What is it? The story of Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio), a trapper who in 1820s America survived a bear attack then sought revenge on the men who left him for dead. Why is it a major player? How could it not be? Directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, fresh off a triple Oscar win (that's Best Picture, Best Director and Best Original Screenplay for Birdman), and shot by Emmanuel Lubezki, who just won the Oscar for Best Cinematography two years in a row, The Revenant is a deep, dark, primal story of revenge and - yep - redemption set in the old American west. It's a true story, too, and everyone knows the Academy loves those. On top of that, you have a standout cast including Tom Hardy and Dohmnall Gleeson, but let's not forget the fact that The Revenant is headlined by Leonardo DiCaprio, the perennial Oscar bridesmaid who's looking to finally crack the 'curse' and win that coveted Best Actor prize. Inarritu has his way with actors, so it'll be no big shock if he bags nominations (and perhaps even wins) for DiCaprio and Hardy in 2016, but this one should be making its mark in a fair few categories. Which other upcoming films do you think will be major Oscar players in 2016? Let us know in the comments below.
Lover of film, writer of words, pretentious beyond belief. Thinks Scorsese and Kubrick are the kings of cinema, but PT Anderson and David Fincher are the dashing young princes. Follow Brogan on twitter if you can take shameless self-promotion: @BroganMorris1
