Variety's Awards Circuit is home to the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars from Film Awards Editor Clayton Davis. Following Academy Awards history, buzz, news, reviews and sources, the Oscar predictions are updated regularly with the current year's contenders in all categories. Variety's Awards Circuit Prediction schedule consists of four phases, running all year long: Draft, Pre-Season, Regular Season and Post Season. Eligibility calendar and dates of awards will determine how long each phase lasts and will be displayed next to revision date.
To see all the latest predictions, of all the categories, in one place, visit THE COLLECTIVE.
2021 OSCARS PREDICTIONS:
BEST ACTOR
UPDATED: Sept. 24, 2020 (PRE-SEASON)
Seemingly top heavy and “thinner” than in previous years, an opportunity has presented itself in best actor for new, diverse blood in the mix. Riz Ahmed and Steven Yeun may be able to latch on later in the season with debuts at festivals and other films moving out of the year. Until then, Anthony Hopkins awaits a challenger and it could be from two former winners, Tom Hanks and Gary Oldman.
† = no release date scheduled / could be delayed / may not be eligible
†† = could be campaigned in lead or supporting categories / original or adapted screenplay categories
Netflix
AND THE PREDICTED NOMINEES ARE:
Anthony Hopkins"The Father" (Sony Pictures Classics)
Delroy Lindo"Da 5 Bloods" (Netflix)
Gary Oldman"Mank" (Netflix)
Tom Hanks†/††"News of the World" (Universal Pictures)
Daniel Kaluuya†/††"Judas and the Black Messiah" (Warner Bros.)
Photo courtesy of A24
NEXT IN LINE CONTENDERS:
Steven Yeun†"Minari" (A24)
Riz Ahmed"Sound of Metal" (Amazon Studios)
Dev Patel"The Personal History of David Copperfield" (Searchlight Pictures)
Jesse Plemons††"I'm Thinking of Ending Things" (Netflix)
Ben Affleck"The Way Back" (Warner Bros.)
Francesca-Errichiello
TOP-TIER AWARDS CONTENDERS:
John David Washington"Tenet" (Warner Bros.)
Kingsley Ben-Adir†/††"One Night in Miami..." (Amazon Studios)
Winston Duke†"Nine Days" (Sony Pictures Classics)
Rob Morgan"Bull" (Sony Pictures Worldwide)
Max Harwood"Everybody's Talking About Jamie" (20th Century Studios)
Leslie Odom, Jr.†/††"One Night in Miami..." (Amazon Studios)
Liam Neeson"Ordinary Love" (Bleecker Street)
Benedict Cumberbatch"The Courier" (Roadside Attractions)
George Clooney†"The Midnight Sky" (Netflix)
Luca Marinelli"Martin Eden" (Kino Lorber)
ALSO IN CONTENTION:
Chadwick Boseman†/††"Ma Rainey's Black Bottom..." (Netflix)
Eli Goree†/††"One Night in Miami..." (Amazon Studios)
Armando Espitia"I Carry You With Me" (Sony Pictures Classics)
Aldis Hodge†/††"One Night in Miami..." (Amazon Studios)
Armie Hammer††"Rebecca" (Netflix)
Denzel Washington"The Little Things" (Warner Bros.)
Andy Samberg"Palm Springs" (Neon)
Pete Davidson"The King of Staten Island" (Universal Pictures)
Daniel Craig"No Time to Die" (United Artists Releasing)
Eddie Murphy"Coming 2 America" (Paramount Pictures)
Photo courtesy of Universal Pictures
MORE AWARDS CONTENDERS:
Kenneth Branagh"Death on the Nile." (20th Century Studios)
Bruce Dern"The Artist's Wife" (Strand Releasing)
Kevin Costner"Let Him Go" (Focus Features)
Lakeith Stanfield†/††"Judas and the Black Messiah" (Warner Bros.)
Matthew McConaughey"The Gentleman" (STX Entertainment)
Trevante Rhodes††"The United States vs. Billie Holiday" (Paramount Pictures)
Scott Eastwood"The Outpost" (Screen Media Films)
Lakeith Stanfield"The Photograph" (Universal Pictures)
Michael Angelo Covino"The Climb" (Sony Pictures Classics)
Harrison Ford"Call of the Wild" (20th Century Studios)
Irresistible
Daniel McFadden
UNRANKED AWARDS CONTENDERS:
Steve Carell,“Irresistible” (Focus Features)Timothée Chalamet,“Dune” (Warner Bros.)Sacha Baron Cohen,“The Trial of the Chicago 7” (Netflix)††Jamie Foxx,“Soul” (Pixar)Tom Holland,“Onward” (Pixar)Oscar Isaac,“The Card Counter” (Focus Features)†Leslie Odom, Jr.“Hamilton” (Disney Plus)†/††Lin-Manuel Miranda,“Hamilton” (Disney Plus)†Eddie Redmayne,“The Trial of the Chicago 7” (Netflix)††Ryan Reynolds,“Free Guy” (20th Century Studios)Ben Schwartz,“Standing Up, Falling Down” (Shout! Factory)Sebastian Stan,“The Last Full Measure” (Roadside Attractions)
† = no release date scheduled / could be delayed / may not be eligible
†† = could be campaigned in lead or supporting categories / original or adapted screenplay categories
The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars is Hollywood’s most prestigious artistic award in the film industry. The most awarded actor in best actor is Daniel Day-Lewis with three (“My Left Foot,” “There Will Be Blood” and “Lincoln”). The most nominated actors in this category in the history of the Academy are Laurence Olivier and Spencer Tracy. The oldest winner to date is Henry Fonda who won at the age of 76 for “On Golden Pond” while the oldest nominee is Richard Farnsworth, who was nominated at 79 for “The Straight Story.” The youngest winner is Adrien Brody at 29-year-old when he won for “The Pianist” while the youngest nominee is Jackie Cooper who was nominated at the age of 9 for “Skippy.”