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.
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2021 OSCARS PREDICTIONS:
BEST SOUND
UPDATED: Apr. 21, 2021
AWARDS PREDICTION COMMENTARY: This one has been sewn up for quite some time — one of the all-time-great winners of the category.
Will win: “Sound of Metal” – Nicolas Becker, Jaime Baksht, Michelle Couttolenc, Carlos Cortés, Phillip Bladh
Could win: “Soul” – Ren Klyce, Coya Elliott and David Parker
Should win: “Sound of Metal” – Nicolas Becker, Jaime Baksht, Michelle Couttolenc, Carlos Cortés, Phillip Bladh
Should have been here: “The Invisible Man” – Paul “Salty” Brincat, Will Files, P.K. Hooker
PRECURSORS LEADER:
“Sound of Metal” (Amazon Studios) – Jaime Baksht, Phillip Bladh, Nicolas Becker, Michelle Couttolenc, Carlos Cortes, Carolina Santana
Awards Circuit Winners Chart (2020-2021)
2021 Awards Season Calendar
AND THE NOMINEES ARE:
"Sound of Metal"
(Amazon Studios)Nicolas Becker, Jaime Baksht, Michelle Couttolenc, Carlos Cortés and Phillip Bladh
OSCAR HISTORY: Never nominated
–DIRECTOR: Darius Marder
SYNOPSIS: A heavy-metal drummer's life is thrown into freefall when he begins to lose his hearing.
STARRING: Riz Ahmed, Olivia Cooke, Paul Raci, Mathieu Almaric, Lauren Ridloff
"Soul"
(Pixar)Ren Klyce, Coya Elliott and David Parker
OSCAR HISTORY:
Elliott - Never nominated
Klyce - 7 nominations (most recently for 2018's "Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi" in sound mixing and sound editing)
Parker - 9 nominations, 2 wins (1996's "The English Patient" and 2007's "The Bourne Ultimatum")
Caro - Never nominated
–DIRECTOR: Pete Docter, Kemp Powers
SYNOPSIS: A musician who has lost his passion for music is transported out of his body and must find his way back with the help of an infant soul learning about herself.
STARRING: Jamie Foxx, Angela Bassett, Daveed Diggs, Quest Love, Phylicia Rashad, Tina Fey, Graham Norton
"Mank"
(Netflix)Ren Klyce, Jeremy Molod, David Parker, Nathan Nance and Drew Kunin
OSCAR HISTORY:
Klyce - 7 nominations (most recently for 2017's "Star Wars: The Last Jedi")
Molod - Never nominated
Parker - 9 nominations, 2 wins (1996's "The English Patient" and 2007's "The Bourne Ultamatium")
Nance - Never nominated
Kunin - 2 nominations (2012's "Life of Pi" and 2015's "Bridge of Spies")
–DIRECTOR: David Fincher
SYNOPSIS: 1930s Hollywood is re-evaluated through the eyes of scathing social critic and alcoholic screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz as he races to finish the screenplay of Citizen Kane for Orson Welles.
STARRING: Tom Burke, Lily Collins, Joseph Cross, Charles Dance, Monika Gossman, Ferdinand Kingsley, Jamie McShane, Tuppence Middleton, Toby Leonard Moore, Gary Oldman, Tom Pelphrey, Amanda Seyfried, Sam Troughton
"News of the World"
(Universal Pictures)Oliver Tarney, Mike Prestwood Smith, William Miller and John Pritchett
OSCAR HISTORY:
Pritchett - 2 nominations (2002's "Road to Perdition" and 2005's "Memoirs of a Geisha")
Smith - 1 nomination (2013's "Captain Phillips")
Miller - Never nominated
Tarney - 3 nominations (2013's "Captain Phillips," 2015's "The Martian" and 2019's "1917")
Fentum - Never nominated
–DIRECTOR: Paul Greengrass
SYNOPSIS: A Civil War veteran agrees to deliver a girl, taken by the Kiowa people years ago, to her aunt and uncle, against her will. They travel hundreds of miles and face grave dangers as they search for a place that either can call home.
STARRING: Tom Hanks, Helena Zengel, Elizabeth Marvel, Mare Winningham, Michael Angelo Covino, Ray McKinnon
"Greyhound"
(Apple TV Plus)Warren Shaw, Michael Minkler, Beau Borders and David Wyman
OSCAR HISTORY:
Benitez - Never nominated
King - Never nominated
C. Minkler - 1 nomination (2019's "Once Upon a Time in...Hollywood")
M. Minkler - 12 nominations, 3 wins (2001's "Black Hawk Down," 2002's "Chicago" and 2006's "Dreamgirls")
–DIRECTOR: Aaron Schneider
SYNOPSIS: Several months after the U.S. entry into World War II, an inexperienced U.S. Navy commander must lead an Allied convoy being stalked by a German submarine wolf pack.
STARRING:Tom Hanks, Elisabeth Shue, Stephen Graham, Matt Helm, Rob Morgan, Travis Quentin
† = no release date scheduled / could be delayed / may not be eligible
†† = could be campaigned in the lead or supporting categories / original or adapted screenplay categories
††† = official eligible nominees not yet determined by AMPAS
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. This category’s history is a bit more complex to track since it’s been through many inceptions of the history of AMPAS. When it was split between sound mixing and sound editing, there are different record holders. Classic sound engineer Thomas T. Moulton and Greg P. Russell have the most nominations at 16, although the former netted five Oscars over his career. The latter has the record for most nominations and no win. Moulton has the most win record shared with Douglas Shearer and Fred Hynes, though they garnered 15 and 7 nominations. Richard King and Ben Burtt have the most wins for sound editing, with Alan Robert Murray having the most nods with 10.
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
- 2021 Oscar Predictions: Best Documentary Short
- 2021 Oscar Predictions: Best Live-Action Short
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