Oscar Predictions - Daniel Bayer - Next Best Picture

Thursday, August 20, 2026

Daniel Bayer

Film Critic & Awards Pundit for Next Best Picture and AwardsWatch.

@dancindan

Best Picture

Jul 16

1	1	The Odyssey Universal \| Christopher Nolan
2	2	Ink Netflix \| Danny Boyle
3 1	3 1	Wild Horse Nine Searchlight \| Martin McDonagh
4 1	4 1	Digger Warner Bros. \| Alejandro G. Iñárritu
5 1	5 1	Project Hail Mary Amazon MGM \| Phil Lord, Christopher Miller
6 1	6 1	Dune: Part Three Warner Bros. \| Denis Villeneuve
7	7	La Bola Negra Netflix \| Javier Ambrossi, Javier Calvo
8 2	8 2	Fjord Neon \| Cristian Mungiu
9	9	Primetime A24 \| Lance Oppenheim
10	10	Behemoth! Searchlight \| Tony Gilroy

Best Director

Jul 16

1	1	Alejandro G. Iñárritu Digger
2	2	Christopher Nolan The Odyssey
3	3	Javier Ambrossi, Javier Calvo La Bola Negra
4 1	4 1	Denis Villeneuve Dune: Part Three
5	5	Danny Boyle Ink

Best Actress

Jul 29

1	1	Julianne Moore The Debut
2	2	Cynthia Erivo Prima Facie
3 1	3 1	Renate Reinsve Fjord
4 1	4 1	Sandra Hüller Rose
5 5	5 5	Daisy Edgar-Jones Sense and Sensibility

Best Actor

Jul 29

1	1	Tom Cruise Digger
2	2	John Malkovich Wild Horse Nine
3 1	3 1	Robert Pattinson Primetime
4 3	4 3	Matt Damon The Odyssey
5	5	John Turturro The Only Living Pickpocket in New York

Best Supporting Actress

Jul 29

1	1	Parker Posey Wild Horse Nine
2	2	Anne Hathaway The Odyssey
3 2	3 2	Mariana di Girolamo Wild Horse Nine
4 2	4 2	Penélope Cruz La Bola Negra
5 1	5 1	Gillian Anderson Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma

Best Supporting Actor

Jul 29

1	1	Paul Giamatti The Debut
2	2	John Goodman Digger
3	3	Steve Buscemi Wild Horse Nine
4 1	4 1	Guy Pearce Ink
5 1	5 1	Matthew McConaughey The Rivals of Amziah King

Best Adapted Screenplay

Jul 16

1	1	La Bola Negra Javier Ambrossi, Javier Calvo \| Netflix
2	2	The Odyssey Christopher Nolan \| Universal
3	3	Ink James Graham \| Netflix
4 1	4 1	Project Hail Mary Drew Goddard \| Amazon MGM
5	5	The Invite Rashida Jones, Will McCormack \| A24

Best Original Screenplay

Jul 1

1	1	Wild Horse Nine Martin McDonagh \| Searchlight
2	2	Digger Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Alexander Dinelaris, Nicolás Giacobone, Sabina Berman \| Warner Bros.
3	3	Fjord Cristian Mungiu \| Neon
4	4	Obsession Curry Barker \| Focus Features
5	5	Primetime Ajon Singh \| A24

Best Casting

Jul 8

1	1	Wild Horse Nine Sarah Halley Finn \| Searchlight
2	2	Digger Francine Maisler \| Warner Bros.
3 1	3 1	La Bola Negra Eva Leira, Yolanda Serrano \| Netflix
4 1	4 1	Fjord Hannah Chocron Foldøy \| Neon
5	5	The Odyssey John Papsidera \| Universal

Best Animated Feature

Jun 29

1	1	In Waves Netflix \| Phuong Mai Nguyen
2	2	Toy Story 5 Disney \| Andrew Stanton
3	3	Forgotten Island Universal \| Januel Mercado, Joel Crawford
4	4	Hoppers Disney \| Daniel Chong
5	5	Ray Gunn Netflix \| Brad Bird

Best Documentary Feature

Jun 29

1	1	Once Upon a Time in Harlem Neon \| William Greaves, David Greaves
2	2	American Doctor
3	3	When a Witness Recants
4	4	Nuisance Bear
5	5	One in a Million PBS \| Itab Azzam, Jack Macinnes

Best International Feature Film

Jul 29

1	1	La Bola Negra
2	2	All of a Sudden
3	3	Fjord
4	4	Minotaur
5	5	Fatherland

Best Cinematography

Jul 5

1	1	Digger Emmanuel Lubezki \| Warner Bros.
2	2	The Odyssey Hoyte van Hoytema \| Universal
3	3	Dune: Part Three Linus Sandgren \| Warner Bros.
4	4	Fatherland Łukasz Żal \| Mubi
5	5	Project Hail Mary Greig Fraser \| Amazon MGM

Best Costume Design

Jul 1

1	1	Dune: Part Three Warner Bros.
2	2	Werwulf Focus Features
3	3	The Odyssey Universal
4	4	La Bola Negra Ana López Cobos \| Netflix
5	5	Sense and Sensibility Grace Snell \| Focus Features

Best Film Editing

Jul 15

1 2	1 2	Digger Conor O'Neill, Stephen Mirrione \| Warner Bros.
2 1	2 1	The Odyssey Jennifer Lame \| Universal
3 1	3 1	Wild Horse Nine Mikkel E.G. Nielsen \| Searchlight
4	4	La Bola Negra Alberto Gutiérrez \| Netflix
5	5	Dune: Part Three Joe Walker \| Warner Bros.

Best Makeup and Hairstyling

Jul 15

1	1	Werwulf Focus Features
2	2	Digger Warner Bros.
3	3	Dune: Part Three Warner Bros.
4 3	4 3	The Odyssey Universal
5	5	Wicker Black Bear

Best Production Design

Jul 1

1	1	Dune: Part Three Patrice Vermette, Shane Vieau \| Warner Bros.
2	2	Digger Anna Pinnock, Dennis Gassner, Richard L. Johnson \| Warner Bros.
3	3	The Odyssey Ruth De Jong, Larry Dias, Gene Serdena \| Universal
4	4	Project Hail Mary Charles Wood, John Bush \| Amazon MGM
5	5	La Bola Negra Roger Bellés, Judit Ferrer \| Netflix

Best Original Score

Jul 29

1	1	Disclosure Day John Williams \| Universal
2	2	Project Hail Mary Daniel Pemberton \| Amazon MGM
3	3	The Odyssey Ludwig Göransson \| Universal
4	4	La Bola Negra Raül Refree \| Netflix
5	5	Ink Daniel Pemberton \| Netflix

Best Original Song

Aug 19

1	1	TBD The Debut
2	2	La Nieve La Bola Negra
3	3	By Any Means By Any Means
4 1	4 1	How to Write a Song (Without You) Power Ballad
5 2	5 2	TBD The Rivals of Amziah King

Best Sound

Jul 1

1	1	Dune: Part Three Warner Bros.
2	2	Project Hail Mary Amazon MGM
3	3	The Odyssey Universal
4	4	La Bola Negra Netflix
5	5	Disclosure Day Universal

Best Visual Effects

Jul 1

1	1	Project Hail Mary Amazon MGM
2	2	Dune: Part Three Warner Bros.
3	3	The Odyssey Universal
4	4	Whalefall 20th Century
5	5	The End of Oak Street Warner Bros.