Oscars 2027: First Blind Predictions Includes Tom Cruise, Ryan Gosling, Christopher Nolan, David Fincher and ‘Dune 3’

Mar 19, 2026 8:00am PT Oscars 2027: First Blind Predictions Includes Tom Cruise, Ryan Gosling, Christopher Nolan, David Fincher and ‘Dune 3’ Awards Circuit Column: Closing the book on this Oscar season while looking ahead to the next. By Clayton Davis Variety Awards Circuit section is the home for all awards news and related content throughout the year, featuring the following: the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars , Emmys , Grammys and Tony Awards ceremonies, curated by Variety chief awards editor Clayton Davis. The prediction pages reflect the current standings in the race and do not reflect personal preferences for any individual contender. As other formal (and informal) polls suggest, competitions are fluid and subject to change based on buzz and events. Predictions are updated every Thursday. Explore Awards Circuit Predictions Pages Oscars | Emmys | Grammys | Tonys With the dust settling on a historic 98th Academy Awards, the cycle begins anew. Our annual tradition of blindly forecasting awards season is meant to be fun and expectation-free. Still, looking at the theatrical calendar ahead, one thing is clear: the auteurs are coming in full force. Sight unseen, Warner Bros. appears to have the most formidable lineup. Alejandro G. Iñárritu reunites with cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki for “Digger,” a mysterious project starring Tom Cruise, who, after receiving an honorary Oscar this past year, could be invited back to the ceremony the very next year to take home a competitive one. Could he be the new Paul Newman? Meanwhile, Denis Villeneuve will complete his sweeping sci-fi saga with “Dune: Part Three.” With the first two installments amassing a combined 14 nominations and eight wins, the finale is poised to be a dominant force in the technical races — and perhaps more. Netflix is loading up with a characteristically deep bench of awards hopefuls. David Fincher directs Quentin Tarantino’s script in “The Adventures of Cliff Booth,” reteaming with Brad ...