Oscar Predictions: Best Actor Is Shaping Up to Be a Three-Way Race Between Ripleys — And It's Wide Open

Happy Tuesday, folks! I know it’s Election Day, and the Democrats are poised to take control of the House of Representatives, but regardless of what side of the aisle you may fall on, let’s all just be grateful we live in a democracy where we can vote for change. And change has seemed more necessary than ever, lately.

Election votes are still being tallied, of course, but it’s starting to sound like the vote is in for James Bond, with Josh O’Connor and Jack Lowden already doing the ‘Aw, shucks, it was just flattering to be considered’ thing. I still can’t believe O’Connor actually was considered, and after forcing myself to watch an episode of Slow Horses this weekend, I can’t say Lowden was the guy, either.

Meanwhile, Callum Turner was seen out in public having martinis with his wife, Dua Lipa. Is he trolling everybody? What’s going on? If so, I kind of like it — it demonstrates the kind of confidence that James Bond would and should have.

I’m still not convinced that Turner is The Right Guy, but he has evidently been Denis Villeneuve’s favorite since the very beginning, and it sounds like the director got his way. I wouldn’t be surprised if he were announced as Bond this week, though a part of me is hoping that Amazon and producer Amy Pascal will convince Villeneuve to go with Jacob Elordi, who was definitely in the mix, no matter what you read or where you read it.

The only other name I heard floated as a possibility was 1917 star George MacKay, though it’s unclear whether he was the “mystery” fourth actor who tested.

While I welcome more tips about James Bond, I’ve already moved on to The Next Great Casting Search (TM) — the hunt for Wolverine.

Already, there are whispers that Jeremy Allen White has met with Marvel to discuss what is expected to be a small role in its upcoming X-Men reboot — which would lead to more screen time down the line.

A lot more.

I’ve long called for the next Wolverine to be smaller in physical stature than Hugh Jackman, in keeping with the character’s description in the comics, where Wolverine is 5’3” and roughly 200 lbs. — not counting the 100 lbs. of adamantium in his bones.

White is 5’7”, and it’s easy to see him with the sideburns. He could also use a big movie like X-Men after his Bruce Springsteen movie and The Social Reckoning both flopped. Plus, he’s an Emmy-winning actor who would be something of a coup for Marvel, strictly in terms of pure talent.

I know White has a legion of fans thanks to his work in The Bear, but that show wasn’t for me. Instead, I was the very first person in the world to review Shameless after getting my hands on an early copy of the pilot — so early that it featured Allison Janney instead of Joan Cusack.

Showtime was… not happy, to say the least.

However, it was a glowing review, and in it, I wrote that my favorite performance came from a young man by the name of… Jeremy Allen White. He played the dangerous older brother, Lip Gallagher, and in my head, it is Lip’s fighting spirit that White would have to summon as Wolverine.

Personally, I think White has it in him, unlike Turner when it comes to James Bond, though the die appears to have been cast on the 007 front. Honestly, I’m surprised it has taken this long for Amazon to announce the Bond casting, or for the trades to follow up on their own testing story, and I’m hoping that the delay means there has been a complication of some kind — a late entrant in the mix, perhaps. Though I don’t suppose that Harris Dickinson has had a sudden change of heart…

While we wait on pins and needles for white smoke above Amazon MGM’s headquarters in Culver City, Peter Rice is taking his time getting to know the troops at Netflix, including VP trio Kira Goldberg, Ori Marmur, and Jason Young, before deciding who should lead them.

He’s in no rush over there, but reading between the lines of certain articles, it sure seems as though Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy are heading for a split. You can start to see The Blame Game being played by their representatives, with both Digger and The Bride! now being blamed in the press on Abdy, leaving De Luca to take the fall for One Battle After Another… which at least won Best Picture.

I’d always heard De Luca was in greater demand around town, yet I keep hearing Abdy’s name linked to Netflix, which could stand to hire a female film boss, given that Bela Bajaria was replaced by Rice. She would also be less of a threat to replace Rice himself than if he brought in De Luca.

With Hollywood soon to slow down for the holidays, Rice could spend the next two months interviewing candidates and wait until the top of the year to make a decision, but regardless of the timing, I do think he needs to make a hire, and a bold one, too.

Speaking of boldness, I’d like to see the Academy deliver some bold Oscar nominations this year, just as I make some bold predictions of my own, including a new entrant in the Best Actress race.

Premium subscribers may now enter the Sneider-Verse to continue reading my latest thoughts on the only awards show that matters. I mean, have you seen some of the category placements for the Golden Globes? Good lord…

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