2026 Oscars: Nominations, Predictions, and Conan O’Brien’s Return
The 90th Academy Awards are just around the corner, set to air on Sunday, March 15th, and the nominations are in. Ryan Coogler’s “Blood & Sinners” leads the pack with a record-breaking 16 nominations, setting the stage for a potentially history-making night. Conan O’Brien is returning to host for the second consecutive year, promising a blend of entertainment and acknowledgment of current events.
Key Nominations
Best Picture
- Bugonia
- F1
- Frankenstein
- Hamnet
- Marty Supreme
- One Battle After Another
- The Secret Agent
- Sentimental Value
- Blood & Sinners
- Train Dreams
Best Director
- Chloé Zhao – Hamnet
- Paul Thomas Anderson – One Battle After Another
- Ryan Coogler – Blood & Sinners
- Joachim Trier – Sentimental Value
- Josh Safdie – Marty Supreme
Best Actor
- Timothée Chalamet – Marty Supreme
- Leonardo DiCaprio – One Battle After Another
- Ethan Hawke – Blue Moon
- Michael B. Jordan – Blood & Sinners
- Wagner Moura – The Secret Agent
Best Actress
- Jessie Buckley – Hamnet
- Rose Byrne – If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
- Kate Hudson – Song Sung Blue
- Renate Reinsve – Sentimental Value
- Emma Stone – Bugonia
Best Supporting Actor
- Benicio Del Toro – One Battle After Another
- Jacob Elordi – Frankenstein
- Delroy Lindo – Blood & Sinners
- Sean Penn – One Battle After Another
- Stellan Skarsgård – Sentimental Value
Best Supporting Actress
- Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas – Sentimental Value
- Amy Madigan – Weapons
- Wunmi Mosaku – Blood & Sinners
- Teyana Taylor – One Battle After Another
- Elle Fanning – Sentimental Value
New Category: Achievement in Casting
This year marks the introduction of a new award category: Achievement in Casting, recognizing the crucial role casting directors play in filmmaking. Nominees include:
- Hamnet
- Marty Supreme
- One Battle After Another
- The Secret Agent
- Blood & Sinners
Conan O’Brien’s Approach to Hosting
Conan O’Brien, returning as host, acknowledges the challenge of balancing entertainment with the realities of the current world climate. He aims to strike a “very, very thin line” between providing escapism and acknowledging significant events, similar to his approach last year where he avoided politics initially before making a later quip about then-President Trump. Yahoo Entertainment reports O’Brien is still refining his monologue, recognizing the fast-paced nature of current events.
Unpredictability and Potential Records
This year’s Oscars are shaping up to be particularly unpredictable, with “Sinners” and “One Battle After Another” closely competing for Best Picture. KHQ notes that “Sinners” has already made history with its 16 nominations and has the potential to break records for the most Oscar wins by a single film, currently shared by “Ben-Hur,” “Titanic,” and “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.”
Musical Performances
The ceremony will also feature a performance of “Golden” by Rei Ami, Ejae, and Audrey Nuna from “KPop Demon Hunters.”