1. Michael Fassbender - The Counselor
Michael Fassbender has been a rising star as of late. Along with The Counselor, he will appear in frequent collaborator Steve McQueen's newest film, Twelve Years a Slave, and in the future he is also set to reprise his role as Magneto in the newest X-men movie, star as Altiar in the movie adaption of the video game Assassin's Creed, and should (key word being should) appear in a currently untitled Terrence Malick film. All this means that Fassbender's profile is being noticed in Hollywood, which can only be helpful for his Oscar chances. In The Counselor, Fassbender stars as a lawyer who unwisely gets involved in drug trafficking. The script is an original story from famed contemporary author Cormac McCarthy (No Country for Old Men, The Road), which is a large part of why the film is so highly anticipated. The film is also being directed by Ridley Scott, which may sound like a plus given some of the great movies Scott has made in the past, but take a look at his recent output and you may begin to pump your brakes a bit. In any event, with a great supporting cast that includes Brad Pitt, Javier Bardem, Cameron Diaz and Penelope Cruz, by all accounts, it should prove a great opportunity for Fassbender to show off his acting skills. Just two years ago, Fassbender most likely barely missed out on receiving an Oscar nomination for his role in Steve McQueen's Shame. Had the film not had an NC-17 rating, and if the film's subject matter had to do with something else other than sex addiction, he would have likely made the cut. Academy members feeling a tad guilty over not voting for him two years ago may be convinced to vote for him as a sort of "make-up" vote if the film and performance tickles their fancy enough, but whether Mr. Fassbender can receive his first Oscar nomination will likely come down to the quality of the film itself. Here's then to hoping The Counselor is one hell of a movie. That wraps up my preview of the forthcoming Best Actor race, but as I'm sure you will have noticed, a lot of potentially great actors and performance got left on the cutting room floor, so sound off in the comments section down below and let me know which actors you think have the goods to get a nomination.