Who is the Next Filmmaker Due to Finally Win Their Oscar?

When Paul Thomas Anderson won his Academy Awards almost a year ago now, it crossed off a massive name on the list of auteurs who were overdue to win an Oscar. Every few years, someone notable finally gets their prize. Prior to Anderson, it was Kenneth Branagh and Christopher Nolan, to name two more. With awards season very much on the horizon, it got me thinking about who could follow in PTA’s footsteps, not just this year, but in the coming ones?

Below, I’ll list ten filmmakers that I think, in one manner or another, are next up for a win. First, however, I have a few to mention who would have been, at one point, obvious candidates…

David O. Russell would have been next up, given how close he came for a while, but controversies and a few misfires have apparently removed him from any real consideration by the Academy. Maybe Madden this year will change that? The likely answer, however, is no. So, it feels like Russell is very much in the rearview window for voters.

Peter Weir is sadly retired, while Mike Leigh is seemingly ending his career with his soon to be released film Tender Loving Care. Had Weir still been working and doing so at his normally high level, he would be an obvious choice as one of the most overdue in the business, but he’s shown no signs of ending his retirement. Alas.

Here now are ten filmmakers one could argue are amongst the most overdue for an Academy Award. Behold:

Darren Aronofsky

Todd Field

David Fincher

Greta Gerwig

Yorgos Lanthimos

Richard Linklater

James Mangold

Michael Mann

Ridley Scott

Denis Villeneuve

As you can see, those are ten of the biggest names in Hollywood. Notably absent? Terrence Malick. Why? He simply hasn’t been on the Academy’s radar for a decade and a half now. Malick needs to show something that has a chance of competing in order to jump back on this list, which he once would have been near the top of. David Fincher and Greta Gerwig have felt very much on the cusp for a while now, while Yorgos Lanthimos and Richard Linklater have been racking up nominations. There’s also one of the most overdue names in Ridley Scott, but as anyone who follows his career knows, it’s impossible to ever pinpoint whether his next project will be up to snuff or not. Denis Villeneuve, for example has some notable snubs, but every new citation feels like it could be the one for him. That’s six of the ten, and Michael Mann obviously is no slouch and could easily have one more masterpiece in him. Darren Aronofsky feels like his time is fading, though he’s been directing his cast to wins consistently, while Todd Field just needs to work more, and James Mangold is consistently underrated, though that certainly might end someday.

From the above list, Fincher and Villeneuve have potential contenders this year in The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth and Dune: Part Three, respectively. Technically, Scott has The Dog Stars, but he’ll have to wait for a different project to potentially get him to the promised land (and time is ticking). Gerwig will have Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew next year, though that seems less likely to grab the Academy than her prior flicks. Still, anything is possible, and it would be silly to count any of these artists out (even Malick, I suppose). For at least some, their day is coming…

Who is the filmmaker most overdue to win an Oscar? Let us know!