2018 was kind of a big deal for movies.

Thanks to Marvel’s Avengers, Aquaman, Queen, Jackson Maine, and Pixar’s Incredibles family, audiences were spoiled with many quality choices at the multiplex last year. 2019’s slate is shaping up to be full of even more movies we can’t wait to get into our eyeballs. Or jot down on our 2020 Oscars wishlist.

Yeah, we know: One Oscar season is coming to an end, isn’t it a little too early to start another? Well, Hollywood is already in the early days of mapping out next year’s campaigns before their current ones have time to make room on the mantle for their respective trophies. So we might as well get started, too. With Black Panther being nominated for Best Picture (and winning three Oscars) and a diverse spread of winners this year, the face of your typical awards contenders just might be changing. Here are 11 (possibly) unexpected movies you should put on your radar – and maybe on your office pool’s Oscar ballots for 2020.

Us’ (March 15)

With its haunting trailer, Us vaulted to the top of our list of must-see 2019 movies. To be fair, it was already high on our list of things to see as soon as the project was announced as writer-director Jordan Peele’s follow-up to his Oscar-winning hit, Get Out. Peele won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for Get Out, and many are already calling for him to be in the running for that category again (and maybe Best Director) given the buzz for Us.

Avengers: Endgame’ (April 26)

Hey, if Black Panther can score a Best Picture nomination, then so can the rest of the Avengers.

The culmination of over ten years worth of storytelling and box office success, Avengers: Endgame finds what’s left of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes picking up the pieces in a post-Snap world. Black Widow and Captain America lead the effort on Earth (with an assist from Ant-Man), hopefully to reunite with an adrift-in-space Tony Stark to stop Thanos and, maybe, reverse the damage the Mad Titan has done.

Avengers: Infinity War earned a Best Visual Effects Oscar nomination, and it is very likely Endgame will do the same. It’s also not outside the realm of possibility for Marvel’s last movie rumored to feature the main Phase One cast to earn Marvel Studios their second Best Pic nomination. Remember when the Academy awarded 2003’s The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King with a legacy nod (and win)? Though the times are vastly different now, Endgame could find itself on a similar trajectory, given the fact that what Marvel has pulled off is utterly unprecedented in cinema history and worthy of some awards glory.

‘Ad Astra’ (May 24)

After bouncing around the release schedule, Brad Pitt’s sci-fi drama Ad Astra will finally arrive in theaters for Memorial Day weekend. Pitt plays an astronaut searching the galaxy for his lost and estranged father (Tommy Lee Jones). Early buzz suggests the 20th Century Fox film (to be released by Disney) is good enough to warrant the prized Memorial Day weekend slot. Could the movie be good enough to earn at least acting nods for both Pitt and the Oscar-winning Jones? We’ll find out.

‘Where’d You Go, Bernadette’ (August 9)

Director Richard Linklater (Boyhood) is back with another potential awards contender, along with Best Actress winner Cate Blanchett. Based on the novel of the same, the movie – co-written by 500 Days of Summer scribes Michael H. Weber and Scott Neustadter – centers on Bernadette Fox (Blanchett), a woman who is very anti-people. When she goes missing, it is up to Bernadette’s daughter to find her. This late summer entry from Annapurna hopes to have more luck come awards time than the last movie the company released around this time: Detroit. Linklater fans are legion, both in and out of the Academy, so his directing efforts could likely put him in the running for Best Director. Also, put Where’d You Go, Bernadette‘s script on the list for possible Best Adapted Screenplay.

‘Rocketman’ (May 31)

The Academy loves a biopic musical (see Bohemian Rhapsody) and they will likely fall hard for this long-in-the-works movie about the life of Elton John. Taron Egerton stars (and sings) with direction from Dexter Fletcher, who stepped in to finish Rhapsody following that film’s production troubles. Rocketman could net Fletcher some long overdue awards attention, and you can bet Egerton’s camp will be leading a fierce Best Actor campaign.

‘Toy Story 4’ (June 21)

Toy Story 3 is one of the best (if not the best) threequel in the history of human events. Pixar promised only to revisit Buzz and Woody again if they had a story worth telling and, judging by the positive feedback stemming from early studio screenings, Pixar has definitely succeeded. The studio’s animated efforts usually land one of the Best Animated Feature slots, but the real question is could Toy Story 4 earn one of the coveted Best Picture slots? Toy Story 3 pulled it off for the 2011 ceremony. This sequel has some big cowboy boots to fill, but we wouldn’t be surprised if the movie is one of the potential ten titles to get nominated. It would definitely help the Academy’s want for more eyes on their three-hour awards show.

Once Upon A Time In Hollywood’ (July 26)

Quentin Tarantino’s first movie since 2015’s Hateful Eight is one of the most-anticipated films of this (or any) year.

The 1960s-set mystery crime drama about a failed TV star (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his stuntman/best friend (Brad Pitt) reportedly involves the two leads crossing paths with the Manson murders. The writer-director has assembled an eye-popping ensemble cast for Once Upon a Time in Hollywood that includes Margot Robbie, Kurt Russell, and Al Pacino. Dollars-to-donuts, Tarantino will likely score Best Original Screenplay and Best Director noms. Look for some acting nominations to be spread out amongst the film’s impressive cast as well. (Academy-favorite Margot Robbie has been all but a lock for a nod since she was announced for the project.)

‘A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood’ (November 22)

The only thing people might love more than Mr. Rogers is Tom Hanks playing Mr. Rogers.

The much-anticipated biopic features Hanks’ take on everyone’s favorite cardigan owner and The Americans‘ Emmy-winning star Matthew Rhys playing a reporter charged with interviewing the then-rising star of public broadcasting education. Based on a true story, A Beautiful day in the Neighborhood could generate an awards campaign that hits voters right in the heartstrings – leading to acting nominations for Hanks and Rhys. Best Picture may also be in the cards, but we don’t wanna get to ahead of ourselves there. There isn’t even a trailer… yet.

‘The Goldfinch’ (October 11)

John Crowley, director of the 2015 Oscar darling Brooklyn, helms this adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name and Oscar prognosticators have been watching this one closely ever since it got the greenlight. The drama stars Nicole Kidman, Sarah Paulson, and Ansel Elgort and centers on Elgort’s character, a boy taken in by a wealthy New York family after his mother dies in a tragic bombing. There are currently no trailers for the movie yet, but given the pedigree behind this movie, The Goldfinch could be next year’s Oscar equivalent of The Hours, which won Kidman her first acting Oscar.

‘The Good Liar’ (November 15)

It’s too bad tickets for this movie have yet to go on sale because we would buy ALL OF THEM.

What’s not to love? Ian McKellen reunites with his Gods and Monsters director, Bill Condon (Dreamgirls), to tell the story of a con man past his prime who meets a widow (Helen Mirren) online and, well, swindling ensues. But what McKellen’s con artist didn’t expect was falling for his mark. The people both behind and in front of the camera for this movie are no stranger to Oscars. Expect serious sparkage and charm from the two leads, with past Oscar nominee McKellen and Oscar-winner Mirren likely in the running for acting honors.

‘Frozen 2’ (November 22)

It’s been six long years since we first got obsessed with “Let It Go” and now the filmmakers behind the Disney hit are back with a sequel that is rumored to be darker and more complex than the first. (Uh, yeah, judging by Frozen 2‘s intriguing first teaser). Best Animated Feature is all but a lock at this point. (And Olaf will sweep Best Supporting Actor. Just kidding. It’ll totally be Sven.)

 

You Might Also Like


  • Editorial
  • Oscars
  • VIDEOS