This year’s acting race is basically locked up already. In award show after award show, Joaquin Phoenix has won Best Actor for Joker, Renée Zellweger has won Best Actress for Judy, Brad Pitt has won Best Supporting Actor for Once Upon A Time In… Hollywood and Laura Dern has won Best Supporting Actress for Marriage Story. The BAFTAs just put the final nail in the coffin. If you were to bet on these contenders, you’d likely win, just not very much money, making it one of the more boring categories leading up to the Academy Awards. Perhaps its more interesting to look beyond the Oscars to see what these nominees will star in next. Read on to get an idea of what all 15 actors (Scarlett Johansson was nominated twice for Jojo Rabbit and Marriage Story) will be doing this year and next.
Joaquin Phoenix
His next role is in the Mike Mills film C’mon, C’mon, with the plot details still unknown, although the A24-produced film is likely to see Phoenix back in the limelight. A Joker sequel is also in the works, with Todd Phillips to direct.
Adam Driver
With the Star Wars franchise finally over, Adam Driver is a free man! Up next is a role in the highly anticipated Leos Carax film Annette, co-starring Marion Cotillard, as well as Ridley Scott’s The Last Duel, co-starring Ben Affleck and Matt Damon. Expect the former to debut at Cannes.
Antonio Banderas
The perpetually busy Spaniard, bouncing between Spanish and English performances, has a lot of upcoming roles in his schedule; the founder of Lamborghini; a supporting role in The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard (sequel to The Hitman’s Bodyguard); opposite Penélope Cruz once again in Competencia Oficial; God himself in comedy The Devil May Care; Cuban detective Mario Conde in TV series Havana Quartet; and a Priest in Down by The Water.
Jonathan Pryce
The Two Popes-star is only slated for a small role in Nathanial Halpern’s sci-fi TV show Tales from the Loop, concerning a mysterious machine built to explore the secrets of the universe.
Leonardo DiCaprio
Leo will reunite with Martin Scorsese in two projects: Killers of the Flower Moon, opposite Robert DeNiro, and TV show The Devil in the White City, which Scorsese will produce. He may also play Roosevelt for Marty, but the finer details of this announcement haven’t been hashed out yet. Additionally, he is tied with The Black Hand, an adaptation of Stephan Talty’s noir thriller.
Renée Zellweger
The Bridget Jones-star is relatively selective with her projects, with nothing in her slate after Judy. However, one imagines that after her win the offers will come knocking.
Scarlett Johansson
The double-nominee is only starring in franchise films next; slated to don the Black Widow outfit once more in the eponymous spin-off and lending her voice to Illumination Entertainment-production Sing 2. Here’s hoping that her Marriage Story-success will push her to further dramatic roles.
Cynthia Erivo
The star of Harriet, British actress Cynthia Erivo will star in Chaos Walking, written by none other than mind-bending maestro Charlie Kaufman, and time-travel thriller Needle in a Timestack, directed by John Ridley.
Saoirse Ronan
Partnerships rarely get better than the one between Gerwig and Ronan, their success in Lady Bird and Little Woman showing that they should probably just work together forever. No further projects between them have been announced just yet but Ronan will reappear in Wes Anderson’s The French Dispatch and Francis Lee’s lesbian drama Ammonite opposite Kate Winslet.
Charlize Theron
Although she has leaned more towards producing in recent years, Theron will reappear in Fast & Furious 9 and an Atomic Blonde-sequel, as well as a fantasy role in Gina Prince-Bythewood’s The Old Guard.
Brad Pitt
A sequel to World War Z has been in the works for ages, with Fincher originally tied to direct, although its status is currently unclear. Expected in 2022 is a starring role in Damien Chazelle’s Babylon, set in period Hollywood. Currently it is more likely Pitt will focus on producing, his Plan B production studios behind some of the biggest African American films in recent years.
Joe Pesci
Joe Pesci had to be dragged out of retirement for The Irishman. It’s unlikely he will ever step in front of the camera again, even if Lethal Weapon Five is in the works.
Tom Hanks
America’s dad has a lot of things coming up: sci-fi drama BIOS; Paul Greengrass’ thriller News of the World; Untitled Elvis Presley Project, directed by Baz Luhrmann; playing America’s first ambassador to Hitler’s Germany in Joe Wright’s In The Garden of Beasts; a US Navy skipper in WW2 drama Greyhound; and the starring role in an American remake of the Swedish film A Man Called Ove.
Al Pacino
Al Pacino has what might be one of his all-time great roles as King Lear in Michael Radford’s film coming up, as well as a Nazi Hunter in TV series Hunters and a supporting role in Axis Sally.
Anthony Hopkins
The Father just debuted at Sundance, raising the potential of another awards season for the distinguished actor. He will also star in Nick Stagliano’s The Virtuouso and his wife Stella Hopkins’s drama Elyse.
Laura Dern
Considering she’s been in everything recently, we were surprised to find that the only thing Dern is slated for is Jurassic World 3, reprising her iconic role as Ellie Sattler from the original Jurassic Park film.
Margot Robbie
Birds of Prey just debuted to wonderful reviews, setting up countless roles as Harley Quinn in future DC outings. The Bombshell actress will also star in WWII drama Ruin, Robin Hood-reimagining Marian, and the titular role in Greta Gerwig’s Barbie!
Florence Pugh
The rising star of the moment, Florence Pugh will play opposite fellow Oscar nominee Scarlett Johansson in Black Widow as Yelena Belova, her sister with a dodgy Russian accent.
Kathy Bates
Kathy Bates only has one ticket on her docket for the future: a supporting role in felon drama Home, written and directed by Franka Potente.
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