Variety's Awards Circuit is home to the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars from Film Awards Editor Clayton Davis. Following Academy Awards history, buzz, news, reviews and sources, the Oscar predictions are updated regularly with the current year's contenders in all categories. Variety's Awards Circuit Prediction schedule consists of four phases, running all year long: Draft, Pre-Season, Regular Season and Post Season. Eligibility calendar and dates of awards will determine how long each phase lasts and will be displayed next to revision date.
To see all the latest predictions, of all the categories, in one place, visit
THE COLLECTIVE
DRAFT>>>PRE SEASON>>>REGULAR SEASON>>>POST SEASON
2021 GOLDEN GLOBE PREDICTIONS:
BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE
UPDATED: Feb. 24, 2021
AWARDS PREDICTION COMMENTARY: The Golden Globes nominations were announced on Feb. 3, with Netflix’s “Mank” from David Fincher leading with six nods. As the ceremony approaches on Feb. 28, the categories have been analyzed to determine what they mean for the awards season. Several nominees have already made history, but with final voting taking place and due back to Ernst & Young’s accounting firm by Feb. 23, many films and performances could be record-breakers or trendsetters if they are selected as winners. Read all the records that could be set with each set of nominees for the Globes on Variety. With just under 30 days until the Oscar nominations, set to be announced on March 15, the race continues to take shape, possibly presenting more twists and turns over the next few weeks.
If the predictions are correct, if Cohen wins this category, along with his other nominated work for “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm” in best actor (comedy), he’ll be the first male to win two acting awards on the same night. Four women have achieved this feat – Sigourney Weaver (“Gorillas in the Mist” and “Working Girl” in 1988), Joan Plowright (“Enchanted April” and TV’s “Stalin” in 1993), Helen Mirren (“The Queen” and TV’s “Elizabeth I” in 2007) and Kate Winslet (“Revolutionary Road” and “The Reader” in 2008). Kaluuya or Odom Jr. would the fifth Black acting winner in this category – Mahershala Ali in “Green Book” (2018), Eddie Murphy in “Dreamgirls” (2006), Denzel Washington in “Glory” (1989) and Louis Gossett Jr in “An Officer and a Gentlemen” (1982). Only Murphy failed to win the Oscar. Odom would also be the first double nominee for acting and song, to win either category.
PRECURSORS LEADER:
Paul Raci, “Sound of Metal” (Amazon Studios)
Awards Circuit Winners Chart (2020-2021)
2021 Awards Season Calendar

AND THE PREDICTED NOMINEES ARE:
Sacha Baron Cohen
"The Trial of the Chicago 7" (Netflix)
GLOBES HISTORY: 3 nominations, 1 win (2006's "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan" in adapted screenplay)
ROLE: Abbie Hoffman
–
DIRECTOR: Aaron Sorkin
SYNOPSIS: The story of 7 people on trial stemming from various charges surrounding the uprising at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Illinois.
STARRING: Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Sacha Baron Cohen, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Michael Keaton, Frank Langella, John Carroll Lynch, Eddie Redmayne, Mark Rylance, Alex Sharp, Jeremy Strong
Daniel Kaluuya
"Judas and the Black Messiah" (Warner Bros.)
GLOBES HISTORY: 1 nomination (2017'S "Get Out" in best actor in a comedy or musical)
ROLE: Fred Hampton
–
DIRECTOR: Shaka King
SYNOPSIS: The story of Fred Hampton, Chairman of the Illinois Black Panther Party, and his fateful betrayal by FBI informant William O'Neal.
STARRING: Lakeith Stanfield, Daniel Kaluuya, Dominique Fishback, Jesse Plemons, Martin Sheen, Dominique Thorne, Algee Smith, Lil Rel Howery, Jermaine Fowler
Bill Murray
"On the Rocks" (A24/Apple TV Plus)
GLOBES HISTORY: 6 nominations, 1 win (2003's "Lost in Translation" in best actor in a comedy or musical)
ROLE: Felix
–
DIRECTOR: Sofia Coppola
SYNOPSIS: A young mother reconnects with her larger-than-life playboy father on an adventure through New York.
STARRING: Rashida Jones, Bill Murray, Marlon Wayans, Jessica Henwick, Jenny Slate
Leslie Odom, Jr.
"One Night in Miami" (Amazon Studios)
GLOBES HISTORY: Never nominated
ROLE: Sam Cooke
–
DIRECTOR: Regina King
SYNOPSIS: A fictional account of one incredible night in 1964, where four icons of activism, sports and music – Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali, Jim Brown and Sam Cooke – gathered, discussing their roles in the civil rights movement and cultural upheaval of the ’60s.
STARRING: Kingsley Ben-Adir, Eli Goree, Aldis Hodge, Leslie Odom, Jr.
Jared Leto
"The Little Things" (Warner Bros.)
OSCAR HISTORY: 1 nomination, 1 win (2013's "Dallas Buyers Club" in supporting actor)
ROLE: To be announced
–
DIRECTOR: John Lee Hancock
SYNOPSIS: Two cops track down a serial killer.
STARRING: Denzel Washington, Jared Leto, Rami Malek
AWARDS CATEGORY HISTORY
The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, is Hollywood’s most prestigious artistic award in the film industry. The most awarded films in Oscar history are “Ben-Hur,” “Titanic” and “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” at 11 statuettes. The most nominated films in Academy history are “All About Eve,” “Titanic” and “La La Land” at 14. “La La Land” is the only film of the three to have lost best picture. The biggest Oscar “losers,” meaning most nominated and walk away with zero awards, are 1977’s “The Turning Point” and 1985’s “The Color Purple” at 11 each.
Academy Awards Predictions (All Categories)
- 2021 Oscar Predictions: Best Picture
- 2021 Oscar Predictions: Best Director
- 2021 Oscar Predictions: Best Actor
- 2021 Oscar Predictions: Best Actress
- 2021 Oscar Predictions: Best Supporting Actor
- 2021 Oscar Predictions: Best Supporting Actress
- 2021 Oscar Predictions: Best Original Screenplay
- 2021 Oscar Predictions: Best Adapted Screenplay
- 2021 Oscar Predictions: Best Animated Feature
- 2021 Oscar Predictions: Best Production Design
- 2021 Oscar Predictions: Best Cinematography
- 2021 Oscar Predictions: Best Costume Design
- 2021 Oscar Predictions: Best Film Editing
- 2021 Oscar Predictions: Best Makeup and Hairstyling
- 2021 Oscar Predictions: Best Sound
- 2021 Oscar Predictions: Best Visual Effects
- 2021 Oscar Predictions: Best Original Score
- 2021 Oscar Predictions: Best Original Song
- 2021 Oscar Predictions: Best Documentary Feature
- 2021 Oscar Predictions: Best International Feature
- 2021 Oscar Predictions: Best Animated Short [coming soon]
- 2021 Oscar Predictions: Best Documentary Short [coming soon]
- 2021 Oscar Predictions: Best Live-Action Short [coming soon]
2021 Golden Globes Predictions (Film)
- Best Motion Picture – Drama
- Best Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical
- Best Motion Picture – Foreign Language
- Best Motion Picture – Animated
- Best Actor in a Motion Picture (Drama)
- Best Actor in a Motion Picture (Comedy or Musical)
- Best Actress in a Motion Picture (Drama)
- Best Actress in a Motion Picture (Comedy or Musical)
- Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
- Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
- Best Director – Motion Picture
2021 SAG Awards Predictions (Film)
- Best Performance by an Ensemble in a Motion Picture
- Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role in a Motion Picture
- Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role in a Motion Picture
- Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
- Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
- Best Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture
About the Academy Awards (Oscars)
The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, is Hollywood’s most prestigious artistic award in the film industry. Since 1927, nominees and winners are selected by members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). 17 branches are represented within the near 10,000 person membership. The branches are actors, associates, casting directors, cinematographers, costume designers, directors, documentary, executives, film editors, makeup and hairstylists, marketing and public relations, members-at-large, members-at-large (artists’ representatives), music, producers, production design, short films and feature animation, sound, visual effects and writers.
- The Oscars are scheduled for Sunday, April 25, 2021.
About the Golden Globes
The Golden Globes Awards, hosted by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, is held annually with 93 members since 1944. The group recognizes excellence in film and television across drama and comedy or musical categories. Damien Chazelle’s “La La Land” holds the record for the most awards won by a single film with seven. Milos Forman’s “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” and Alan Parker’s “Midnight Express” are next in line with six each. Robert Altman’s “Nashville” has the record for most nominations received by a film with 11 while Colin Higgins’ “Foul Play,” Francis Ford Coppola’s “The Godfather Part III” and Mike Nichols’ “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” share the record for receiving the most nominations and not winning a single award at seven.
- The Golden Globes are scheduled for Feb. 28, 2021.
About the SAG Awards
The Screen Actors Guild Awards, hosted by SAG-AFTRA, is an annual award show that has become one of the most important and key indicators for the Oscars. Four films have won the most SAG awards with three: 1999’s “American Beauty,” 2002’s “Chicago,” 2011’s “The Help” and 2017’s “Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri.” Three movies have been nominated for the most SAG awards with five: 1998’s “Shakespeare in Love,” “Chicago” and 2008’s “Doubt.”
- The SAG Awards are scheduled to take place on Sunday, April 4, 2021