A Look at Some Potential Prior Oscar Nominees in the Running This Year

Recently (here), I took a look at what the above the line Academy Award categories would look like with only first time nominees. That never happens, of course, but imagine that? Well, today, you can imagine something entirely different. What if the Oscar lineup was made up entirely of folks who had been previously nominated?

Who would make up a list like that? Well, you’d have people like Cate Blanchett, James Cameron, Damien Chazelle, Tom Cruise, Todd Field, Tom Hanks, Hugh Jackman, Carey Mulligan, Steven Spielberg, and Michelle Williams, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg! In several cases, they not only have prior nominations, but actual Academy Awards on their mantle already.

Below, you can see some of the men and women with the best shots at becoming Oscar nominees this year for at least the second time. You’ll see a few categories that look reasonably similar to what they ultimately might be. You’ll also see some that bear very little resemblance to what the Academy Awards seem poised to be. Consider it a fun experiment, at the very least…

Take a look at what a potential Oscar lineup (above the line) would look like with only nominees who have previously been cited by the Academy:

Best Director

1. Steven Spielberg (The Fabelmans)

2. Damien Chazelle (Babylon)

3. Todd Field (Tár)

4. Sarah Polley (Women Talking)

5. Martin McDonagh (The Banshees of Inisherin)

Best Actor

1. Hugh Jackman (The Son)

2. Tom Cruise (Top Gun: Maverick)

3. Adam Driver (White Noise)

4. Will Smith (Emancipation)

5. Christian Bale (Amsterdam)

Best Actress

1. Cate Blanchett (Tár)

2. Michelle Williams (The Fabelmans)

3. Margot Robbie (Babylon)

4. Olivia Colman (Empire of Light)

5. Viola Davis (The Woman King)

Best Supporting Actor

1. Judd Hirsch (The Fabelmans)

2. Anthony Hopkins (Armageddon Times)

3. Tom Hanks (Elvis)

4. Brad Pitt (Babylon)

5. Eddie Redmayne (The Good Nurse)

Best Supporting Actress

1. Carey Mulligan (She Said)

2. Jessie Buckley (Women Talking)

3. Anne Hathaway (Armageddon Time)

4. Angela Bassett (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever)

5. Vanessa Kirby (The Son)

Best Adapted Screenplay

1. Sarah Polley (Women Talking)

2. Rian Johnson (Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery)

3. Noah Baumbach (White Noise)

4. Florian Zeller and Christopher Hampton (The Son)

5. James Cameron (Avatar: The Way of Water)

Best Original Screenplay

1. Martin McDonagh (The Banshees of Inisherin)

2. Steven Spielberg and Tony Kushner (The Fabelmans)

3. Todd Field (Tár)

4. Jordan Peele (Nope)

5. Sam Mendes (Empire of Light)

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Stay tuned to see which prior Oscar nominees we wind up with once again this year!