Wicked has more of a hill to climb for Best Picture at the Oscars next year.
If you’re hoping for Wicked to win Best Picture at next year’s Academy Awards, you might want to sit down.
The smash-hit adaptation of the Broadway musical surprisingly took home the National Board of Review’s Best Film award on Wednesday, which puts Wicked well in line to land a Best Picture nomination next month.
Most of the NBR’s recent winners, sans 2020’s Da 5 Bloods and 2014’s A Most Violent Year, over the last decade have gone on to get nominated in the Oscars’ biggest category.
However, only one film since 2008 has actually won Best Picture after winning the NBR’s Best Film honor: 2018’s Green Book.
That puts Wicked at a historical disadvantage, as the NBR’s Best Film award is a rather curious note of bad luck for any Best Picture contender.
The honor only lined up with the Academy in Best Picture during the 2000s on two occasions: 2007’s No Country for Old Men and 2008’s Slumdog Millionaire.
If you’re looking for an idea of how the New York City-based NBR operates, know their Best Film category typically rewards distinctly American films with its top prize and isn’t afraid to honor a blockbuster like it did in 2022 with Top Gun: Maverick and in 2015 with Mad Max: Fury Road.
Wicked is a classic crowd-pleaser, but it’s also a work of American intellectual property and adapted from a gigantic Broadway show. Best Picture hasn’t gone to a work of IP since 2003’s The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King and hasn’t gone to a Broadway adaptation since 2002’s Chicago. The broadening international impact in the Academy’s voting body doesn’t necessarily lend itself to a film like Wicked winning Best Picture, either, as international voters typically prefer more auteur-driven, arthouse-friendly fare like 2019’s Parasite, 2020’s Nomadland, 2022’s Everything Everywhere All at Once and 2023’s Oppenheimer.
However, 2021’s CODA proved how crowd-pleasing films with a musical slant can succeed in Best Picture as of late. But that’s a film firmly grounded in reality and surged late in the Best Picture process.
These historical stats slip up all the time, so don’t assume this as Wicked‘s kiss of death. Meanwhile, the NBR’s inability to predict where Best Picture is going over the years does make you wonder if Wicked has a ceiling.
Wicked is most certainly going to be a popular film at this year’s Oscars, but don’t necessarily count on it as the clear frontrunner. This one has much more to defy than you might expect, and the “NBR Best Film curse” is now one of them. It’ll be one of the contenders, but really don’t call it a lock right now.
The dream of John Mulaney hosting the Oscars has been delayed again. So who’s up next?
Jimmy Kimmel will not return to host the Academy Awards for a third straight year — and fifth time overall — after reportedly passing on the 2025 gig.
According to Puck News’ Matthew Belloni, Kimmel informed the Oscars he is passing on the chance to play host next March, and so is another big name many assumed would take up the mantle: John Mulaney.
Per Belloni:
After Kimmel passed, the Academy then wanted John Mulaney, which I believe I predicted in this space after his very funny presenter bit at this year’s show and a well-received turn hosting the Governors Awards. But Mulaney is already committed to several projects in the winter and spring, and Netflix will probably pick up more of his Everybody’s in L.A. talk show, so he passed due to schedule.
So with the most reliable and most popular hosting candidates dropping out, who’s up next? We’ve got seven ideas that would make for an incredible show.
1. Trevor Noah
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 04: Host Trevor Noah speaks onstage during the 66th GRAMMY Awards at Crypto.com Arena on February 04, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)
You’d have to imagine the former host of The Daily Show is near the top of any list to host the Oscars. Aside from the necessary basics (great on TV, comfortable in a room full of celebrities and often in on the joke), he’s got plenty of experience from his duties hosting The Grammys each of the last four years.
2. Tom Hanks
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JUNE 13: Tom Hanks attends the “Asteroid City” New York Premiere at Alice Tully Hall on June 13, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images)
America’s Dad knows the Academy quite well, having been nominated six times and winning twice (going back-to-back with Best Actor Oscars for Philadelphia and Forrest Gump). He can do comedic bits, he can handle the serious moments and he’s someone people are genuinely happy to be around most of the time.
US actress Quinta Brunson arrives for the 81st annual Golden Globe Awards at The Beverly Hilton hotel in Beverly Hills, California, on January 7, 2024. (Photo by Michael TRAN / AFP) (Photo by MICHAEL TRAN/AFP via Getty Images)
The Abbott Elementary star is at the top of her game right now and it’s hard to argue there’s a better network comedy showrunner. ABC, which airs both Abbott and the Oscars, would be wise to try to stay in-house and let Quinta write and host the show — but that’s also asking her to make a pretty large time commitment in the middle of the year.
4. Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – FEBRUARY 28: Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds attends “The Adam Project” New York Premiere on February 28, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Dia Dipasupil/FilmMagic)
Deadpool & Wolverine may not win any Oscars in 2025, but the duo have already shattered box office expectations to the tune of the highest opening weekend for any R-rated film domestically and worldwide ($444.6 million) and the film may just win the box office this year.
The close friends are comedic gold and at least one of them won’t have any problem mocking the celebrity attendees (or himself) in Deadpool’s signature tone. Jackman, meanwhile, has plenty of hosting experience — including the Oscars in 2009.
5. Larry David
Sep 18, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Larry David presents the award for Outstanding Comedy Series during 68th Emmy Awards at the Microsoft Theater. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY
Put Larry David on stage and let him complain about all the movies he didn’t get to see in theaters, or extoll the joys of streaming everything at home. Now that we know Curb Your Enthusiasm is over for good, it’s the perfect time for David to take over hosting the Oscars. He won’t have any trouble telling people to get off stage if their speech goes over the time limit, either.
6. Kristen Wiig
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JUNE 04: Kristen Wiig attends The Inaugural Gotham TV Awards at Cipriani 25 Broadway on June 04, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for The Gotham Film & Media Institute)
The good thing about getting a former cast member of Saturday Night Live to host is that you rarely need to worry about their ability to think on their feet or execute a sketch. Wiig’s profile in Hollywood has risen steadily since leaving SNL, she’s ready for this moment if the Academy comes calling.
7. Andy Cohen
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JUNE 12: Andy Cohen attends Storytellers – Andy Cohen In Conversation with Anderson Cooper during the 2024 Tribeca Festival at BMCC Theater on June 12, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Tribeca Festival)
Certainly the man who built the Real Housewives franchise will know how to get people tuning into a live awards show, but it’s Cohen’s ability to connect with his audience that stands out more than any of the antics on his shows. The 56-year-old understands modern audiences in a way few in the industry do. He might not be a name that draws in extra viewers, but you’d have to feel confident in the product with Cohen at the helm.
John Mulaney was right: The plot of ‘Field of Dreams’ is truly wild.
During the 2024 Oscars, comedian John Mulaney presented the Academy Award for Best Sound.
While this easily could have become a monotonous moment in the broadcast if left in the hands of another presenter, Mulaney turned this one of the most memorable segments from the show.
The comedian began by talking about sound design as a concept before eventually detouring to a non-sequitur about the 1989 film Field of Dreams. It was a masterful summary of a beloved baseball movie that, in retrospect, has a plot that makes no sense at all.
John Mulaney explaining the entire plot to Field of Dreams instead of presenting his category at the Oscars lol. king pic.twitter.com/5q98HfH5ur
“Or what about the moment in Field of Dreams when we hear: ‘If you build it, he will come.’ And then Costner does it. He builds a baseball field. Or I guess he doesn’t build it. He mows down corn and then there is a field and then he’s like: ‘I’m going to watch ghosts play baseball.’ And the bank is like: ‘You want to play your mortgage?’ And he’s like: ‘Nah, I’m going to watch ghosts play baseball.’ And then he finds James-Earl Jones, who wrote The Boatrocker, which I thought was a real book deep into my 20s.”
Mulaney continued providing even more details about the film (and his suspected rules about “ghost baseball”) and it was so perfectly silly.
Let’s take a look at 25 films that could contend for Best Picture at the Oscars next year.
The 96th Academy Awards have come and gone, as Christopher Nolan’s historical epic Oppenheimer dominated this year’s ceremony.
However, it’s never too early to look ahead to what next year’s Oscars could have in store for us (okay, maybe it is, but we’re doing it anyhow).
We’ve got some major filmmakers returning to the director’s chair this year, as well as some big sequels and promising indie dramas alike.
With 2024 already in full gear at the movies, we’ve taken a look at 25 films we think you should keep an eye on this year for the 2025 Oscars.
While this list is not definitive and will likely add films as the year goes on, this is our best glance a year out at what next year’s ceremony could offer.
Did we really think Jimmy Kimmel would go the whole Oscars without making fun of Matt Damon?
We really didn’t think Jimmy Kimmel would go the entire Academy Awards without getting in a dig at Matt Damon, did we?
Right as the show was ending, it looked like Kimmel wouldn’t keep his ongoing fake feud with Damon alive in his fourth Oscar hosting stint.
In the amended words of Lee Corso, not so fast, my frenemy!
A brief gag closed the show right before the credits of Messi the dog from Anatomy of a Fall pretending to hoist his leg up to pee on Damon’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame as Kimmel got in his annual roast.
After winning in the category in 2017 for La La Land, Stone won Best Actress for her leading role in Poor Things.
Stone was in clear shock over the victory and delivered an incredibly gracious speech where she extolled her fellow nominees and praised her Poor Things team and filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos in particular.
Stone now joins the legacy of women who have won two Oscars for acting, like Meryl Streep, Cate Blanchett, Frances McDormand and Katharine Hepburn.
This was a really moving moment for one of the defining actors of her generation.
Legendary filmmaker Christopher Nolan has finally won his Oscar.
One of the best directors of all time has finally won his Oscar, and he got it in the absolute best way possible.
Christopher Nolan, the auteur behind such classic films as The Dark Knight, Memento, Inception and Dunkirk, won the Academy Award for Best Director on Sunday night for his latest masterpiece, Oppenheimer.
Legendary filmmaker Steven Spielberg presented Nolan the award, which shows highlights a fantastic generational passing of the torch from one all-time director to another.
Nolan has only been nominated for Best Director once before for Dunkirk, so this makes his first victory on his second attempt in the category.
His win is notable not only because of his stature in the industry, but because of his status as one of the few household name filmmakers left working.
Nolan gave a very commendable speech after accepting his long-awaited Oscar, one where he praised his producing partner and wife Emma Thomas and thanked his Oppenheimer cast and crew.
So many have been eagerly awaiting Nolan’s Oscar win after he got infamously snubbed for The Dark Knight back in 2009, but it’s better late than never. Nolan really has finally won his Academy Award.
Cillian Murphy is the latest actor to win an Oscar for playing a real-life person.
Cillian Murphy has finally won his Oscar.
The veteran actor, best known for hit films like 28 Days Later and Batman Begins and his leading role on Peaky Blinders, won the Academy Award for Best Actor on Sunday night for his performance in Oppenheimer.
The longtime collaborator and close friend of filmmaker Christopher Nolan finally got a lead role in one of the auteur’s films, and he didn’t waste his chance in playing J. Robert Oppenheimer, the father of the atomic bomb.
Murphy delivered a very endearing speech after winning his Oscar, one in which he thanked his family, his collaborators and specifically Nolan and his wife, Emma Thomas, for their years of support.
Steven Spielberg is one of the best filmmakers of all time, but he might’ve just turned into one of the best GIFs of 2024 during Sunday’s Oscars.
During a segment featuring Barbie stars America Ferrera and Kate McKinnon, the two joked about McKinnon finding out that Jurassic Park isn’t actually a documentary.
During one of McKinnon’s quips, the camera cut to Spielberg delivering the reaction of the night and a GIF that will surely flood your social media feed in the weeks and months to come.
Seriously, this is priceless, and we are so glad it now exists for us to use when we need to react to something on the internet.
Spielberg is such a good sport for participating in this gag, and we’re dually happy that we have this reaction from him now to use in all of our tweets.
The co-stars of the 1990s comedy Twins (and Hollywood legends) Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito reunited at the 96th Academy Awards to present two Oscars for Visual Effects and Editing.
However, the two started their time on stage complaining about how, as two previous on-screen Batman villains, they could never get past the Caped Crusader.
DeVito played The Penguin in Batman Returns, while Schwarzenegger played Mr. Freeze in Batman and Robin.
Well, one of the most recognizable Batmans in the world, Michael Keaton, was in the crowd, and Schwarzenegger and DeVito took their villainous grievances right to Bruce Wayne himself to the delight of the crowd.
Seriously, how awesome was this? It’s really not every day that you get to see two former Batman villains finally get their opportunity to let a former Batman know what they really think in front of the world, but that’s what the Oscars are for!
This is one of those moments that makes us really grateful for the Academy Awards.
