Oscars 2018: 10 Movies That Could Win Best Picture Next Year

The Film

For his first film since 2013's Nebraska, Alexander Payne is moving into the sci-fi realm with Downsizing, described as a social satire where a man (Matt Damon) realises he'd be better off in life if he were to shrink himself - but his wife (Kristen Wiig) backs out from doing the same at the last minute.

Regular collaborators Phedon Papamichael (cinematography) and Kevin Tent (editing) are back here, while the great supporting cast includes Alec Baldwin, Neil Patrick Harris, and Christoph Waltz.

Why It Could Win

Although he's far from being a prolific director, Payne is an Oscar favourite when his movies do come around, with Sideways (2004), The Descendants (2011), and Nebraska (2013) all picking up Best Picture nominations. Although this one has more sci-fi and comedic trappings, it's still likely to make it four-in-a-row, and could be the one to go all the way.

Damon is well-liked and respected in the industry, and we've seen over the past decade just what a soft spot the Oscars have for Christoph Waltz, even if this sees him without Quentin Tarantino's dialogue.

It has a late December slot, which means it should be very fresh in the minds of Academy members when it comes to voting time, and Paramount are likely to give it a lot of backing come awards season.