Oscars 2020 Predictions (Round One)

Awards season is already upon us and it’s building to the 92nd annual Academy Awards ceremony on February 9, 2020. With most of the heavy-hitters having already hit theaters or screened in some fashion for critics and fans, the Oscar race is now starting to adopt a pretty solid shape.

Still, there is plenty of time yet for things to change. There is always some change before the final tallies are counted in January. Knowing this, now is a great time to make our first, preliminary round of predictions for who will be nominated for the honor of possibly, maybe, walking away with the coveted statuette at the end of the season. Without further ado, here are my first set of predictions for the 2020 Oscars:

Best Picture

The Irishman| Netflix

Will Be Nominated:

• The Irishman (Netflix)
• Jojo Rabbit (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
• Marriage Story (Netflix)
• Parasite (Neon)
• 1917 (Universal)
• Little Women (Sony/Columbia)
• The Two Popes (Netflix)
• Joker (Warner Bros.)
• Bombshell (Lionsgate)
• Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (Sony/Columbia)

Strong Contenders:

• The Farewell (A24)
• Ford v Ferrari (20th Century Fox)

Look Out For:

• A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (Sony/Columbia)
• Pain and Glory (Sony Classics)

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Best Director

Will Be Nominated:

• Martin Scorsese– The Irishman (Netflix)
• Noah Baumbach– Marriage Story (Netflix)
• Bong Joon Ho– Parasite (Neon)
• Quentin Tarantino– Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (Sony/Columbia)
• Sam Mendes– 1917 (Universal)

Strong Contenders:

• Lulu Wang– The Farewell (A24)
• James Mangold– Ford v Ferrari (20th Century Fox)

Look Out For:

• Taika Waititi– Jojo Rabbit (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
• Greta Gerwig– Little Women (Sony/Columbia)
• Todd Phillips– Joker (Warner Bros.)

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Best Lead Actor

Robert De Niro in The Irishman | Netflix

Will Be Nominated:

• Robert De Niro– The Irishman (Netflix)
• Adam Driver– Marriage Story (Netflix)
• Leonardo DiCaprio– Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (Sony/Columbia)
• Joaquin Phoenix– Joker (Warner Bros.)
• Taron Egerton– Rocketman (Paramount)

Strong Contenders:

• Jonathan Pryce– The Two Popes (Netflix)
• Antonio Banderas– Pain and Glory (Sony Classics)

Look Out For:

• Christian Bale– Ford v Ferrari (20th Century Fox)
• Eddie Murphy– Dolemite Is My Name (Netflix)
• Adam Sandler– Uncut Gems (A24)

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Best Supporting Actor

Tom Hanks is Mr. Rogers in A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood | Sony/Columbia

Will Be Nominated:

• Brad Pitt– Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (Sony/Columbia)
• Tom Hanks– A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (Sony/TriStar)
• Willem Dafoe– The Lighthouse (A24)
• Anthony Hopkins– The Two Popes (Netflix)
• Al Pacino– The Irishman (Netflix)

Strong Contenders:

• Willem Dafoe– The Lighthouse (A24)
• Joe Pesci – The Irishman (Netflix)
• Shia LaBeouf– Honey Boy (Amazon

Look Out For:

• Wesley Snipes– Dolemite Is My Name (Netflix)
• Jamie Foxx– Just Mercy (Warner Bros.)
• Sterling K. Brown– Waves (A24)

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Best Lead Actress

Renee Zellwegger is Judy Garland in Judy | Roadside Attractions

Will Be Nominated:

• Awkwafina– The Farewell (A24)
• Scarlett Johansson– Marriage Story (Netflix)
• Saoirse Ronan– Little Women (Sony/Columbia)
• Renee Zellwegger– Judy (Roadside Attractions)
• Charlize Theron– Bombshell (Lionsgate)

Strong Contenders:

• Lupita Nyong’o– Us (Universal)
• Cynthia Erivo– Harriet (Focus Features)

Look Out For:

• Jessie Buckley– Wild Rose (Neon)
• Felicity Jones– The Aeronauts (Amazon)

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Best Supporting Actress

Jennifer Lopez is a thieving stripper in Hustlers | STX Entertainment

Will Be Nominated:

• Zhao Shuzhen– The Farewell (A24)
• Laura Dern– Marriage Story (Netflix)
• Margot Robbie– Bombshell (Lionsgate)
• Florence Pugh– Little Women (Sony/Columbia)
• Jennifer Lopez– Hustlers (STX Entertainment)

Strong Contenders:

• Scarlett Johansson– Jojo Rabbit (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
• Nicole Kidman– Bombshell (Lionsgate)

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Best Adapted Screenplay

Jojo Rabbit | Fox Searchlight Pictures

Will Be Nominated:

• Jojo Rabbit (Taika Waititi)– Fox Searchlight Pictures
• The Irishman (Steven Zaillian)– Netflix
• A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (Micah Fitzerman-Blue, Noah Harpster)– Sony/TriStar
• Little Women (Greta Gerwig)– Sony/Columbia
• The Two Popes (Anthony McCarten)– Netflix

Strong Contenders:

• Joker (Warner Bros.)
• Just Mercy (A24)

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Best Original Screenplay

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood | Sony/Columbia

Will Be Nominated:

• Marriage Story (Noah Baumbach)– Netflix
• Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (Quentin Tarantino)– Sony/Columbia
• Parasite (Bong Joon Ho)– Neon
• The Farewell (Lulu Wang)– A24
• Bombshell (Charles Randolph)– Lionsgate

Strong Contenders:

• Honey Boy (Amazon)
• 1917 (Universal)
• Pain and Glory (Sony Classics)

Look Out For:

• Us (Universal)
• Knives Out (Lionsgate)

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Best Cinematography

The Lighthouse | A24

Will Be Nominated:

• 1917 (Roger Deakins) – Universal
• Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (Robert Richardson) – Sony/Columbia
• The Irishman (Rodrigo Prieto) – Netflix
• The Lighthouse (Jarin Blaschke) – A24
• Joker (Lawrence Sher) – Warner Bros

Strong Contenders:

• A Hidden Life (Jörg Widmer)– Fox Searchlight Pictures
• Ad Astra (Hoyte van Hoytema)– 20th Century Fox
• Ford v. Ferrari (Phedon Papamichael)– 20th Century Fox

Look Out For:

• Jojo Rabbit (Mihai Mălaimare Jr.)– Fox Searchlight
• The Aeronauts (George Steel)– Amazon

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Best Film Editing

Ford v Ferrari | 20th Century Fox

Will Be Nominated:

• Ford v. Ferrari (Andrew Buckland, Michael McCusker, Dirk Westervelt) – 20th Century Fox
• The Irishman (Thelma Schoonmaker) – Netflix
• Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (Fred Raskin) – Sony/Columbia
• Marriage Story (Jennifer Lame) – Netflix
• Parasite (Jinmo Yang) – Neon

Strong Contenders:

• 1917 (Lee Smith) – Universal
• Jojo Rabbit (Tom Eagles) – Fox Searchlight
• Little Women (Nick Houy) – Sony/Columbia

Look Out For:

• Rocketman (Chris Dickens) – Paramount

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Best Animated Feature

Toy Story 4 | Disney/Pixar

Will Be Nominated:

• Toy Story 4 (Disney/Pixar)
• Abominable (DreamWorks)
• Missing Link (Laika)
• How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (DreamWorks)
• Frozen II (Disney)

Strong Contenders:

• I Lost My Body (Netflix)
• Weathering With You (GKIDS)
• The Addams Family (MGM)

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Best Documentary Feature

Apollo 11 | Neon

Will Be Nominated:

• American Factory (Julia Reichert and Steven Bognar)– Netflix
• Apollo 11 (Todd Douglas Miller)– Neon
• One Child Nation (Nanfu Wang and Jialing Zhang)– Amazon
• Honeyland (Tamara Kotevska and Ljubomir Stefanov)
• The Cave (Feras Fayyad)– National Geographic

Strong Contenders:

• Western Stars (Bruce Springsteen, Thom Zimny)– Warner Bros.
• For Sama (Waad Al-Khateab and Edward Watts)– PBS
• The Edge of Democracy (Petra Costa)– Netflix

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Best Foreign Film

Parasite | Neon

Will Be Nominated:

• South Korea– Parasite (Bong Joon-ho) – Neon
• Spain– Pain and Glory (Pedro Almodóvar) – Sony Classics
• France– Les Misérables (Ladj Ly) – Amazon
• Sweden– And Then We Danced (Levan Akin) – Music Box
• Senegal– Atlantics (Mati Diop) – Netflix

Strong Contenders:

• Colombia – Monos (Alejandro Landes) – Neon
• Brazil – Invisible Life (Karim Aïnouz) – Amazon
• North Macedonia – Honeyland (Tamara Kotevska and Ljubomir Stefanov)

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Best Original Score

Joker | Warner Bros.

Will Be Nominated:

• 1917 (Thomas Newman)– Universal
• Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (John Williams)– Disney/LucasFilm
• Little Women (Alexandre Desplat – Sony/Columbia
• Joker (Hildur Guðnadóttir)– Warner Bros
• Marriage Story (Randy Newman)– Netflix

Strong Contenders:

• A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (Nate Heller)– Sony/TriStar
• Avengers: Endgame (Alan Silvestri)– Disney/Marvel
• The Irishman (Robbie Robertson)– Netflix

Look Out For:

• Harriet (Terence Blanchard)– Focus Features

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Best Original Song

Frozen II | Disney

Will Be Nominated:

• “Into the Unknown”– Frozen II (Disney)
• “I Can’t Let You Throw Yourself Away”– Toy Story 4 (Disney/Pixar)
• “Stand Up”– Harriet (Focus Features)
• “(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again”– Rocketman (Paramount)
• “Beautiful Ghosts”– CATS (Universal)

Strong Contenders:

• “Glasgow (No Place Like Home)”– Wild Rose (Neon)
• “Spirit”– The Lion King (Disney)
• “Speechless”– Aladdin (Disney)

Look Out For:

• “Don’t Call Me (Angel)”– Charlie’s Angels (Sony)
• “Catchy Song”– The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part (Warner Bros.)

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Best Visual Effects

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker | Disney/LucasFilm

Will Be Nominated:

• Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (Disney/LucasFilm)
• The Irishman (Netflix)
• Avengers: Endgame (Disney/Marvel)
• The Lion King (Disney)
• Ad Astra (20th Century Fox)

Strong Contenders:

• Gemini Man (Paramount)
• CATS (Universal)
• 1917 (Universal)

Look Out For:

• Spider-Man: Far From Home (Sony)
• The Aeronauts (Amazon)

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Best Production Design

1917 | Universal

Will Be Nominated:

• Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (Barbara Ling)– Sony/Columbia
• 1917 (Dennis Gassner)– Universal
• The Two Popes (Mark Tildesley)– Netflix
• Cats (Eve Stewart)– Universal
• Downton Abbey (Donal Woods)– Focus Features

Strong Contenders:

• Ad Astra (Kevin Thompson)– 20th Century Fox
• The Irishman (Bob Shaw)– Netflix
• Little Women (Jess Gonchor)– Sony/Columbia
• Jojo Rabbit (Ra Vincent)– Fox Searchlight Pictures

Look Out For:

• Joker (Mark Friedberg)– Warner Bros.
• Rocketman (Peter Francis, Marcus Rowland)– Paramount
• The Aeronauts (David Hindle, Christian Huband)– Amazon

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Best Costume Design

Rocketman | Paramount

Will Be Nominated:

• Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (Arianne Phillips)– Sony/Columbia
• Little Women (Jacqueline Durran)– Sony/Columbia
• Downton Abbey (Anna Robbins)– Focus Features
• Dolemite Is My Name (Ruth E. Carter)– Netflix
• Rocketman (Julian Day)– Paramount

Strong Contenders:

• 1917 (Jacqueline Durran and David Rossman)– Universal
• The Irishman (Sandy Powell)– Netflix
• Jojo Rabbit (Mayes C. Rubeo)– Fox Searchlight

Look Out For:

• Maleficent: Mistress of Evil (Ellen Mirojnick)– Disney
• The Aeronauts (Amazon)

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Best Makeup/Hairstyling

Bombshell | Lionsgate

Will Be Nominated:

• Bombshell (Lionsgate)
• Judy (Roadside Attractions)
• Joker (Warner Bros)
• Downton Abbey (Focus Features)
• 1917 (Universal)

Strong Contenders:

• The Irishman (Netflix)
• Dolemite Is My Name (Netflix)
• Maleficent: Mistress of Evil (Disney)

Look Out For:

• Downton Abbey (Focus Features)
• Rocketman (Paramount)
• The Aeronauts (Amazon)

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Best Sound Editing

Ad Astra | 20th Century Fox

Will Be Nominated:

• 1917 (Universal)
• Ad Astra (20th Century Fox)
• Ford v Ferrari (20th Century Fox
• Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (Disney)
• Joker (Warner Bros)

Strong Contenders:

• Avengers: Endgame (Disney/Marvel)
• Gemini Man (Paramount)
• The Aeronauts (Amazon)

Look Out For:

• Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (Sony/Columbia)
• Aladdin (Disney)

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Best Sound Mixing

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker | Disney/LucasFilm

Will Be Nominated:

• 1917 (Universal)
• Ford v Ferrari (20th Century Fox)
• Joker (Warner Bros)
• Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (Disney)
• Rocketman (Paramount)

Strong Contenders:

• Ad Astra (20th Century Fox)
• CATS (universal)
• The Irishman (Netflix)

Look Out For:

• Jojo Rabbit (Fox Searchlight)
• Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (Sony/Columbia)
• Aladdin (Disney)
• Alita: Battle Angel (20th Century Fox)

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Those are my preliminary predictions for the forthcoming 92nd Academy Awards. What do you think about my picks? Do you agree? Which predictions do you think won’t pan out? Sound off in the comments below and let me know!