Oscars 2020: 15 Insanely Early Predictions For Next Year's Academy Awards

5. Best Actor: Tom Hanks - A Beautiful Day In The Neighbourhood

Other nominees: Ansel Egort (The Goldfinch), Leonardo DiCaprio (Once Upon A Time In Hollywood), Robert De Niro (The Irishman), Daniel Kaluuya (Queen & Slim)

Hanks vs DiCaprio vs De Niro is the kind of insane Best Actor battle that will have Academy members salivating. Kaluuya's star just keeps on rising, and Queen & Slim should only cement that further, while Egort will be a surprising pick to many, but he is the lead of what is expected to be a major contender. Others worth mentioning are Taron Egerton for Rocketman (especially after Rami Malek's win), Adam Driver for The Report, and Christian Bale for Ford v Ferrari, any of whom could quite easily find themselves with a nomination here.

DiCaprio finally got his Oscar just a few years ago for The Revenant, so voters won't feel much pressure to give him something here (unless he's truly great, which he often is to be fair). The Irishman is understandably being talked up a lot, but it remains to be seen what DeNiro can still bring to the table, although everyone is hopeful this is a return to form.

Hanks, then, feels like the safest bet. He's playing a real-life figure, which helps, and a truly beloved one at that. Marielle Heller has proved she can wring out complex performances, which means this won't just be Hanks being all sugary sweet, and he could oddly be seen as due: once the Oscars golden boy, he hasn't been nominated since 2001 (Cast Away) and not won since 1995 (Forrest Gump). That same narrative could also apply to De Niro, who won Best Actor in 1980, but Hanks is more of a guarantee to deliver a great performance.