-cover ui-h-full\" style=\"color:transparent;object-position:49% 33%\"  src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1774017249_543_image.jpeg\"\/><\/a>Could Get Nominated If They\u2019re Not Buried on Netflix<\/p>\n<p data-sentry-element=\"Text\" data-sentry-component=\"Component\" data-sentry-source-file=\"paragraph.tsx\" class=\"motion-safe:ui-transition-colors ui-text-black motion-safe:transition-colors\">Saturn Return (dir. Greg Kwedar)<br \/>Here Comes the Flood (dir. Fernando Meirelles)\u00a0<\/p>\n<p data-sentry-element=\"Text\" data-sentry-component=\"Component\" data-sentry-source-file=\"paragraph.tsx\" class=\"motion-safe:ui-transition-colors ui-text-black motion-safe:transition-colors\">Train Dreams was one of the biggest surprise Best Picture nominees of 2025\u2014it wasn\u2019t on a ton of prognosticators\u2019 radars until it surged right before nominations were announced, and it ended up landing four nods altogether. The film was the fourth collaboration between writer-director team Clint Bentley and Greg Kwedar, who trade credits between films and also earned a Best Adapted Screenplay nod in 2023 with Sing Sing. Their growing reputation with the Academy immediately puts their next movie, the romantic drama Saturn Return, on Oscar watch. It will also be their second film for Netflix after Train Dreams, and between <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theringer.com\/2026\/03\/03\/media\/paramount-warner-bros-discovery-larry-ellison-david-merger-netflix\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">attempting to buy a studio<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2025\/07\/07\/netflix-directors-streaming.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">signing big-name directors<\/a>, the company is still doggedly pursuing its first Best Picture Oscar.<\/p>\n<p data-sentry-element=\"Text\" data-sentry-component=\"Component\" data-sentry-source-file=\"paragraph.tsx\" class=\"motion-safe:ui-transition-colors ui-text-black motion-safe:transition-colors\">Here Comes the Flood, on the other hand, doesn\u2019t, on paper, appear to have the same awards aspirations\u2014but as a heist film starring Robert Pattinson and Denzel Washington, it might just be sick as hell. Plus, simply having Denzel in your movie often leads to some awards clout.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Biopics We Have to Consider<\/p>\n<p data-sentry-element=\"Text\" data-sentry-component=\"Component\" data-sentry-source-file=\"paragraph.tsx\" class=\"motion-safe:ui-transition-colors ui-text-black motion-safe:transition-colors\">Artificial (dir. Luca Guadagnino)<br \/>Being Heumann (dir. Sian Heder)<br \/>Ink (dir. Danny Boyle)<br \/>Tony (dir. Matt Johnson)<\/p>\n<p data-sentry-element=\"Text\" data-sentry-component=\"Component\" data-sentry-source-file=\"paragraph.tsx\" class=\"motion-safe:ui-transition-colors ui-text-black motion-safe:transition-colors\">There wasn\u2019t enough celebration about there not being a single biopic included in the 2026 Best Picture slate. The closest we got were Marty Supreme, which was inspired by a real ping-pong player but was largely an original story, and Hamnet, which was closer to Shakespeare fan fiction than it was to anything resembling a biography. That said, the next awards season will still have its fair share of biopics.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p data-sentry-element=\"Text\" data-sentry-component=\"Component\" data-sentry-source-file=\"paragraph.tsx\" class=\"motion-safe:ui-transition-colors ui-text-black motion-safe:transition-colors\">The only film in this slate that isn\u2019t based on someone audiences are likely familiar with is Being Heumann, which is about disability activist Judith Heumann. This will be CODA director Sian Heder\u2019s title defense after her film\u2019s anomalous Best Picture win in 2021: CODA is still the only streaming movie to win the Academy\u2019s top prize. Being Heumann will be another Apple distribution, with Ruth Madeley in the title role and Mark Ruffalo and Dylan O\u2019Brien in supporting parts\u00a0<\/p>\n<p data-sentry-element=\"Text\" data-sentry-component=\"Component\" data-sentry-source-file=\"paragraph.tsx\" class=\"motion-safe:ui-transition-colors ui-text-black motion-safe:transition-colors\">The other three in this tier will feature big and buzzy performances: Artificial will cover the controversial firing and rehiring of OpenAI\u2019s CEO in 2023, with Andrew Garfield starring as Sam Altman; Ink is about the newspaper rivalry that birthed Rupert Murdoch\u2019s empire, with Guy Pearce playing the media magnate; and Tony is about the life and career of Anthony Bourdain, as portrayed by The Holdovers\u2019 breakout Dominic Sessa These are huge personalities that people have very strong opinions about\u2014an Oscar had to have crossed these actors\u2019 minds when they accepted these roles. But these films will really have to hit to appeal to an Academy that\u2019s becoming less amenable to the biopic genre.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Might Be Relegated to the Acting Categories<\/p>\n<p data-sentry-element=\"Text\" data-sentry-component=\"Component\" data-sentry-source-file=\"paragraph.tsx\" class=\"motion-safe:ui-transition-colors ui-text-black motion-safe:transition-colors\">Cry to Heaven (dir. Tom Ford)<br \/>Prima Facie (dir. Susanna White)<br \/>Paper Tiger (dir. James Gray)<br \/>The Dog Stars (dir. Ridley Scott)<\/p>\n<p data-sentry-element=\"Text\" data-sentry-component=\"Component\" data-sentry-source-file=\"paragraph.tsx\" class=\"motion-safe:ui-transition-colors ui-text-black motion-safe:transition-colors\">Get ready to learn the difference between Nicholas Hoult, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and George MacKay because they\u2019re all in Tom Ford\u2019s ensemble historical drama, based on Anne Rice\u2019s novel Cry to Heaven. (Also featured in the cast: Colin Firth, Paul Bettany, Owen Cooper, Hunter Schafer, and \u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/2025\/film\/news\/adele-acting-debut-tom-ford-cry-to-heaven-1236579669\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Adele?!<\/a>) Elsewhere, Ridley Scott and James Gray both have the directorial clout to put their films on Best Picture watch, but neither have had much luck with the Academy lately. The A-list casts they put together, however, might turn some heads: Jacob Elordi, Josh Brolin, Margaret Qualley, Guy Pearce, and Benedict Wong helm the postapocalyptic The Dog Stars, while Adam Driver, Scarlett Johansson, and Miles Teller take on the family crime drama Paper Tiger. Prima Facie, based on the one-woman play that won Jodie Comer a Tony Award in 2023, could similarly operate as an awards vehicle for Cynthia Erivo, who stars in the film adaptation and will be looking to recover from the fallout of Wicked: For Good\u2019s Oscar shutout.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Long Shots We\u2019re Excited About<\/p>\n<p data-sentry-element=\"Text\" data-sentry-component=\"Component\" data-sentry-source-file=\"paragraph.tsx\" class=\"motion-safe:ui-transition-colors ui-text-black motion-safe:transition-colors\">I Love Boosters (dir. Boots Riley)<br \/>Look Back (dir. Hirokazu Kore-eda)<br \/>The Drama (dir. Kristoffer Borgli)\u00a0<br \/>Coyote vs. Acme (dir. Dave Green)<br \/>Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma (dir. Jane Schoenbrun)<\/p>\n<p data-sentry-element=\"Text\" data-sentry-component=\"Component\" data-sentry-source-file=\"paragraph.tsx\" class=\"motion-safe:ui-transition-colors ui-text-black motion-safe:transition-colors\">We\u2019re in purely hopeful territory here\u2014you\u2019re probably more likely to find these on your favorite critics\u2019 year-end lists than in the 2027 Oscar nomination slate. But I hope to be proved wrong! Between Boots Riley\u2019s colorful comeback, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theringer.com\/2024\/02\/12\/movies\/coyote-vs-acme-movie-canceled-new-yorker-article-news-warner-wbd-zaslav\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Coyote vs. Acme\u2019s escape from David Zaslav jail<\/a>, and The Drama\u2019s, well, drama, there\u2019s plenty to be excited about at the cinema in 2026, Oscars aside. But it wouldn\u2019t hurt if that excitement builds enough to warrant some attention from the Academy.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Starring Anne Hathaway<\/p>\n<p data-sentry-element=\"Text\" data-sentry-component=\"Component\" data-sentry-source-file=\"paragraph.tsx\" class=\"motion-safe:ui-transition-colors ui-text-black motion-safe:transition-colors\">Mother Mary (dir. David Lowery)<br \/>The Devil Wears Prada 2 (dir. David Frankel)<br \/>The End of Oak Street (dir. David Robert Mitchell)\u00a0<br \/>Verity (dir. Michael Showalter)<\/p>\n<p data-sentry-element=\"Text\" data-sentry-component=\"Component\" data-sentry-source-file=\"paragraph.tsx\" class=\"motion-safe:ui-transition-colors ui-text-black motion-safe:transition-colors\">Throw in The Odyssey, in which Hathaway takes on the role of Odysseus\u2019s wife, Penelope, and 2026 is bound to be a Hathaissance. I imagine she\u2019ll be running for a Best Supporting Actress nod for Nolan\u2019s film\u2014or maybe even aiming for lead depending on how big the part is\u2014but Mother Mary and The End of Oak Street also both have potential for a Weapons-esque awards push if they are well received this year. The former is a psychological thriller from the director of The Green Knight that assembles the cool girl Avengers: Michaela Coel, Hunter Schafer, FKA Twigs, and Kaia Gerber all have supporting parts. The latter is David Robert Mitchell\u2019s (It Follows, Under the Silver Lake) debut with a major studio\u2014a sci-fi flick coproduced and distributed by Warner Bros. If anything, Hathaway\u2019s prolific 2026 might just serve to bolster her Odyssey campaign, but it\u2019s also always fun to root for the rare double acting nomination\u2014<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/List_of_actors_nominated_for_multiple_Academy_Awards_in_the_same_year\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">it\u2019s happened only 12 times!<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The 2028 Oscars<\/p>\n<p data-sentry-element=\"Text\" data-sentry-component=\"Component\" data-sentry-source-file=\"paragraph.tsx\" class=\"motion-safe:ui-transition-colors ui-text-black motion-safe:transition-colors\">The Entertainment System Is Down (dir. Ruben Ostlund)<br \/>Jack of Spades (dir. Joel Coen)<br \/>Death of a Salesman (dir. Chinonye Chukwu)\u00a0<br \/>1949 (dir. Pawel Pawlikowski)<br \/>The Riders (dir. Edward Berger)<br \/>Behemoth! (dir. Tony Gilroy)<\/p>\n<p data-sentry-element=\"Text\" data-sentry-component=\"Component\" data-sentry-source-file=\"paragraph.tsx\" class=\"motion-safe:ui-transition-colors ui-text-black motion-safe:transition-colors\">If anyone out there is in an Oscars dynasty league\u2014first of all, how can I join? And second, these are some potential 2026 titles that might get pushed to 2027 and therefore could serve as good keepers. Of these, I\u2019m most excited for Jack of Spades, which teams up the more pensive Coen brother with Josh O\u2019Connor in what\u2019s been described as a \u201cGothic mystery\u201d that they shot in Scotland last fall. If the film does get slated for next year, back-to-back O\u2019Connor noms for Disclosure Day and Jack of Spades isn\u2019t a bad bet, either.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>LOL, What If These Get Nominated?\u00a0<\/p>\n<p data-sentry-element=\"Text\" data-sentry-component=\"Component\" data-sentry-source-file=\"paragraph.tsx\" class=\"motion-safe:ui-transition-colors ui-text-black motion-safe:transition-colors\">Narnia: The Magician\u2019s Nephew (dir. Greta Gerwig)<br \/>Untitled Jesse Eisenberg musical comedy<br \/>The Great Beyond (dir. J.J. Abrams)<br \/>Klara and the Sun (dir. Taika Waititi)<\/p>\n<p data-sentry-element=\"Text\" data-sentry-component=\"Component\" data-sentry-source-file=\"paragraph.tsx\" class=\"motion-safe:ui-transition-colors ui-text-black motion-safe:transition-colors\">I know many people underestimated Greta Gerwig\u2019s Barbie before it smashed at the box office and notched eight Academy Award nominations, and here I am possibly making the same mistake again. But I just don\u2019t know what to make of Gerwig\u2019s Narnia. This will be her first film since it was reported that she aspires to be a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newyorker.com\/magazine\/2023\/07\/10\/after-barbie-mattel-is-raiding-its-entire-toybox\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">\u201cbig studio director\u201d<\/a> and move away from the smaller-scale pictures she built her name on, yet Narnia is set for a Christmas release on Netflix\u2014which feels paradoxical! Plus, the last effort at bringing C.S. Lewis\u2019s series to the screen resulted in diminishing returns before the franchise was <a href=\"https:\/\/screenrant.com\/why-disney-chronicles-narnia-movies-stopped\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">ultimately abandoned<\/a>. Gerwig\u2019s solo directorial features have all earned Best Picture nods (Little Women and Lady Bird in addition to Barbie), so ostensibly, she should be on the Academy\u2019s radar once again. Still, the obstacles around Narnia make me think that her path to a fourth Oscars ceremony won\u2019t simply be a walk through the wardrobe.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p data-sentry-element=\"Text\" data-sentry-component=\"Component\" data-sentry-source-file=\"paragraph.tsx\" class=\"motion-safe:ui-transition-colors ui-text-black motion-safe:transition-colors\">Jesse Eisenberg similarly should be considered an Oscar contender after his last directed film, A Real Pain, earned a few nods, but the phrase \u201cUntitled Jesse Eisenberg musical comedy starring Julianne Moore and Paul Giamatti\u201d just raises too many questions for me to immediately place it in contention. (The first one you\u2019re probably wondering: Who is writing the songs? The answer: <a href=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/2025\/film\/news\/jesse-eisenberg-a24-musical-comedy-julianne-moore-cast-1236369220\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Eisenberg himself!<\/a>) Elsewhere, we have two Jenna Ortega vehicles, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theringer.com\/2025\/08\/06\/tv\/jenna-ortega-wednesday-season-2-netflix-whats-your-plan\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">the actress has an \u2026 inconsistent filmography<\/a>, to put it kindly. Teaming up with J.J. Abrams, who\u2019s coming off the derided Rise of Skywalker, and Taika Waititi, who\u2019s coming off of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theringer.com\/2023\/11\/17\/movies\/taika-waititi-fatigue-next-goal-wins-review-jojo-rabbit-thor\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">everyone turning their backs on him<\/a>, doesn\u2019t inspire hope that she\u2019ll be righting the ship this year.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Leave Me out of This<\/p>\n<p data-sentry-element=\"Text\" data-sentry-component=\"Component\" data-sentry-source-file=\"paragraph.tsx\" class=\"motion-safe:ui-transition-colors ui-text-black motion-safe:transition-colors\">Michael (dir. Antoine Fuqua)<br \/>Madden (dir. David O. Russell)<\/p>\n<p data-sentry-element=\"Text\" data-sentry-component=\"Component\" data-sentry-source-file=\"paragraph.tsx\" class=\"motion-safe:ui-transition-colors ui-text-black motion-safe:transition-colors\">Also known as the Extra Cursed Biopic tier. <a href=\"https:\/\/puck.news\/newsletter_content\/what-im-hearing-a-michael-jackson-shocker-oscar-stakes-netflixs-blowout-3\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Matt Belloni reported<\/a> in early 2025 that Antoine Fuqua\u2019s Michael Jackson biopic underwent extensive reshoots after scenes chronicling the child sexual abuse allegations against Jackson in the \u201990s were deemed unusable because they depicted one of the survivors, Jordan Chandler, despite a signed agreement prohibiting the Jackson estate from dramatizing the Chandler family in any such film. Belloni wrote that the script originally portrayed Jackson \u201cas the naive victim of the money-grubbing Chandlers\u201d and that the story line made up the bulk of the film\u2019s third act. Madden\u2014in which Nicolas Cage and Christian Bale star as John Madden and Al Davis, respectively\u2014was directed by David O. Russell, whose niece said in 2011, when she was 19, that he<a href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/entertainment\/sns-zap-ent-david-russell-groping-story.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"> sexually assaulted her.<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/arts-entertainment\/2022\/10\/07\/david-o-russell-movie-allegations\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Russell has also been accused of physically and verbally abusing his cast and crew<\/a> on movie sets. His work on Madden has also had its own controversy: In May, TMZ <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tmz.com\/2025\/05\/21\/madden-movie-actor-quits-racist-allegations\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">reported<\/a> that a supporting actor and others walked off the set after the director used the n-word. (The report also said that studio sources maintained that Russell did not use the word.)\u00a0<\/p>\n<p data-sentry-element=\"Text\" data-sentry-component=\"Component\" data-sentry-source-file=\"paragraph.tsx\" class=\"motion-safe:ui-transition-colors ui-text-black motion-safe:transition-colors\">Ultimately, I want nothing to do with either of these movies. I\u2019m holding out hope that the Academy won\u2019t, either.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><a data-sentry-element=\"Link\" data-sentry-source-file=\"creator.tsx\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theringer.com\/creator\/julianna-ress\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img alt=\"\" data-sentry-element=\"Image\" data-sentry-source-file=\"creator.tsx\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"fill\" class=\"ui-object-cover ui-shadow-expressive-dark-medium ui-rounded-full ui-outline ui-outline-1 ui-outline-black ui-grayscale hover:ui-brightness-80 motion-safe:ui-transition-all\" style=\"position:absolute;height:100%;width:100%;left:0;top:0;right:0;bottom:0;object-position:50% 50%;color:transparent\"   src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1774017249_10_image.jpeg\"\/><\/a><a data-sentry-element=\"Link\" data-sentry-source-file=\"creator.tsx\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theringer.com\/creator\/julianna-ress\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><\/p>\n<p>Julianna Ress<\/p>\n<p><\/a>Julianna is a writer and editor based in Los Angeles. She covers music and film and has written about sped-up songs, Willy Wonka, and Charli XCX. She can often be found watching the Criterion Channel or the Sacramento Kings.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"OscarsOscarsCongratulations to \u2018One Battle After Another.\u2019 It\u2019s now time to begin preparing for another stacked year of contenders.Getty&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":339275,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[156,409,111,139,69],"class_list":["post-339274","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-movies","tag-entertainment","tag-movies","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/339274","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=339274"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/339274\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/339275"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=339274"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=339274"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=339274"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}