Variety Awards Circuit section is the home for all awards news and related content throughout the year, featuring the following: the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars, Emmys, Grammys and Tony Awards ceremonies, curated by Variety chief awards editor Clayton Davis. The prediction pages reflect the current standings in the race and do not reflect personal preferences for any individual contender. As other formal (and informal) polls suggest, competitions are fluid and subject to change based on buzz and events. Predictions are updated every Thursday.
“The Odyssey”
Universal Pictures
2027 Academy Awards Predictions Commentary All Categories (Updated: Oct. 22, 2026): Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim’s A24 documentary “You Can See Everything,” which follows the Theranos founder through the 34 days before she reported to prison and keeps rolling afterward, opened to a staggering $15 million over the weekend, a number most nonfiction films never see in a full run. It’s also boasting a record-setting 99 on Metacritic, 98% on Rotten Tomatoes and holding a 4.7 (out of 5) on Letterboxd and 9.4 on IMDb.
What if the first documentary nominated for best picture goes all the way to the top prize?
A few studios are trying to frame the race as David vs. Goliath regarding how they can possibly topple Christopher Nolan’s billion-dollar sensation “The Odyssey.” What if this is actually Odysseus vs. Elizabeth Holmes?
In addition to being eligible for best documentary feature at the 99th Academy Awards, the film will also be submitted across the board as seen on A24’s awards site: best picture (Nathan Fielder, Lance Oppenheim, Tatiana Bears, Maggie Ambrose and Jack Davis), director (Fielder and Oppenheim), production design (Alex DiGerlando and Rebecca Meis), cinematography (David Bolen), costume design (Katina Danabassis), film editing (Adam Locke-Norton), makeup and hairstyling (Stephanie Pasicov and Kerrie Smith), sound (Paul Hsu and Richard Carlos) and original score (Ari Balouzian).
Variety confirmed exclusively after the film made its surprise world premiere (and general existence became known) at the Telluride Film Festival that Amanda Seyfried, credited in the film as Elizabeth Holmes, is eligible for the Academy Awards in the acting categories. Seyfried, who also appears as herself while reprising her Emmy-winning turn as Holmes from “The Dropout,” will be campaigned in the supporting actress category. If she lands the nomination, it would be her second, following “Mank” (2020). She would get there for playing two people at once: herself and the woman she already won an Emmy statue for playing. Christopher Abbott, who also appears in the film as Holmes’ spouse, Billy Evans, in recreated scenes, is also eligible for acting consideration in the supporting actor category. Fielder, credited as himself, may be eligible to submit as a performer, but Variety has confirmed he won’t.
No documentary has ever been nominated for best picture in 98 ceremonies. The zeitgeist says this one can be.
The race is getting very exciting.
In other news, Variety has confirmed that Lionsgate’s bid to have its Michael Jackson biopic compete as a comedy or musical at the Golden Globes has been denied. The Golden Globes’ decision means the film, starring Jaafar Jackson as the King of Pop, is currently slated for the drama categories where it would compete for one of the six available slots against Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey,” Los Javis’ “La Bola Negra” and more. The supporting actor and actress categories do not separate by genre, so this has no effect on his co-stars Colman Domingo and Nia Long.
This week’s updates are below.
The Governors Awards, which will hand out honorary Oscars to Glenn Close and Ridley Scott, will take place Sunday, Nov. 15. Preliminary voting for the Oscars shortlist in 12 categories runs Dec. 7-11, with the shortlist announcement to follow Tuesday, Dec. 15. Following the close of the eligibility period on Dec. 31, 2026, nominations voting will run Jan. 11-15, 2027. The official Oscar nominations will be announced on Thursday, Jan. 21, 2027. The 99th Oscars will take place on Sunday, March 14, 2027 and will be hosted by Conan O’Brien. The ceremony airs live at 7 p.m. ET on ABC and in more than 200 territories worldwide from the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood.
Projected nomination leaders (films): “The Odyssey” (15); “Dune: Part Three” (11); “La Bola Negra” (10); “Project Hail Mary” (8); “The Invite” (6)
Projected nomination leaders (studios): A24 (17); Universal Pictures (15); Netflix (13); Warner Bros. (12); Amazon MGM Studios and Searchlight Pictures (8)
*** = PREDICTED WINNER
(All predicted nominees listed below are in alphabetical order)
-
Best Picture
Image Credit: A24 “Artificial” (Neon)
Jeffrey Clifford, Jennifer Fox, Luca Guadagnino, David Heyman, Simon Rich
“The Debut” (A24)
Jesse Eisenberg, Ali Herting, Dave McCary, Emma Stone,
“Dune: Part Three” (Warner Bros.)
Cale Boyter, Mary Parent, Denis Villeneuve
“The Invite” (A24)
Ben Browning, Megan Ellison, David Permut
“La Bola Negra” (Netflix)
Javier Ambrossi, Javier Calvo, Jorge Pezzi
“The Odyssey” (Universal Pictures) ***
Christopher Nolan, Emma Thomas
“Project Hail Mary” (Amazon MGM Studios)
Ryan Gosling, Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, Rachel O’Connor, Amy Pascal, Aditya Sood
“Wild Horse Nine” (Searchlight Pictures)
Graham Broadbent, Pete Czernin, Martin McDonagh, Anie Overland
“Wildwood” (Laika)
Sam Wilson
“You Can See Everything” (A24)
Maggie Ambrose, Tatiana Bears, Jack Davis, Nathan Fielder, Lance Oppenheim -
Directing
Image Credit: A24 Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo
“La Bola Negra” (Netflix)
Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim
“You Can See Everything” (A24)
Christopher Nolan
“The Odyssey” (Universal Pictures)
Denis Villeneuve ***
“Dune: Part Three” (Warner Bros.)
Olivia Wilde
“The Invite” (A24) -
Actor
Image Credit: Justin Lubin Matt Damon
“The Odyssey” (Universal Pictures)
John Malkovich
“Wild Horse Nine” (Searchlight Pictures)
Pedro Pascal
“Behemoth!” (Searchlight Pictures)
Andrew Scott ***
“Elsinore” (Focus Features)
John Turturro
“The Only Living Pickpocket in New York” (Sony Pictures Classics) -
Actress
Image Credit: Mubi Marion Bailey
“Tender Loving Care” (Bleecker Street)
Sandra Hüller
“Rose” (Mubi)
Julianne Moore ***
“The Debut” (A24)
Inde Navarrette
“Obsession” (Focus Features)
Olivia Wilde
“The Invite” (A24) -
Supporting Actor
Image Credit: Neon Andrew Garfield ***
“Artificial” (Neon)
Paul Giamatti
“The Debut” (A24)
Guitarricadelafuente
“La Bola Negra” (Netflix)
John Leguizamo
“The Odyssey” (Universal Pictures)
Sam Rockwell
“Wild Horse Nine” (Searchlight Pictures) -
Supporting Actress
Penélope Cruz
“The Invite” (A24)
Anne Hathaway ***
“The Odyssey” (Universal Pictures)
Sandra Hüller
“Project Hail Mary” (Amazon MGM Studios)
Samantha Morton
“The Odyssey” (Universal Pictures)
[REDACTED]
“You Can See Everything” (A24) -
Original Screenplay
Image Credit: A24 “Artificial” (Neon)
Simon Rich
“Club Kid” (A24)
Jordan Firstman
“The Debut” (A24)
Jesse Eisenberg
“Tender Loving Care” (Bleecker Street)
Mike Leigh
“Wild Horse Nine” (Searchlight Pictures) ***
Martin McDonagh -
Adapted Screenplay
Image Credit: Jonathan Olley “Dune: Part Three” (Warner Bros.)
Brian K. Vaughan, Denis Villeneuve
“The Invite” (A24) ***
Rashida Jones and Will McCormack
“La Bola Negra” (Netflix)
Javier Ambrossi, Javier Calvo, Alberto Conejero
“The Odyssey” (Universal Pictures)
Christopher Nolan
“Project Hail Mary” (Amazon MGM Studios)
Drew Goddard -
Casting
Image Credit: Neon “Being Heumann” (Apple Original Films)
Adam Caldwell and Bernard Telsey
“Fjord” (Neon)
Hannah Chocron Foldøy
“La Bola Negra” (Netflix)
Eva Leira and Yolanda Serrano
“The Odyssey” (Universal Pictures) ***
John Papsidera
“Wild Horse Nine” (Searchlight Pictures)
Sarah Finn -
Animated Feature
Image Credit: PIXAR “Hoppers” (Pixar)
Daniel Chong and Nicole Paradis Grindle
“Ray Gunn” (Netflix)
Brad Bird, Lisa Beroud, David Ellison, Dana Goldberg and John Lasseter
“Tangles” (Independent Film Company)
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Evan Goldberg, Leah Nelson, Lauren Miller Rogen and Seth Rogen
“Toy Story 5” (Pixar)
Jessica Choi, Lindsey Collins and Andrew Stanton
“Wildwood” (Laika) ***
Travis Knight and Sam Wilson -
Production Design
Image Credit: Focus Features “Dune: Part Three” (Warner Bros.) ***
“La Bola Negra” (Netflix)
“The Odyssey” (Universal Pictures)
“Project Hail Mary” (Amazon MGM Studios)
“Werwulf” (Focus Features) -
Cinematography
Image Credit: Netflix “Dune: Part Three” (Warner Bros.)
“La Bola Negra” (Netflix)
“The Odyssey” (Universal Pictures) ***
“Project Hail Mary” (Amazon MGM Studios)
“You Can See Everything” (A24) -
Costume Design
Image Credit: Glen Wilson/Lionsgate “Dune: Part Three” (Warner Bros.) ***
“La Bola Negra” (Netflix)
“Michael” (Lionsgate)
“The Odyssey” (Universal Pictures)
“Sense and Sensibility” (Focus Features) -
Film Editing
Image Credit: Melinda Sue Gordon “Dune: Part Three” (Warner Bros.)
“The Invite” (A24)
“The Odyssey” (Universal Pictures) ***
“Project Hail Mary” (Amazon MGM Studios)
“You Can See Everything” (A24) -
Makeup and Hairstyling
Image Credit: Lol Crawley “Digger” (Warner Bros.)
“Dune: Part Three” (Warner Bros.) ***
“Michael” (Lionsgate)
“The Odyssey” (Universal Pictures)
“Wicker” (Black Bear Pictures) -
Sound
Image Credit: Netflix “Behemoth!” (Searchlight Pictures)
“Dune: Part Three” (Warner Bros.)
“The Mosquito Bowl” (Netflix)
“The Odyssey” (Universal Pictures) ***
“Project Hail Mary” (Amazon MGM Studios) -
Visual Effects
Image Credit: Jay Maidment/Sony “Dune: Part Three” (Warner Bros.) ***
“Godzilla Minus Zero” (GKids)
“Project Hail Mary” (Amazon MGM Studios)
“Spider-Man: Brand New Day” (Sony Pictures)
“Wildwood” (Laika) -
Original Score
Image Credit: Laika “Artificial” (Neon)
Damon Albarn
“Behemoth!” (Searchlight Pictures)
The Behemoth! Collective
“Dune: Part Three” (Warner Bros.)
Hans Zimmer
“The Odyssey” (Universal Pictures) ***
Ludwig Göransson
“Wildwood” (Laika)
Dario Marianelli -
Original Song
Image Credit: Courtesy of Venice Film Festival “This City May Have Chewed Me Up (But It Hasn’t Spit Me Out)” from “The Debut” (A24) ***
“La Nieve” from “La Bola Negra” (Netflix)
“Let Me Sell You a Dream” from “Musk” (Bleecker Street)
“I Knew It, I Knew You” from “Toy Story 5” (Pixar)
“The Better Part of Bravery” from “Wildwood” (Laika) -
Documentary Feature
Image Credit: Sony Pictures Classics “American Doctor” (Watermelon Pictures)
“Everest: The Other Side” (National Geographic)
“Naza” (The Guardian and MK2)
“Once Upon a Time in Harlem” (Neon) ***
“Rehearsals for a Revolution” (Sony Pictures Classics) -
International Feature
Image Credit: Courtesy of MK2 Films “Fjord” from Romania (Neon)
Dir. Cristian Mingui
“La Bola Negra” from Spain (Netflix) ***
Dir. Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo
“Minotaur” from France (Mubi)
dir. Andrey Zvyagintsev
“Possible Love” from South Korea (Netflix)
dir. Lee Chang-dong
“Rose” from Austria (Mubi)
dir. Markus Schleinzer
