When Everything Everywhere All at Once was released back in the spring of 2022, not many people believed it would go on to become one of the most awarded films in the history of the Oscars, which just goes to show that predicting Oscar winners this far in advance is a fool’s errand.
Hi, welcome to my 2024 Oscar predictions, I’ll be your fool today.
This is by no means an exhaustive list but taking a look at the calendar for the year ahead, these are the movies down the road that we see as potential contenders for Best Picture at next year’s Academy Awards.
Killers of the Flower Moon
Martin Scorsese’s long-awaited 1920s crime thriller finally makes its way to Apple TV this year and boasts an absolutely killer cast including Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert DeNiro, Jesse Plemons, and this year’s Oscar-winner for Best Actor Brendan Fraser. The film chronicles the early days of the FBI as they investigate several murders of members of the Osage Nation in Oklahoma.
Oppenheimer
Christopher Nolan’s epic biopic of the inventor of the atomic bomb stars Cillian Murphy in the titular role and reportedly has some of the most spectacular (and expensive) practical effects in modern Hollywood history. The cast also features Emily Blunt, Robert Downey Jr., Matt Damon, Rami Malek, and Florence Pugh. Calling it an A-List affair might be an understatement.
Maestro
The Color Purple
Stephen Spielberg’s 1985 adaptation of The Color Purple was nominated for 11 Academy Awards and didn’t win a single one of them. What’s different this time? This latest iteration is an adaptation of the Broadway musical version of The Color Purple, featuring spectacular songs and a phenomenal cast, including American Idol-winner Fantasia in the lead alongside Taraji P. Henson and Corey Hawkins.
Asteroid City
Wes Anderson’s last Best Picture nomination came in 2015 for Grand Budapest Hotel, arguably his “biggest” movie in terms of cast and scale of production and his latest outing appears to be aiming to top that in every way. The film focuses on a group of astronomy enthusiasts gathering in the American Southwest to observe an asteroid. The cast list is truly an embarrassment of riches and too long to list here so I’ll just say it features nearly everyone who has ever appeared in a Wes Anderson film plus Tom Hanks and Margot Robbie.
The Killer
David Fincher’s latest follows the tale of a mysterious assassin and stars Michael Fassbender who returns to acting after spending the last few years as a driver in the Le Mans auto racing circuit.
Barbie
Greta Gerwig’s decision to write and direct a Barbie film has confounded movie fans from the day the news first broke and the buzz for the film has steadily grown. Gerwig is a serious filmmaker who always has something to say and as crazy as it sounds, we think Barbie is going to end up shocking audiences and Academy voters this year.
Napoleon
The list of filmmakers who have tried and failed to make an epic film about France’s military dictator is long and prestigious but Ridley Scott has never been one to shy away from a challenge. Scott’s long-gestating Napoleon film starring Oscar-winner Joaquin Phoenix will finally see the light of day this year on Apple TV and will reportedly feature six different big-budget battle scenes.
The Iron Claw
Director Sean Durkin burst onto the scene back in 2011 with his Oscar-nominated Martha Marcy May Marlene and we’re betting he lands back at the Academy Awards this year with this true-life tale of the Von Erich family, a dynasty of professional wrestling legends with a tumultuous life outside the ring. Zac Efron transformed his body for the role, a classic Oscar-bait move.
Ferrari
Legendary director Michael Mann brings the story of Italian auto pioneer Enzo Ferrari to the screen with Adam Driver playing the lead role. The film has been in the works nearly 20 years and while the recent Ford vs. Ferrari may have taken some of the shine off this project, we’re betting the prestige of Mann and the star-power of Driver make this one to watch.
