By Tim Nasson
The 2020 Oscar Predictions are here.
By the time the 2020 Oscars roll around on Sunday, February 9, 2020, this list will have been updated at least a half dozen times. Until the 2020 Oscar nominations are announced on January 13, 2020, let’s have some fun predicting which stars, directors and movies will earn nominations. We are concentrating on the Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress and Best Director Oscars.
January 8, 2020 – Oscar predictions FINAL update below.
Best Picture
1917
Once Upon A Time in Hollywood
The Irishman
Joker
JoJo Rabbit
Marriage Story
The Two Popes
Little Women
Parasite
I loved it when there were only 5 Best Picture nominees. Much more interesting.
Best Actor
Jonathan Pryce – The Two Popes
Joaquin Phoenix – Joker
Leonardo DiCaprio – Once Upon A Time in Hollywood
Taron Egerton – Rocketman
Adam Driver – Marriage Story
Antonio Banderas could sneak in and steal the thunder away from Taron Egerton. Sorry, Adam Sandler. There is only room for one Adam in this race.
Best Actress
Cynthia Erivo – Harriet
Saoirse Ronan – Little Women
Charlize Theron – Bombshell
Renee Zellweger – Judy
Scarlett Johansson – Marriage Story
Oscar likes to say that it is getting more ‘diverse’ with their nominations. If Cynthia Erivo fails to score a nod for Harriet, which is doubtful, the only other two actresses that I see that have a chance, are Lupita Nyong’o for Us or Awkwafina for The Farewell. However, both of those films seem to have lost Oscar momentum.
Best Supporting Actor
Brad Pitt – Once Upon A Time In Hollywood
Joe Pesci – The Irishman
Al Pacino – The Irishman
Anthony Hopkins – The Two Popes
Jamie Foxx – Just Mercy
Tom Hanks could take the spot of Jamie Foxx. However, it’s been 19 years since Tom Hanks last received an Oscar nod, and he has appeared in much better films and roles during the past 19 years than A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood.
Best Supporting Actress
Florence Pugh – Little Women
Margot Robbie – Once Upon A Time in Hollywood (or Bombshell)
Nicole Kidman – Bombshell
Laura Dern – Marriage Story
Kathy Bates – Richard Jewell
The main threat to Kathy Bates is Scarlett Johansson for Jo Jo Rabbit. Julia Butters, deservedly, for Once Upon A Time in Hollywood, could sneak into the race. In addition, contenders for the Richard Jewell spot could go to either Oscar faves Maggie Smith, for Downton Abbey or Meryl Streep for Little Women. I think hell will freeze over before Jennifer Lopez gets an Oscar nomination for acting. There is also a very small chance that one of the actresses from Parasite could receive a spot in this race. As could Shuzhen Zhao for The Farewell.
Best Director
Quentin Tarantino – Once Upon A Time In Hollywood
Martin Scorsese – The Irishman
Sam Mendes – 1917
Bong Joon Ho – Parasite
Noah Baumbach – Marriage Story
Todd Phillips, for Joker, could unseat Noah Baumbach in the Best Director race. In a real longshot, Greta Gerwig could unseat her husband, Noah Baumbach, for Little Women.
Stay tuned for 20202 Oscar nominations, live on January 13, 2020.
January 6, 2020
Best Picture
1917
Once Upon A Time in Hollywood
The Irishman
Joker
Ford vs Ferrari
Marriage Story
The Two Popes
Little Women
Parasite
JoJo Rabbit is a longshot
Best Actor
Jonathan Pryce – The Two Popes
Joaquin Phoenix – Joker
Leonardo DiCaprio – Once Upon A Time in Hollywood
Taron Egerton – Rocketman
Adam Driver – Marriage Story
Best Actress
Cynthia Erivo – Harriet
Saoirse Ronan – Little Women
Charlize Theron – Bombshell
Renee Zellweger – Judy
Scarlett Johansson – Marriage Story
Best Supporting Actor
Brad Pitt – Once Upon A Time In Hollywood
Joe Pesci – The Irishman
Al Pacino – The Irishman
Anthony Hopkins – The Two Popes
Jamie Foxx – Just Mercy
Best Supporting Actress
Florence Pugh – Little Women
Margot Robbie – Bombshell
Nicole Kidman – Bombshell
Laura Dern – Marriage Story
Kathy Bates – Richard Jewell
Best Director
Quentin Tarantino – Once Upon A Time In Hollywood
Martin Scorsese – The Irishman
Sam Mendes – 1917
Bong Joon Ho – Parasite
Noah Baumbach – Marriage Story
Stay tuned for 20202 Oscar nominations, live on January 13, 2020.
January 2, 2020 – Oscar predictions updated below.
Best Picture
1917
Once Upon A Time in Hollywood
The Irishman
Joker
Ford vs Ferrari
Marriage Story
The Two Popes
Little Women
Parasite
Best Actor
Jonathan Pryce – The Two Popes
Joaquin Phoenix – Joker
Leonardo DiCaprio – Once Upon A Time in Hollywood
Antonio Banderas – Pain & Glory
Adam Driver – Marriage Story
Best Actress
Alfre Woodard – Clemency
Saoirse Ronan – Little Women
Charlize Theron – Bombshell
Renee Zellweger – Judy
Scarlett Johansson – Marriage Story
Best Supporting Actor
Brad Pitt – Once Upon A Time In Hollywood
Joe Pesci – The Irishman
Al Pacino – The Irishman
Anthony Hopkins – The Two Popes
Jamie Foxx – Just Mercy
Best Supporting Actress
Florence Pugh – Little Women
Margot Robbie – Bombshell
Nicole Kidman – Bombshell
Laura Dern – Marriage Story
Kathy Bates – Richard Jewell
Best Director
Quentin Tarantino – Once Upon A Time In Hollywood
Martin Scorsese – The Irishman
Sam Mendes – 1917
Bong Joon Ho – Parasite
Noah Baumbach – Marriage Story
If for some reason Greta Gerwig is nominated for Best Director, she and husband Noah Baumbach will become the first married couple to earn Best Director Oscar nominations in the same year.
November 4, 2019 – 2020 Oscar predictions updated below.
Best Picture
1917
Once Upon A Time in Hollywood
The Irishman
Joker
Ford vs Ferrari
Marriage Story
Richard Jewell
A Hidden Life
Parasite
Best Actor
Robert DeNiro – The Irishman
Joaquin Phoenix – Joker
Leonardo DiCaprio – Once Upon A Time in Hollywood
Christian Bale – Ford vs. Ferrari
Adam Driver – Marriage Story
Best Actress
Alfre Woodard – Clemency
Saoirse Ronan – Little Women
Charlize Theron – Bombshell
Renee Zellweger – Judy
Scarlett Johansson – Marriage Story
Best Supporting Actor
Brad Pitt – Once Upon A Time In Hollywood
Joe Pesci – The Irishman
Al Pacino – The Irishman
Sam Rockwell – Richard Jewell
Willem Dafoe – The Lighthouse
Best Supporting Actress
Florence Pugh – Little Women
Margot Robbie – Bombshell
Nicole Kidman – Bombshell
Maggie Smith – Downton Abbey
Olivia Wilde – Richard Jewell
Best Director
Quentin Tarantino – Once Upon A Time In Hollywood
Clint Eastwood – Richard Jewell
Martin Scorsese – The Irishman
Sam Mendes – 1917
Bong Joon Ho – Parasite
I will say it: No matter how hard the independent studios try to garner acting nods for Jennifer Lopez in Hustlers, Adam Sandler in Uncut Gems and Robert Pattinson in The Lighthouse, they won’t receive Oscar nominations. There is just too much competition.
As it is, most likely these actors, directors and/or films will be left out in the cold as well:
Tom Hanks for A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood – Best Actor
Cynthia Erivo for Harriet – Best Actress
Matt Damon for Ford vs Ferrari – Best Actor
James Mangold for Ford vs Ferrari – Best Director
Everyone from Cats
Timothee Chalamet for Little Women – Best Supporting Actor
Meryl Streep for Little Women – Best Supporting Actress
Ian McKellen for The Good Liar – Best Actor
Helen Mirren for The Good Liar – Best Actress
Avengers: Endgame for all major Oscar nods
Terrence Malick for A Hidden Life – Best Director
Todd Haynes for Dark Waters – Best Director
Mark Ruffalo for Dark Waters – Best Actor
Vanessa Redgrave for Mrs. Lowry and Son – Best Actress
Brian Cox for The Etruscan Smile – Best Actor
Eddie Murphy for Dolemite Is My Name – Best Actor
The Farewell for everything
Lucas Hedges for Honey Boy – Best Actor
Jo Jo Rabbit for everything
Motherless Brooklyn for everything
Knives Out for everything
Lupita Nyong’o for Us – Best Actress
Taron Egerton Rocketman – Best Actor
The entire cast of Parasite
The entire cast of 1917
Clive Owen for The Song of Names – Best Actor
October 23, 2019 – 2020 Oscar predictions updated below.
Best Picture
1917
Once Upon A Time in Hollywood
The Irishman
Joker
Ford vs Ferrari
Marriage Story
Richard Jewell
A Hidden Life
Parasite
Best Actor
Tom Hanks – A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
Joaquin Phoenix – Joker
Leonardo DiCaprio – Once Upon A Time in Hollywood
Christian Bale – Ford vs. Ferrari
Adam Sandler – Uncut Gems
Best Actress
Alfre Woodard – Clemency
Saoirse Ronan – Little Women
Charlize Theron – Bombshell
Renee Zellweger – Judy
Scarlett Johansson – Marriage Story
Best Supporting Actor
Brad Pitt – Once Upon A Time In Hollywood
Joe Pesci – The Irishman
Ian McKellen – The Good Liar
Sam Rockwell – Richard Jewell
Willem Dafoe – The Lighthouse
Best Supporting Actress
Florence Pugh – Little Women
Margot Robbie – Bombshell
Chloë Sevigny – Queen & Slim
Nicole Kidman – Bombshell
Olivia Wilde – Richard Jewell
Best Director
Quentin Tarantino – Once Upon A Time In Hollywood
Clint Eastwood – Richard Jewell
Martin Scorsese – The Irishman
Sam Mendes – 1917
Bong Joon Ho – Parasite
September 17, 2019 – with this first list of predictions leading up to the 2020 Academy Awards, I have seen only Once Upon A Time in Hollywood. As of today, that is my favorite movie of 2019 and will, without a doubt, earn a plethora of Oscar nominations, including Best Picture. As the weeks and months go by, and I have seen everything eligible for not only Oscars, but Best of Lists, as well, expect a lot of edits in each category.
The biggest question of all is how will Netflix’s more than 10 films eligible for Oscar nominations fare?
Best Picture
1917
Once Upon A Time in Hollywood
Little Women
The Irishman
Joker
Ford vs Ferrari
Marriage Story
Motherless Brooklyn
Best Actor
Tom Hanks – A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
Joaquin Phoenix – Joker
Leonardo DiCaprio – Once Upon A Time in Hollywood
Edward Norton – Motherless Brooklyn
Willem Dafoe – The Lighthouse
Best Actress
Alfre Woodard – Clemency
Saoirse Ronan – Little Women
Charlize Theron – Bombshell
Renee Zellweger – Judy
Scarlett Johansson – Marriage Story
Best Supporting Actor
Brad Pitt – Once Upon A Time In Hollywood
Christian Bale – Ford vs Ferrari
Joe Pesci – The Irishman
Ian McKellen – The Good Liar
Sam Rockwell – JoJo Rabbit
Best Supporting Actress
Meryl Streep – Little Women
Margot Robbie – Bombshell
Chloë Sevigny – Queen & Slim
Maggie Smith – Downton Abbey
Linda Hamilton – Terminator: Dark Fate
Best Director
Quentin Tarantino – Once Upon A Time In Hollywood
Greta Gerwig – Little Women
Martin Scorsese – The Irishman
Sam Mendes – 1917
Ang Lee – Gemini Man
It is highly doubtful, no matter how much money is spent on trying to buy an Oscar nomination for Jennifer Lopez, for Hustlers, that she will earn one. There is way too much competition. And Oscar voters generally avoid pop stars. Before Jennifer Lopez would receive a nomination, it would seem more likely that Nicole Kidman would for Bombshell, Lupita Nyong’o would for Us, Jodie Turner-Smith would for Queen & Slim, Helen Mirren would for The Good Liar, or Meryl Streep would for The Laundromat.
As for Best Actor. Ford vs Ferrari will most likely earn only one nomination for its talent, and not Matt Damon. Same for The Lighthouse. It is doubtful that Robert Pattinson will earn an Oscar nomination. Al Pacino and Robert DeNiro have been there done that, so unless The Irishman is a masterpiece, I don’t see them getting nominations (especially because the film is a Netflix release).
Best Picture and Best Director are really hard to predict as of today, because no one has seen Cats, Gemini Man, 1917, Bombshell, The Irishman, Little Women and virtually every other November and December theatrical release. That being said, I really think that Cats is going to end up in the litter box when it comes to virtually all major nominations, perhaps scoring a couple of technical nominations. Whether or not anyone cares about Sam Mendes’ WWI epic, 1917, remains to be seen. As for Ang Lee’s Gemini Man, having seen only the trailer, I find it doubtful Oscar voters will care enough to nominate it for Best Picture. If Ang Lee gets the cold shoulder, look for Noah Baumbach to take his spot for Marriage Story. Greta Gerwig was an Oscar darling for her very overrated Lady Bird. Her follow-up, Little Women, has been remade countless times, and her being able to bring anything new to the story is doubtful. Nonetheless, she is a female, and in this PC culture, she just may end up earning a Best Picture (and Best Director) nomination, no matter how good or bad the picture is.
Motherless Brooklyn could be an upset in every category.
