This year’s abbreviated sprint of an awards race came to a shockingly delightful end at the Oscars where Parasite reigned supreme, but it’s never too early to start thinking about what could be taking the stage this time next year. In hindsight, Parasite began its awards season run back in May of 2019, where it won the Palm d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival. It played like gangbusters throughout the fall film festival season, building steam until it hit theaters as a critical darling. Ultimately, that positive buzz resulted in a near-total dominance at the Oscars ceremony, where it became the first foreign language film to win Best Picture.

But this year’s awards race was actually quite diverse in terms of the kinds of films that were vying for the top prizes. There were a couple new entries from beloved auteurs (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and The Irishman), a divisive blockbuster (Joker), a late-coming classic war film (1917), critical darlings (Marriage Story and Little Women), and even an old-fashioned commercial hit (Ford v Ferrari). With that in mind, there are plenty of films coming out in 2020 that could fit the bill for the 2021 Oscar race.

As I do every year, I’ve gone through the calendar to pick out a selection of films most likely to be in the heat of next year’s Oscar race. This isn’t necessarily to correctly predict what will be there (although I selected 4 eventual Best Picture nominees in last year’s entry), but more to look at the year ahead and to consider what kind of Oscar race we may be in for. With the caveat being that the calendar isn’t 100% set at this point in time, and certain late-comers and surprises will no doubt make a splash.

But with that in mind, let’s take a look at the most likely Oscar contenders for next year’s race.

The French Dispatch

the-french-dispatch-staff-owen-wilson-tilda-swinton
Image via Fox Searchlight

Release Date: July 24th

Filmmaker Wes Anderson’s 2014 film The Grand Budapest Hotel was his most critically acclaimed yet, scoring four Oscar wins in total and a bevy of nominations, so it stands to reason his live-action follow-up could similarly be in the heat of the awards race. The French Dispatch shares a number of things in common with Grand Budapest—abnormal aspect ratios, multiple storylines, and of course the cast—and it’ll be interesting to see if the film is a player in the below-the-line categories, or if Anderson may finally make a run at the major prizes. It’s interesting that, as opposed to the March/April/May release date of his last few films, French Dispatch is opening in July—which is considered a “better” positioning for awards season. Does Searchlight Pictures have high hopes for this one?

Tenet

tenet-john-david-washington-robert-pattinson
Image via Warner Bros.

Release Date: July 17th

Christopher Nolan scored his first-ever Best Director nomination for his last film, 2017’s Dunkirk, and the movie itself took home three Oscars. Will he be back in the awards race again with his 2020 sci-fi pic Tenet? It’s hard to say given that the plot of the movie is under wraps, but the last time Nolan crafted an original, time-bending blockbuster, the movie—a little film called Inception—won four Oscars. Never count Nolan out.

Minari

minari-steven-yeun
Image via Sundance

Release Date: TBD

About half the time, a film that premiered at the Sundance Film Festival makes it into the Best Picture category. Movies like Beasts of the Southern Wild, Call Me by Your Name, Manchester by the Sea, and Boyhood all drew raves in Park City before making the long trek to the Oscar stage, and while films like The Farewell and The Report just missed the cut, I have a very good feeling about this year’s Sundance breakout Minari. The original drama was written and directed by newcomer Lee Isaac Chung and stars Steven Yeun as a man who uproots his Korean-born family from California to move to Arkansas, so he can pursue an American dream of starting his own farm. It’s a deeply emotional, extremely well-made film about family as told through the eyes of a young boy, and it’s got the backing of producers A24 and Plan B Entertainment—both of which have plenty of experience with the Oscar race. Keep an eye on this one.

Soul and/or Onward

Release Dates: March 6th (Onward) and June 19th (Soul)

Pixar could have two viable Best Picture contenders this year, with the excellent-looking original features Onward and Soul arriving within months of one another. Onward is the new film from Dan Scanlon (Monsters University) and is a fantasy story about two brothers trying to bring their dead father back to life so they can spend one day with him. Soul is the new film from Pete Docter (Inside Out) and tells the story of an aspiring jazz musician who dies and must navigate the afterlife. Both films look like they have the potential to be serious tearjerkers, and both look terrific.

The Trial of the Chicago 7

mollys-game-aaron-sorkin
Image STX Entertainment

Release Date: September 25th

While Aaron Sorkin’s directorial debut Molly’s Game only garnered a single Oscar nomination, his next film has some insane pedigree. The Trial of the Chicago 7 is a politically charged courtroom drama based on a true story, with an ensemble that includes Eddie Redmayne, Mark Rylance, Michael Keaton, Jeremy Strong, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and innumerable other terrific talents. If this movie is even half as good as it sounds, it’ll still be an awards contender.

Stillwater

spotlight-tom-mccarthy
Image via Open Road Films

Release Date: November 6th

Filmmaker Tom McCarthy is back with his first adult drama after winning Best Picture and Adapted Screenplay for Spotlight, and he’s got a pretty solid collaborator. Matt Damon leads Stillwater, which tells the story of an Oklahoma man who travels to France to help his daughter who has been arrested for murder. We don’t know much more about this one than that, but it’s got the makings of a solid character-driven drama, and the mere fact that this is basically McCarthy’s Spotlight follow-up qualifies it as a potential contender.

Dune

denis-villeneuve-blade-runner-2049
Image via Alcon Entertainment / Warner Bros.

Release Date: December 18th

So the Oscars don’t super love sci-fi movies, but Dune is gonna be hard to resist. Denis Villeneuve is one of the most exciting and visionary filmmakers working today, and he assembled a top-notch cast for this new adaptation that’s led by Timothee Chalamet and Rebecca Ferguson. It’s possible this ends up being more of a commercial play, but it’s worth putting on the awards radar given that Villeneuve’s last sci-fi film—Blade Runner 2049—scored two Oscar wins.

West Side Story

west-side-story-cast-image
Image via 20th Century Fox Films

Release Date: December 18th

Every new Steven Spielberg movie automatically goes on this list, but boy does West Side Story have potential. This is the legendary director’s first crack at a full-blown musical, and he’s got a script by Lincoln scribe Tony Kushner. It’s possible that this one isn’t necessarily an awards-type movie, but at the very least the below-the-line talent will likely be recognized—Spielberg’s crew is top notch. We also can’t ignore that the last time West Side Story was put on film, it won a whopping 10 Oscars.

Mank

david-fincher
Image via Sony Pictures

Release Date: TBA

My personal most anticipated film of the year is also perhaps the most Oscar-y movie David Fincher has ever made. Mank is based on a screenplay by Fincher’s father Jack Fincher and tells the true story of the making of Citizen Kane, and the debate over who deserved credit for the script—Orson Welles or Herman J. Mankiewicz. The film is being shot in black-and-white and offers an inside look at the making of a Hollywood classic, as told by a decidedly unsentimental filmmaker. It’s also got recent Best Actor winner Gary Oldman in the lead. Could Mank be the film that finally gets Netflix a Best Picture Oscar?

King Richard

Image via Warner Bros.

Release Date: November 25th

Will Smith may have another crack at the Oscars this year playing Richard Williams in King Richard, which tells the story of how tennis superstars Venus and Serena Williams were coached by their father. It’s unclear if this is more of a traditional sports movie or a character-driven drama, but interest will no doubt be high. Reindaldo Marcus Green (Monsters and Men) directs from a script by Zach Baylin.

The Last Duel

alien-covenant-ridley-scott
Image via 20th Century Fox

Release Date: December 25th

If anyone can shoot, edit, and release a large scale period film in the same year, it’s Ridley Scott. The Last Duel is maybe about to start production in the coming months, with Ben Affleck and Matt Damon teaming up on screenplay duties for the first time since winning an Oscar for Good Will Hunting. Nicole Holofcener co-wrote the film, which is based on the true story of the last officially recognized judicial duel in 1386 France. Damon, Affleck, Adam Driver, and Jodie Comer are attached to star, and this could be 20th Century Pictures’ first Oscar contender under new owner Disney.

News of the World

ason-bourne-paul-greengrass-matt-damon
Image via Universal

Release Date: December 25th

Oscar-nominated United 93 and Captain Phillips filmmaker Paul Greengrass siwtches gears from modern true stories to a Civil War-era drama with News of the World. The film stars Tom Hanks and follows a traveling newsreader who is tasked with bringing an orphaned girl to her relatives in the aftermath of the American Civil War. Not much else is known at this point in time, but that premise and Hanks at the center of it certainly sounds like a recipe for success.