It’s never too early to talk about next year’s Oscar race, right? Okay maybe it is, but while we’re all on the subject, let’s go ahead and take a way-too-early look at the films that might be dominating next year’s awards season. This is an annual tradition here on Collider, and some years my list turns out to be pretty spot on, while others it's a big swing and a miss—I only had three of this year’s eventual Best Picture nominees on my list last year.
But there’s a lot to look forward to in 2019, and some big films from heavy hitters (and Oscar favorites) like Martin Scorsese, Quentin Tarantino, and Danny Boyle, as well as new films from a pair of young filmmakers who burst onto the Oscar scene recently: Greta Gerwig and Jordan Peele. So without further ado, let’s run down 12 films that may be in next year’s Oscar race.
The Irishman
Much like Roma last year, The Irishman is the “heavy hitter” at this early stage. It’s a passion project gangster drama for Oscar-winning director Martin Scorsese that chronicles the life of a hitman and his associates over the course of a number of decades. Cutting-edge de-aging technology will allow Oscar winners Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, and Al Pacino to play their characters at various ages, which also makes this an early frontrunner for that Best Visual Effects Oscar if the quality is there. Oh yeah, and it boasts a screenplay by Oscar-winning Schindler’s List writer Steven Zaillian.
The one big question mark with regards to The Irishman is its distributor, which is Netflix. Roma failed to clinch the big prize this year, and one wonders if there still exists an “anti-Netflix” sentiment in the Academy. Netflix has already committed to a theatrical release for The Irishman, and in contrast to the harder sell of Roma, one imagines this one could be a bona fide box office hit if given the platform. A lot of question marks on this one, but given the pedigree involved I’m expecting this to be a major player.
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
This one checks a whole lot of Academy boxes. It’s a new Quentin Tarantino movie, it’s about Hollywood, it has an absolutely stacked ensemble cast, and it’s led by two of the biggest movie stars on the planet. Leonardo DiCaprio stars as a famous Western TV show star and Brad Pitt is his stunt double, and together the two confront a rapidly evolving Hollywood landscape in 1969. While Inglourious Basterds and Django Unchained both earned Best Picture nominations, Tarantino’s last film—the contained Western The Hateful Eight—failed to earn notice in the big category. So there are no guarantees, and Sony Pictures will have to be in this for the long haul since Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is a summer release, but if the film has the goods it could score a number of nominations.
Us
Writer/director Jordan Peele burst onto the scene with his brilliant horror thriller Get Out, which earned him an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay as well as nominations for Best Picture and Best Director. So even though his next social thriller Us comes out in March—which isn’t traditionally “awards season”—we’d be dumb not to consider it a potential contender. The film’s twists and turns are under wraps, but it’ll be interesting to see if it earns similar acclaim and can also stay the course though the long haul of Oscar season.
Little Women
The same year Jordan Peele earned Oscar nominations for Best Director, Original Screenplay, and Best Picture, Greta Gerwig did as well for her own directorial debut Lady Bird. She’s back this year with an A-list adaptation of the classic novel Little Women, starring Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson, Timothée Chalamet, and oh yeah Meryl Streep. The film has a prime holiday release date set up, so it’s definitely one to watch out for.
A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
The Mister Rogers documentary Won’t You Be My Neighbor? was famously snubbed a Best Documentary Feature nomination this year, but it could be a different story with the fictional take on the iconic TV host. Can You Ever Forgive Me? filmmaker Marielle Heller directs A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, which stars Matthew Rhys as a jaded journalist who’s assigned a profile of Mister Rogers. None other than Tom Hanks fills the sweater in this biopic, and he could earn his first Oscar nomination since 2000’s Cast Away.
The Woman in the Window
While the author of the source material for The Woman in the Window has come under a bit of fire recently, the film adaptation has pedigree to spare. Director Joe Wright is just coming off his big Oscar contender Darkest Hour, acclaimed playwright Tracy Letts wrote the script, and six-time Oscar nominee Amy Adams is in the lead role of an agoraphobic woman with a penchant for spying on her neighbors. Could this finally be Adams’ year?
Rocketman/Yesterday/Blinded by the Light
Bohemian Rhapsody shocked many with its impressive performance on the awards circuit last year, so it stands to reason a couple of this year’s music-centric films could be in the mix next year. The closest comparison comes by way of Rocketman, a biopic of Elton John directed by Dexter Fletcher, who finished out Bohemian Rhapsody after Bryan Singer was fired. And unlike Oscar-winner Rami Malek, Taron Egerton does his own singing! Then there’s Oscar-winning Slumdog Millionaire filmmaker Danny Boyle’s Yesterday, in which a man suffers head trauma only to wake up in a world in which he’s the only person who remembers The Beatles. Finally, there’s the Sundance hit Blinded by the Light, a heartwarming true story about a British-Pakistani teenager who discovers the music of Bruce Springsteen and decides to lead his life according to Springsteen’s lyrics. It’s an out-and-out crowdpleaser.
The Report
In the realm of political dramas, The Report seems primed to be a major contender. Contagion and Side Effects screenwriter Scott Z. Burns’ directorial debut chronicles the report commissioned by Dianne Feinstein to investigate the CIA’s use of torture in the wake of 9/11. The film was a massive hit at Sundance, with Adam Driver’s lead performance drawing raves alongside Annette Bening’s portrayal of Feinstein. This is a no-nonsense procedural with zero fluff or fat, and could very well be this year’s Spotlight.
Untitled James Mangold Film
The starpower of Christian Bale and Matt Damon will give the DiCaprio/Pitt team-up a run for their money. Bale and Damon lead Logan and Walk the Line director James Mangold’s drama about the race for Ford to build a vehicle to compete with Ferrari at the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans race in France. 20th Century Fox recently moved the film out of a summer release into November, which is a sign they may be bullish on the film’s awards prospects.
Star Wars: Episode IX
Star Wars: A New Hope remains the only Star Wars movie nominated for Best Picture, but it feels prudent to at least address the possibility that J.J. Abrams’ closing chapter on this new trilogy could find itself in the Best Picture mix—again in the wake of blockbusters like Bohemian Rhapsody and Black Panther landing nods. The Force Awakens was well-received and The Last Jedi was downright critically acclaimed, so if Abrams sticks the landing, could there be enough goodwill to honor the entire trilogy with a nod for Episode IX? It’s unclear, but keep in mind Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King swept the Oscars back in 2003…
Other Potential Contenders: The Last Thing He Wanted, Ad Astra, The Goldfinch, Late Night, The Kitchen, The Farewell, Knives Out