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.

2021 OSCARS PREDICTIONS:

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
UPDATED: Nov. 12, 2020 (PRE-SEASON)

The music branch loves to nominate their familiar players and Oscar-winner Alexandre Desplat is likely to be in the mix again with his work in “The Midnight Sky,” probably one of his best works yet. Thomas Newman has managed nominations, even when many counted him out (i.e. “Passengers”) and with HBO Max likely dropping Steven Soderbergh’s “Let Them All Talk” in the voting window, he could be in the conversation again. With 15 nominations and no Oscar yet, perhaps “The Little Things” could also help Newman.

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† = no release date scheduled / could be delayed / may not be eligible
†† = could be campaigned in lead or supporting categories / original or adapted screenplay categories

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Meryl Streep in “Let Them All Talk” (HBO Max)
Photo courtesy of HBO Max
AND THE PREDICTED NOMINEES ARE:
“Mank” (Netflix)
Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross
“The Midnight Sky” (Netflix)
Alexandre Desplat
“Soul” (Pixar)
Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross
“Let Them All Talk” (HBO Max)
Thomas Newman
“Minari” (A24)
Emile Mosseri
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Sophia Loren and Ibrahima Gueye in Netflix’s “The Life Ahead”
REGINE DE LAZZARIS AKA GRETA
NEXT IN LINE CONTENDERS:
“News of the World” (Universal Pictures)
James Newton Howard
“Tenet” (Warner Bros.)
Ludwig Göransson
“Da 5 Bloods” (Netflix)
Terence Blanchard
“The Life Ahead” (Netflix)
Gabriel Yared
“The Trial of the Chicago 7” (Netflix)
Daniel Pemberton
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Tom Holland in “Cherry” (Apple TV Plus)
Photo courtesy of Apple TV Plus
TOP-TIER AWARDS CONTENDERS:
“Judas and the Black Messiah” (Warner Bros.)
Mark Isham, Craig Harris
“Pieces of a Woman” (Netflix)
Howard Shore
“The Invisible Man” (Universal Pictures)
Benjamin Wallfisch
“The United States vs. Billie Holiday” (Paramount Pictures)
Kris Bowers
“Over the Moon” (Netflix)
Steven Price
“Ammonite” (Neon)
Volker Bertelmann, Dustin O’Halloran
“One Night in Miami” (Amazon Studios)
Terence Blanchard
“Mulan” (Disney Plus)
Harry Gregson-Williams
“Cherry” (Apple TV Plus)
Henry Jackman
“Sound of Metal” (Amazon Studios)
Nicolas Becker, Abraham Marder
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Photo courtesy of Roadside Attractions
ALSO IN CONTENTION:
“The Glorias” (Roadside Attractions)
Elliot Goldenthal
“Emma.” (Focus Features)
David Schweitzer, Isobel Waller-Bridge
“Onward” (Pixar)
Jeff Danna, Mychael Danna
“The Call of the Wild” (20th Century Studios)
John Powell
“The White Tiger” (Netflix)
Danny Bensi, Saunder Jurriaans
“The Personal History of David Copperfield” (Searchlight Pictures)
Christopher Willis
“Shirley” (Neon)
Tamar-kali
“Supernova” (Bleecker Street)
Keaton Henson
“The Maurtanian” (STX Films)
Max Richter
“Hillbilly Elegy” (Netflix)
David Fleming, Hans Zimmer
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Element, Herself Film Productions, Screen Ireland, BBC, BFI
UNRANKED AWARDS CONTENDERS:
“All my Life” (Universal Pictures) – Lisbeth Scott
“An American Pickle” (HBO Max) – Nami Melumad
“Antlers” (Searchlight Pictures) – Javier Navarette
“Arkansas” (Lionsgate) – Devendra Banhart
“The Assistant” (Bleecker Street) – Tamar-kali
“Bad Hair” (Hulu) – Kris Bowers
“Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn” (Warner Bros.) – Daniel Pemberton
“Borat Subsequent Moviefilm” (Amazon Studios) – Erran Baron Cohen
“Charm City Kings” (HBO Max) – Alex Somers
“The Cuban” (Brainstorm Media) – Hilario Duran
“First Cow” (A24) – William Tyler
“The Forty-Year-Old Version” (Netflix) – Guy C. Routte
“Good Joe Bell” (Solstice Studios) – Antonio Pinto†
“Greyhound” (Apple TV Plus) – Blake Neely
“Herself” (Amazon Studios) – Natalie Holt
“I Carry You With Me” (Sony Pictures Classics) – Jay Wadley
“I’m Thinking of Ending Things” (Netflix) – Jay Wadley
“I’m Your Woman” (Amazon Studios) – Aska Matsumiya
“Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey” (Netflix) – John Debney
“John Lewis: Good Trouble” (Magnolia Pictures) – Tamar-kali
“The King of Staten Island” (Universal Pictures) – Matthew Compton
“The Little Things” (Warner Bros.) – Thomas Newman
“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” (Netflix) – Brandon Marsalis
“Minimata” (Vertigo Releasing) – Ryuichi Sakamoto
“The Nest” (IFC Films) – Richard Reed Parry
“Nine Days” (Sony Pictures Classics) – Antonio Pinto
“On the Rocks” (A24/Apple TV Plus) – Phoenix
“The Outpost” (Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment) – Larry Groupé
“Palm Springs” (Hulu/Neon) – Matthew Compton
“Project Power” (Netflix) – Joseph Trapanese
“Promising Young Woman” (Focus Features) – Anthony Willis
“Radioactive” (Amazon Studios) – Evgueni Galperine, Sacha Galperine
“Wendy” (Searchlight Pictures) – Dan Romer, Benh Zeitlin
“Wild Mountain Thyme” (Bleecker Street) – Amelia Warner
“The Witches” (HBO Max) – Alan Silvestri
“Wolfwalkers” (Apple TV Plus/GKIDS) – Bruno Coulais, Kíla
“Wonder Woman 1984” (Warner Bros.) – Hans Zimmer
“The World to Come” (Bleecker Street) – Daniel Blumberg
† = no release date scheduled / could be delayed / may not be eligible
†† = could be campaigned in lead or supporting categories / original or adapted screenplay categories

The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars is Hollywood’s most prestigious artistic award in the film industry. The most awarded composer of all-time is Alfred Newman who netted 9 statues over 41 nominations but the great John Williams has the most nominations with 47 with 5 wins. The most nominated composers without a win are Thomas Newman, son of Alfred and the late Alex North with 14 each. North did receive an Honorary Oscar in 1986.

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 [coming soon]
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]

View this article at Variety.