Oscars 2021: Is it too soon to talk about next year’s Oscars?
Hollywood may still be shaking off its awards-season hangover, but before it puts the tuxedos and gowns back in storage, Variety wants to take a look at some of the films that seem destined to dominate the next Oscars race.
It’s true that on paper many movies that now appear earmarked for awards greatness may collapse on the shoals of audience indifference or fall prey to a good old-fashioned critical savaging.
Why, this time last year, The Goldfinch, an adaptation of Donna Tartt’s beloved best-seller with Oscar winner Nicole Kidman and Ansel Elgort, looked like a certified best picture contender.
Those dreams deflated when audiences actually saw the movie or, more to the point, chose not to see the movie.
Still, sight unseen, there’s a crop of films that studio executives and awards consultants already have on their radar.
In part, that’s because of the track records of the filmmakers A-list auteurs such as Steven Spielberg, the Coen brothers, Sofia Coppola and David Fincher.
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In other cases, it’s due to another kind of intangible buzz, be it from a hot script, a Broadway pedigree, or the opportunity to see some star on the rise sink his or her teeth into a showy role.
