Delroy Lindo will apparently be submitted as lead rather than supporting, according to Clayton Davis at Variety. Netflix has many films headed for the Oscar race and thus figuring out who will go where is going to be tricky. Lindo is the standout of an ensemble cast in Spike Lee’s Da 5 Bloods and his placement in supporting would have had him compete against Chadwick Boseman, who died tragically recently, in a supporting turn in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. Lindo’s better chance is in lead.
There will be other ensemble casts from Netflix headed for the race, including Aaron Sorkin’s The Trial of the Chicago 7, and Fincher’s Mank, and then of course there will also be Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story.
Lead Actor is not yet packed as it would be in an ordinary year. Some of the early buzzed performances to watch for would be Gary Oldman in Mank, Anthony Hopkins in The Father, Bill Murray in On the Rocks, Tom Hanks in News of the World, Michael Fassbender in Next Goal Wins, Matt Damon in Stillwater and who knows what other names might pop up. We’re making this up as we go along.
