2025 Oscars Predictions:
Best Director
As a film enthusiast with over two decades of experience in the industry, I eagerly anticipate the annual Oscar ceremony that celebrates the finest achievements in cinema. The eligibility period for the 97th Oscars, starting from January 1, 2024, to December 31, 2024, provides a glimpse into the films that will likely dominate discussions and predictions throughout the year.
7/31/2024 Weekly Update: Ridley Scott’s historical epic “Gladiator” (released in 2000) was honored as best picture at the 73rd Academy Awards, but Scott himself lost to Steven Soderbergh for “Traffic” in the Best Director category. Now, 24 years on, Scott is releasing his long-awaited sequel under Paramount Pictures, featuring stars Paul Mescal, Denzel Washington, and Pedro Pascal. The movie has film enthusiasts and Oscar predictors buzzing with anticipation.
Among the esteemed group of renowned movie directors, Scott has been a notable figure who deserves more recognition, having been overlooked for quite some time in the industry, with three career nominations under his belt. His past acknowledgments were for “Thelma & Louise” (1991) and “Black Hawk Down” (2001), neither of which earned a best picture nomination.
As a devoted Scott enthusiast, I’ve found myself in this familiar territory once more, brimming with anticipation for another potential masterpiece that could redefine the Oscar race. In previous speculative articles, I’ve boldly predicted films like “The Counselor” (2013) and “House of Gucci” (2021), only to watch as they fell disappointingly short of securing his elusive Academy Award.
Over the past few years, it could be argued that Scott’s movies haven’t always been met with universal acclaim. While films like “American Gangster” (2007) and “The Martian” (2015), which were both nominated for significant Oscars, have been well-received, there have also been some less successful ventures such as “Robin Hood” (2010) and “Exodus: Gods and Kings” (2013). However, the anticipation surrounding “Gladiator II” seems to be unique. Although it might focus more on technical aspects, history shows that films in this category can still earn a place at the Dolby Theatre, as demonstrated by directors like Ang Lee (“Life of Pi”) and Alfonso Cuarón (“Gravity”).
When nominations are revealed, Scott will be 87 years old. If he gets nominated, he would break the record for the oldest directing nominee, surpassing Martin Scorsese who was 81 when nominated for “Killers of the Flower Moon” (2023). In Oscar history, it’s not uncommon for a director whose film won the top prize to return with a sequel and win the directing award. This is exactly what Francis Ford Coppola did when “The Godfather” (1972) took the top honor but lost director to Bob Fosse (“Cabaret”). Two years later, Coppola came back with “The Godfather Part II” (1974), and he was among the six Oscars won that night.
As a film enthusiast with years of experience under my belt, I am always eager to see who will take home the coveted Oscar each year. This year is particularly exciting because several esteemed filmmakers are vying for their first Oscars, and it’s fascinating to witness their journeys and accomplishments.
The competition is stretching out over a considerable time and is still in its early stages. Nevertheless, it’s already promising to be an engaging season to observe as it unfolds.
** denotes the film is not yet dated or can open in 2025.
- Duke Johnson — “The Actor” (Neon) **
- Fede Álvarez — “Alien: Romulus” (20th Century Studios)
- Payal Kapadia — “All We Imagine as Light” (Janus Films/Sideshow)
- Sean Baker — “Anora” (Neon)
- Ali Abbasi — “The Apprentice” (No U.S. Distribution) **
- Halina Reijn — “Babygirl” (A24)
- Tim Burton — “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” (Warner Bros.)
- Michael Gracey — “Better Man” (Paramount Pictures)
- Nathan Silver — “Between the Temples” (Sony Pictures Classics)
- Jeff Nichols — “The Bikeriders” (Focus Features)
- Andrea Arnold — “Bird” (Mubi)
- Zoë Kravitz — “Blink Twice” (Amazon MGM)
- Steve McQueen — “Blitz” (Apple Original Films)
- Reinald Marcus Green — “Bob Marley: One Love” (Paramount Pictures)
- Brady Corbet — “The Brutalist” (No U.S. Distribution) **
- Luca Guadagnino — “Challengers” (Amazon MGM)
- Alex Garland — “Civil War” (A24)
- James Mangold — “A Complete Unknown” (Searchlight Pictures)
- Edward Berger — “Conclave” (Focus Features)
- Christy Hall — “Daddio” (Sony Pictures Classics)
- Natalie Rae and Angela Patton — “Daughters” (Netflix)
- Shawn Levy — “Deadpool & Wolverine” (Marvel Studios)
- Rebel Wilson — “The Deb” (No U.S. Distribution) **
- Lee Daniels — “The Deliverance” (Netflix)
- Chris Renaud — “Despicable Me 4” (Illumination/Universal Pictures)
- Aaron Schimberg — “A Different Man” (A24)
- Sean Wang — “Dìdi” (Focus Features)
- Embeth Davidtz — “Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight” (No U.S. Distribution) **
- Denis Villeneuve — “Dune: Part Two” (Warner Bros.)
- Michael Pearce — “Echo Valley” (Apple Original Films) **
- Ron Howard — “Eden” (No U.S. Distribution) **
- RJ Cutler — “Elton John: Never Too Late” (Walt Disney Pictures)
- Jacques Audiard — “Emilia Pérez” (Netflix)
- Audrey Diwan — “Emmanuelle” (Neon) **
- Joshua Oppenheimer — “The End” (Neon)
- Ryusuke Hamaguchi — “Evil Does Not Exist” (Sideshow)
- Erica Tremblay — “Fancy Dance” (Apple Original Films)
- Rachel Morrison — “The Fire Inside” (Amazon MGM)
- Karim Aïnouz — “Firebrand” (Roadside Attractions)
- Gints Zilbalodis — “Flow” (Janus Films/Sideshow)
- Carla Gutierrez — “Frida” (Amazon MGM)
- Scott McGehee and David Siegel — “The Friend” (No U.S. Distribution) **
- Max Eggers and Sam Eggers — “The Front Room” (A24)
- George Miller — “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” (Warner Bros.)
- Ridley Scott — “Gladiator II” (Paramount Pictures)
- Mike Leigh — “Hard Truths” (Bleecker Street)
- Nia DaCosta — “Hedda” (Amazon MGM) **
- Robert Zemeckis — “Here” (Sony Pictures)
- Scott Beck and Bryan Woods — “Heretic” (A24)
- Azazel Jacobs — “His Three Daughters” (Netflix)
- Richard Linklater — “Hit Man” (Netflix)
- Kevin Costner — “Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter 1” (Warner Bros.)
- Irene Taylor — “I Am Celine Dion” (Amazon MGM)
- Jane Schoenbrun — “I Saw the TV Glow” (A24)
- Walter Salles — “I’m Still Here” (Sony Pictures Classics)
- Michael Showalter — “The Idea of You” (Amazon MGM)
- John Krasinski — “IF” (Paramount Pictures)
- Yoshiyuki Momose — “The Imaginary” (Netflix)
- Alessandra Lacorazza Samudio — “In the Summers” (Music Box Films)
- Justin Baldoni — “It Ends With Us” (Sony Pictures)
- Annie Baker — “Janet Planet” (A24)
- Todd Phillips — “Joker: Folie à Deux” (Warner Bros.)
- Anderson .Paak — “K-Pops!” (No U.S. Distribution) **
- Yorgos Lanthimos — “Kinds of Kindness” (Searchlight Pictures)
- Wes Ball — “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” (20th Century Studios)
- Taika Waititi — “Klara and the Sun” (Sony Pictures) **
- Rich Peppiatt — “Kneecap” (Sony Pictures Classics)
- Gia Coppola — “The Last Showgirl” (No U.S. Distribution) **
- Ellen Kuras — “Lee” (Roadside Attractions)
- Mike Flanagan — “The Life of Chuck” (No U.S. Distribution) **
- Osgood Perkins — “Longlegs” (Neon)
- Rose Glass — “Love Lies Bleeding” (A24)
- Pablo Larraín — “Maria” (No U.S. Distribution) **
- Julie Delpy — “Meet the Barbarians” (No U.S. Distribution) **
- Francis Ford Coppola — “Megalopolis” (Lionsgate)
- Adam Elliot — “Memoir of a Snail” (IFC Films)
- Edward Burns — “Millers in Marriage” (No U.S. Distribution) **
- Alain Guiraudie — “Misericordia” (Janus Films) **
- David Derrick Jr. — “Moana 2” (Walt Disney Pictures)
- Dev Patel — “Monkey Man” (Universal Pictures)
- Michel Hazanavicius — “The Most Precious of Cargoes” (StudioCanal)
- Benoît Delhomme — “Mothers’ Instinct” (Neon)
- Barry Jenkins — “Mufasa: The Lion King” (Walt Disney Pictures)
- Megan Park — “My Old Ass” (Amazon MGM)
- RaMell Ross — “Nickel Boys” (Amazon MGM/Orion)
- Marielle Heller — “Nightbitch” (Searchlight Pictures)
- Robert Eggers — “Nosferatu” (Focus Features)
- Paul Schrader — “Oh, Canada” (No U.S. Distribution) **
- Rungano Nyoni — “On Becoming a Guinea Fowl” (A24)
- Daniel Minahan — “On Swift Horses” (No U.S. Distribution) **
- Justin Kurzel — “The Order” (Vertical Entertainment)
- Nora Fingscheidt — “The Outrun” (Sony Pictures Classics)
- Pablo Sorrentino — “Parthenope” (A24)
- Peter Cattaneo — “The Penguin Lessons” (No U.S. Distribution) **
- Malcolm Washington — “The Piano Lesson” (Netflix)
- Morgan Neville — “Piece by Piece” (Focus Features)
- Lynne Ramsay — “Polaris” (No U.S. Distribution) **
- Luca Guadagnino — “Queer” (No U.S. Distribution) **
- Erik Poppe — “Quisling – The Final Days” (No U.S. Distribution) **
- Jesse Eisenberg — “A Real Pain” (Searchlight Pictures)
- David Mackenzie — “Relay” (No U.S. Distribution) **
- Uberto Pasolini — “The Return” (No U.S. Distribution) **
- Sydney Freeland — “Rez Ball” (Netflix)
- Dito Montiel — “Riff Raff” (No U.S. Distribution) **
- Pedro Almodóvar — “The Room Next Door” (Sony Pictures Classics)
- Guy Maddine, Evan Johnson and Galen Johnson — “Rumours” (Bleecker Street)
- Nathan Zellner and David Zellner — “Sasquatch Sunset” (Bleecker Street)
- Mohammad Rasoulof — “The Seed of the Sacred Fig” (Neon)
- John Ridley — “Shirley” (Netflix)
- David Cronenberg — “The Shrouds” (No U.S. Distribution) **
- Greg Kwedar — “Sing Sing” (A24)
- Tyler Perry — “Six Triple Eight” (Netflix)
- Tim Mielants — “Small Things Like These” (Lionsgate)
- Jason Reitman — “SNL: 1975” (Sony Pictures)
- Jeff Fowler — “Sonic the Hedgehog 3” (Paramount Pictures)
- Vicky Jenson — “Spellbound” (Netflix)
- Robert Morgan — “Stopmotion” (IFC/Shudder)
- Coralie Fargeat — “The Substance” (Mubi)
- Ian Bonhôte and Peter Ettedgui — “Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story” (Warner Bros.)
- Simon Otto — “That Christmas” (Netflix)
- Josh Margolin — “Thelma” (Magnolia Pictures)
- Josh Cooley — “Transformers One” (Paramount Pictures)
- Daina O. Pusić — “Tuesday” (A24)
- Lee Isaac Chung — “Twisters” (Universal Pictures)
- Shannon Tindle — “Ultraman: Rising” (Netflix)
- William Goldenberg — “Unstoppable” (Amazon MGM)
- Kelly Marcel — “Venom: The Last Dance” (Sony Pictures)
- Nick Park and Merlin Crossingham — “Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl” (Netflix)
- Minhal Baig — “We Grown Now” (Sony Pictures Classics)
- John Crowley — “We Live in Time” (A24)
- Jon M. Chu — “Wicked” (Universal Pictures)
- Chris Sanders — “The Wild Robot” (DreamWorks Animation)
- Ethan Hawke — “Wildcat” (Oscilloscope Laboratories)
- Angelina Jolie — “Without Blood” (No U.S. Distribution) **
- Anna Kendrick — “Woman of the Hour” (Netflix)
- José Lourenço — “Young Werther” (No U.S. Distribution) **
- Joachim Rønning — “Young Woman and the Sea” (Walt Disney Pictures)
- Eligibility period: Jan. 1, 2024 – Dec. 31, 2024
- General entry, best picture, RAISE submission deadline: Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024
- Governors Awards: Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024
- Preliminary voting begins Monday, Dec. 9, 2024, at 9 a.m. PT.
- Preliminary voting ends Friday, Dec. 13, 2024, at 5 p.m. PT.
- Oscar Shortlists Announcement: Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024
- Eligibility period ends: Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024
- Nominations voting begins Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025, at 9 a.m. PT.
- Nominations voting ends Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025, at 5 p.m. PT.
- Oscar Nominations Announcement: Friday, Jan. 17, 2025
- Oscar Nominees Luncheon: Monday, Feb. 10, 2025
- Final voting begins Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, at 9 a.m. PT
- Final voting ends: Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025, at 5 p.m. PT
- Scientific and Technical Awards: Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025
- 97th Oscars: Sunday, March 2, 2025
And the Predicted Nominees Are
| Rank | Performer & Film |
|---|---|
| 1 | Ridley Scott — “Gladiator II” (Paramount Pictures) |
| 2 | Jacques Audiard — “Emilia Pérez” (Netflix) |
| 3 | Steve McQueen — “Blitz” (Apple Original Films) |
| 4 | James Mangold — “A Complete Unknown” (Searchlight Pictures) |
| 5 | RaMell Ross — “Nickel Boys” (Amazon MGM/Orion) |
Next in Line
| Rank | Performer & Film |
|---|---|
| 6 | Pedro Almodóvar — “The Room Next Door” (Sony Pictures Classics) |
| 7 | Denis Villeneuve — “Dune: Part Two” (Warner Bros.) |
| 8 | Edward Berger — “Conclave” (Focus Features) |
| 9 | Sean Baker — “Anora” (Neon) |
| 10 | Todd Phillips — “Joker: Folie à Deux” (Warner Bros.) |
Other Contenders
| Rank | Performer & Film |
|---|---|
| 11 | Joshua Oppenheimer — “The End” (Neon) |
| 12 | Jason Reitman — “SNL: 1975” (Sony Pictures) |
| 13 | Malcolm Washington — “The Piano Lesson” (Netflix) |
| 14 | Mohammad Rasoulof — “The Seed of the Sacred Fig” (Neon) |
| 15 | Pablo Larraín — “Maria” (No U.S. Distribution) ** |
| 16 | Francis Ford Coppola — “Megalopolis” (Lionsgate) |
| 17 | Greg Kwedar — “Sing Sing” (A24) |
| 18 | Luca Guadagnino — “Queer” (No U.S. Distribution) ** |
| 19 | Robert Zemeckis — “Here” (Sony Pictures) |
| 20 | Jon M. Chu — “Wicked” (Universal Pictures) |
Also In Contention
| Rank | Performer & Film |
|---|---|
| 21 | Brady Corbet — “The Brutalist” (No U.S. Distribution) ** |
| 22 | Justin Kurzel — “The Order” (Vertical Entertainment) |
| 23 | Mike Leigh — “Hard Truths” (Bleecker Street) |
| 24 | Azazel Jacobs — “His Three Daughters” (Netflix) |
| 25 | Jeff Nichols — “The Bikeriders” (Focus Features) |
| 26 | George Miller — “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” (Warner Bros.) |
| 27 | Scott McGehee and David Siegel — “The Friend” (No U.S. Distribution) ** |
| 28 | Luca Guadagnino — “Challengers” (Amazon MGM) |
| 29 | Alessandra Lacorazza Samudio — “In the Summers” (Music Box Films) |
| 30 | Angelina Jolie — “Without Blood” (No U.S. Distribution) ** |
Eligible Titles (Best Director)
Here’s a heads-up: The list isn’t fully complete and hasn’t been finalized just yet. Some movies still don’t have their distribution or release details set, and these details could change in the future.
More Information (Oscars: Best Director)
2024 category winner: Christopher Nolan — “Oppenheimer” (Universal Pictures)
2024-2025 Oscars Calendar and Timeline – Full awards season calendar here
Oscars Prediction Categories
| — | — |
|---|---|
| Best Picture | Director |
| Actor in a Leading Role | Actress in a Leading Role |
| Actor in a Supporting Role | Actress in a Supporting Role |
| Original Screenplay | Adapted Screenplay |
| Animated Feature | Production Design |
| Cinematography | Costume Design |
| Film Editing | Makeup and Hairstyling |
| Sound | Visual Effects |
| Original Score | Original Song |
| Documentary Feature | International Feature |
| Animated Short | Documentary Short |
| Live Action Short | Casting (coming in 2026) |
About the Academy Awards
The Oscars, famously known as the Academy Awards, is the most esteemed artistic honor in the movie industry, bestowed by Hollywood. Established in 1927, the nominees and winners have been chosen by members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). This organization comprises nearly 10,000 individuals, grouped into 17 branches: actors, associates, casting directors, cinematographers, costume designers, directors, documentarians, executives, film editors, makeup artists and hairstylists, marketing and public relations professionals, members at large, artists’ representatives, musicians, producers, production designers, short film and feature animation creators, sound technicians, visual effects specialists, and writers.
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2024-07-31 17:52