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The Odyssey, La Bola Negra and Project Hail Mary stand among the key films to watch.
Andrew Scott, Matt Damon, Julianne Moore and other major stars feature in early acting discussions.
New Academy rules could affect multiple acting nominations and the casting category.
The 99th Academy Awards already have a strong group of films and stars at the center of the early awards race. The Academy will hold the ceremony on March 14, 2027, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, with Conan O’Brien set to host. Oscar nominations will arrive on January 21, while the eligibility period will close on December 31, 2026. The fall festival circuit has now given the season its first clear shape.
Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey is among the early Best Picture contenders. Matt Damon has drawn major attention for his lead role, while the film also has a path across several craft categories. Best Picture, Director, Supporting Actress, Cinematography, Production Design, Costume Design, Sound and Visual Effects all remain key areas for the film.
Dune: Part Three also has a major place in the early awards picture. Denis Villeneuve directs the film, which has clear relevance in technical categories as well as Best Picture and Director. Project Hail Mary adds another large studio title to the field. Ryan Gosling leads the film, which has attention in Best Picture, Actor, Visual Effects and Sound.
Digger adds another major name to the race. Alejandro G. Iñárritu directs the film, while Tom Cruise has drawn notice for his performance. Wild Horse Nine also has a place in the Best Picture and performance conversation, with John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell among its key names.
La Bola Negra has become one of the biggest stories from the fall festival circuit. Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo direct the Spanish-language epic, which won the TIFF People’s Choice Award. That result gives the film a major boost as the Academy field takes shape.
The Debut also gained attention at TIFF. Jesse Eisenberg directs the film, while Julianne Moore and Paul Giamatti have drawn praise for their performances. Elsinore has placed Andrew Scott at the center of the Best Actor conversation after its Toronto reception. Primetime has also put Robert Pattinson into that race.
Other titles remain part of the wider field. The Invite, Fjord, I Play Rocky, Club Kid and You Can See Everything have all received attention in early awards reports. More films can enter the conversation before the Academy sets its final lists.
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The Best Actor race has several major names with different paths toward a nomination. Andrew Scott has strong attention for Elsinore, while Matt Damon represents The Odyssey. John Malkovich appears in Wild Horse Nine, Tom Cruise comes from Digger, and Robert Pattinson comes from Primetime.
Ryan Gosling has a place for Project Hail Mary. Anthony Ippolito has drawn notice for I Play Rocky, while Sebastian Stan has attention for Fjord. John Turturro also sits in the field with The Only Living Pickpocket in New York.
The Best Actress field has a similar mix of established stars and festival performers. Julianne Moore has attention for The Debut, while Olivia Wilde has a place in the conversation for The Invite. Sandra Hüller appears with Fatherland, Renate Reinsve with Fjord, Inde Navarrette with Obsession and Cynthia Erivo with Prima Facie.
The Academy has made a notable change to acting rules for the 99th Oscars. An actor can now receive more than one nomination in the same acting category if multiple performances rank among the top five. The rule could matter for stars with more than one major film in the same eligibility year.
The Academy also changed the casting award rules. The category can now receive up to three statuettes instead of two. Cinematography will have a preliminary list of 20 films. International Feature Film rules now allow certain non-English-language films to qualify through specified international festival awards. The film itself will be credited as the International Feature Film nominee rather than the country or region.
India selected Santosh Davakhar’s Marathi film Gondhal as its official submission for the 2027 Oscars from 33 Indian entries. Nepal selected Elephants in the Fog, which won the Cannes 2026 Jury Prize. Poland chose Fatherland from Paweł Pawlikowski, France selected Minotaur from Andrey Zvyagintsev, and Brazil chose Gugu’s World.
The International Feature Film field remains open. Submissions close on September 30, 2026, while Oscar shortlists will arrive on December 15. Final nominations will follow on January 21, 2027.
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Preliminary Oscar ballots run from December 7 to 11, followed by shortlist announcements on December 15. General entry and Best Picture submissions close on November 12. Final nomination ballots run from January 11 to 15, then nominees meet for the Oscar luncheon on February 16.
The March 14 ceremony will bring the season to its final stage, but the central story already has clear names. The Odyssey, La Bola Negra, Project Hail Mary, Dune: Part Three, Digger, Wild Horse Nine, The Debut and Elsinore now form a key group to watch as the Academy moves toward its January ballot.
1. When are the 2027 Oscars?
The 99th Academy Awards will take place on March 14, 2027.
2. When will Oscar nominations be announced?
The Academy will announce the nominations on January 21, 2027.
3. Which films are key Oscar 2027 contenders?
The Odyssey, La Bola Negra, Project Hail Mary, Dune: Part Three, Digger, Wild Horse Nine and The Debut are among the major films in the early race.
4. Which actors are in the early Best Actor conversation?
Andrew Scott, Matt Damon, John Malkovich, Tom Cruise, Robert Pattinson, Ryan Gosling, Anthony Ippolito and Sebastian Stan are among the names under discussion.
5. What major Oscar rule changed for 2027?
An actor can receive multiple nominations in the same acting category if multiple performances rank among the top five.
