I know, I know. Wejustfinished up with this most recent Oscar season (which ended in the most insane way possible). But it’s apparently never too early to start thinking about next year’s Oscars, and before I retire Oscar Beat for a spell to recharge the ol’ awards season batteries, it’s time for one last check-in, this time trying to predict what films we’ll be talking about this time next year.
Right now about all we have to go on is talent and logline potential—although one of these movies I’ve already seen and can attest is up to snuff. But it’s fun to look ahead and try and get an early lay of the land, only to have some late-breaking film likeMoonlightorHidden Figuresthrow a wrench into your predictions.
So I broke out my trusty crystal ball and came up with the following 10 films that I think could be part of next year’s Oscar conversation.
‘Call Me By Your Name’
This is the one I’ve seen, asA Bigger SplashfilmmakerLuca Guadagnino’s 80s-set summer romance made a tremendous debut at the Sundance Film Festival this past January (read my full reviewhere).Call Me By Your Namefeatures a star-making turn fromTimothee Chalametas a young man living in Italy for the summer who falls in love with his father’s research assistant, played byArmie Hammer. Chalamet is nothing short of phenomenal in a role that deserves Best Actor consideration, while Hammer delivers the best performance of his career yet. The film is a sensual, overwhelming coming-of-age and coming-out story that is masterfully crafted by Guadagnino. If Sony Pictures Classics plays this right, they could have a serious contender on their hands.
Untitled Paul Thomas Anderson Film
And now we dive into the unknowns. Pretty much everything we know about filmmakerPaul Thomas Anderson’s latest film is that it’s set in the 1950s fashion world of London and starsDaniel Day-Lewisas an uncompromising dressmaker commissioned by royalty and high society. While Anderson’s last feature,Inherent Vice, didn’t hit big with the Oscars, that film was a bona fide comedy and not in line with the prestige drama ofThe MasterorThere Will Be Blood. At the very least we can probably earmark a Best Actor nod for Day-Lewis, but this is one of the most anticipated films hitting theaters this year.
‘Darkest Hour’
The Oscars love a good biopic, and boy doesGary Oldmanlook to be transformed inAtonementfilmmakerJoe Wright’s World War II dramaDarkest Hour. Oldman plays Winston Churchill in the true-story drama, which recounts Churchill’s move to resist Adolf Hitler’s army in the early days of the war. Wright hasn’t been in the awards race for some time, andPanwas a high-profile box office bomb, but the guy’s a versatile filmmaker so we can reasonably assume thatDarkest Hourwon’t be your typical dry period drama—although that didn’t stopThe Theory of EverythingorThe Imitation Gamefrom landing Best Picture nominations.
ButDarkest Hourisn’t the only WWII drama of 2017, asChristopher Nolanis going full on actioner withDunkirk. The film is explicitly described as an “action-thriller” and not a drama, but it’s still Christopher Nolan we’re talking about andMad Max: Fury Roadscored a Best Picture nomination, so there’s ample awards possibility. The film recounts the harrowing evacuation of Dunkirk during World War II with a stellar supporting cast that includesMark Rylance,Tom Hardy, andCillian Murphy. The summer release date means it’ll need a serious push by Warner Bros. to stay fresh in the minds of Oscar voters as the fall onslaught gets underway, but a Christopher Nolan movie is hard to forget. Could this finally be the film that lands Nolan a Best Director nod?
2017 also sees the return ofAlfonso Cuaron, who took a significant break afterChildren of Menand returned with the masterful, technically groundbreaking 2012 filmGravity. He’s scaling things back this time around withRoma, a character-centric, Mexico-set story that chronicles a year in the life of a middle-class family in 1970s Mexico City. He’s working again with three-time Oscar winning cinematographerEmmanuel Lubezkiand a cast of largely unknown actors, but this is one of the greatest storytellers working today, so hopes are high.
Untitled Kathryn Bigelow Detroit Riots Film
Speaking of filmmakers who’ve been gone for a bit, Oscar-winningThe Hurt LockerandZero Dark ThirtydirectorKathryn Bigelowalso returns with her first film in five years, an untitled drama recounting the Detroit race riots of 1967—an event that resulted in one of the largest and deadliest citizen uprisings in history. Bigelow once again works with her Oscar-winningHurt LockerandZero Dark ThirtyscreenwriterMark Boal, and the massively talented ensemble cast includesJohn Boyega,John Krasinski, andAnthony Mackie. Potentially the biggest question re: awards with this film is Annapurna Pictures, which is handling marketing and distribution for the first time on this project. If they can play the awards race right, Bigelow might be back in the Oscar fray with another timely drama.
‘Downsizing’
FilmmakerAlexander Payne’s last three films in a row all scored Best Picture nominations, so clearly the Academy is a fan.Downsizing, his latest, puts Payne into sci-fi social satire territory asMatt Damonstars as a man who realizes his life would be better if he were to shrink himself. It’s an odd premise to be sure, and the departure may not work for Payne, but it’s excitingly refreshing material for the filmmaker who has a knack for character, and is one to watch out for regardless.
A return to smaller-scale territory looks to be something of a theme for 2017, as directorDarren Aronofskyis also scaling down for hisNoahfollow-upmother!. Plot details for the film are under wraps, but we know it revolves around a couple whose relationship is tested when uninvited guests arrive at their home. Oscar darlingJennifer Lawrenceleads an impressive ensemble that includesJavier Bardem,Michelle Pfeiffer, andDomhnall Gleeson, and while this may be more of a thriller, you never quite know what you’re going to get with a Darren Aronofsky film until you see it for yourself.
‘Molly’s Game’
Legendary writerAaron Sorkinmakes his directorial debut this year withMolly’s Game, a film about a woman who ran a famous poker ring in Los Angeles, and he’s stacked the deck with a terrific cast.Jessica ChastainandIdris Elbalead the ensemble, and while Sorkin was wrongly overlooked for his terrificSteve Jobsscreenplay, he’s one of the best writers who’s ever lived, so all eyes will be on how his directorial debut shapes up.The Social Networklanded him his first Oscar, so couldMolly’s Gamecount two?
‘Mary Magdalene’
One of the more surprising late entries into this year’s awards race was the emotional true-story dramaLion, from first-time directorGarth Davis. He wasted no time in putting together his follow-up as he’s already wrapped the Biblical dramaMary Magdalene, which starsRooney Maraas the titular character andJoaquin Phoenixas Jesus. Not much is known about this take on the story, but Davis is again working with his Oscar-nominatedLioncinematographerGreig Fraser, andMary Magdalenecould have the makings of something extra special.
