Oppenheimer, the three-hour drama directed by British filmmaker Christopher Nolan, leads the field with 13 nominations.
Dwayne Johnson makes his way down the red carpet during the Oscars arrivals at the 96th Academy Awards, on March 10.Nicholas Cage and Riko Shibata on the red carpet during the Oscars arrivals at the 96th Academy Awards, on March 10.Musicians Billie Eilish and Finneas O'Connell are seen flanking actress America Ferrera at the 96th Annual Academy Awards in Hollywood on March 10, 2024.Actors Sterling K.
People protest near the perimeter of the 96th Academy Awards in Los Angeles, California, on March 10, 2024. PHOTO: REUTERS “If the best picture isn’t Oppenheimer, it will be one of the biggest upsets, if not the biggest upset, in the history of the Oscars,” said Scott Feinberg, executive editor for awards at The Hollywood Reporter.
Oscar producers said they have planned unannounced cameos and other surprises to entertain audiences at home. Cillian Murphy, the Irish actor who played physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer as he led the race to build the first atomic bomb, is considered the favorite for best actor. Murphy’s main competition, according to awards pundits, is American actor Paul Giamatti, who starred in comedy-drama The Holdovers.Best actress may go to American actress Lily Gladstone of Killers of the Flower Moon, the real-life story about a murder plot to take over lucrative Osage oil rights in 1920s Oklahoma.
The supporting actor race features Oppenheimer star Robert Downey Jr., who played the scientist’s professional nemesis, and Sterling K. Brown from comedy-drama American Fiction.