From DC Extended Universe to the Oscars?

The DC Extended Universe (DCEU) is undergoing some mammoth changes at the moment with James Gunn and Peter Safran as the new rulers of DC Studios. This means the DC cinematic universe is getting something of a reboot after a slew of films of varying quality. However, outside of the DCEU, when filmmakers get DC adaptations right, they make masterpieces. Christopher Nolan‘s “The Dark Knight” trilogy and Todd Phillips‘ “Joker” are proof of that.

Regardless of their overall quality all of these films have a crop of top-notch actors. Some were already Oscar winners or nominees when they starred in their respective DC films (Joaquin Phoenix, Viola Davis), some landed Oscar nominations or wins after their DC roles (George Clooney, Tom Hardy), and some are still in the hunt for their first Oscar bids (Cillian Murphy). Whatever the case, the list of DC movie alumni stretches far and wide — and some of them could be in the mix this year for Academy Awards. Here’s the breakdown.

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Ben Affleck — “Air”
Ben Affleck, or Batfleck, was a good Bruce Wayne/Batman in mismatched movies that didn’t match up his talents. He starred as the caped crusader in “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,” “Suicide Squad,” “Justice League,” “Zack Snyder’s Justice League,” and “The Flash.” Ultimately, it didn’t work out for him. However, it did work out for him at the Oscars. He won Best Original Screenplay with Matt Damon in 1998 for “Good Will Hunting” before he won Best Picture with Clooney and Grant Heslov in 2013 for “Argo.” Two bids, two wins. Affleck could return this year with his biopic “Air,” which he stars in, directs, and produces. The film tells the story of how Nike signed Michael Jordan to make the Air Jordan shoe. We think an acting or directing nomination will be a little too far for him this year but “Air” is very popular and it’s certainly a feel-good film with a lovely true story at its center — that could lead to a Best Picture nomination, which Affleck would presumably be on the ballot for as a producer.

George Clooney — “The Boys in the Boat”
Clooney was a very different Batman in the only Batman film he appeared in — “Batman & Robin.” The film received poor reviews from pretty much including Clooney. He redeemed himself and went on to win two Oscars. The first was for Best Supporting Actor in 2006 for “Syriana” and the second was that “Argo” Best Picture win. Clooney was also nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay in 2012 for “The Ides of March” (with Heslov and Beau Willimon) and in 2006 for “Good Night and Good Luck,” for which he also earned a Best Director nomination. Plus, he also has three Best Actor bids to his name — for “Michael Clayton” (2008), “Up in the Air” (2010), and “The Descendants” (2012). Clooney makes his directorial return this year for “The Boys in the Boat,” which tells the true story of the 1930s University of Washington rowing team. Clooney and the film are currently outside of our predicted nominees for Best Picture and Best Director, but it could become a bigger awards player further down the line.

Margot Robbie — “Barbie”
From Batmen to Barbie, Robbie shot to fame by playing Harley Quinn in “Suicide Squad,” a role she reprised in “Birds of Prey” and “The Suicide Squad.” Robbie stars as the titular Barbie having an existential crisis in “Barbie,” a film that she also produces. Currently, we expect her to be nominated for Best Actress and for Best Picture as a producer for “Barbie.” These nominations would add to her existing two, which came in 2018 for Best Actress for “I, Tonya” and in 2020 for Best Supporting Actress for “Bombshell.”

Tom Hardy — “The Bikeriders”
Next up is Hardy, who played the villainous Bane in “The Dark Knight Rises,” the third and final installment in Nolan’s trilogy. Hardy stars this year in Jeff Nichols‘ “The Bikeriders,” an American epic about the lives of several members of a Midwestern motorcycle club. Hardy will likely be campaigned in Best Supporting Actor, a category he is familiar with after picking up a bid there in 2016 for “The Revenant.” That is his only Oscar bid to date. However, he sits outside of our current predicted nominees for this category.

Joaquin Phoenix — “Napoleon”
While Hardy played Bane, Phoenix took on another iconic Batman villain — Joker in Phillips’ character-study “Joker,” which follows a man named Arthur Fleck who begins a downward spiral into madness. Phoenix won Best Actor for that film in 2020, after having contended in the category in 2006 for “Walk the Line” and 2013 for “The Master.” He was also nominated for Best Supporting Actor in 2001 for “Gladiator.” Phoenix reunites with “Gladiator” director Ridley Scott for another historical epic this year, Apple TV+’s “Napoleon.” Phoenix takes on the title role in this biopic about the infamous French emperor and is just outside of our predicted nominees for Best Actor.

Robert De Niro — “Killers of the Flower Moon”
Phoenix starred in “Joker” with the legendary Robert De Niro, who played comedian and TV show host Murray Franklin — Arthur’s idol and obsession. De Niro will take on another supporting role this year in Martin Scorsese‘s “Killers of the Flower Moon,” which tells the true story of the murders of several Osage tribe members in 1920s USA. We expect De Niro to be one of the big players for Best Supporting Actor this year. He’s currently in second place in our odds chart, behind only Robert Downey Jr. (“Oppenheimer”). De Niro is on the hunt for his ninth Oscar nomination. He’s been nominated for Best Actor five times — in 1977 for “Taxi Driver,” in 1979 for “The Deer Hunter,” in 1981 for “Raging Bull,” in 1991 for “Awakenings,” and in 1992 for “Cape Fear.” He also picked up Best Supporting Actor bids in 1975 for “The Godfather Part II” and in 2013 for “Silver Linings Playbook.” He was also nominated for Best Picture for “The Irishman.” He won for “Raging Bull” and “The Godfather Part II.”

Viola Davis — “Air”
Davis is a four-time Oscar nominee with Best Supporting Actress bids in 2009 for “Doubt” and 2017 for “Fences” and Best Actress nominations in 2012 for “The Help” and 2021 for “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”; she won for “Fences.” Davis returns this year with “Air,” in which she portrays Michael Jordan’s mother, Deloris Jordan. Davis’ role is a small, quiet one, but we know that these roles do well in Best Supporting Actress (Judi Dench won for “Shakespeare in Love,” Ruby Dee was nominated for “American Gangster”). Plus, this category is pretty barren this year. Davis’ name and presence could propel her to a fifth nomination. She’s outside of our predicted nominees at the moment, but don’t expect her name to go away any time soon. Davis was Amanda Waller, the woman in charge of the team,in “Suicide Squad” and “The Suicide Squad,” with an uncredited appearance in “Black Adam.”

Jeffrey Wright — “American Fiction”
“American Fiction” just won the People’s Choice Award at TIFF. The movie tells the story of an author who becomes angry when his latest book doesn’t go down well while another writer’s work tops the bestseller lists. Wright played Lieutenant James Gordon in “The Batman” — Gordon is the Gotham City Police Department ally of Robert Pattinson‘s Batman. Wright has never been nominated for an Oscar before but he is creeping up in our Best Actor odds chart.

Cillian Murphy — “Oppenheimer”
Another actor looking for his first Oscar nomination is Murphy, who stars in Nolan’s biopic “Oppenheimer,” which tells the tale of how J. Robert Oppenheimer created the atomic bomb. Murphy sits atop our Best Actor odds chart.  Murphy  starred in “Batman Begins” as the villainous Scarecrow while he reprised the role in a cameo in “The Dark Knight Rises.”

Christopher Nolan — “Oppenheimer”
Nolan’s name has been mentioned a lot on this list. He might not be an actor, but he is certainly a DC alum — perhaps the most important one on this list. He wrote and directed “Batman Begins,” “The Dark Knight,” and “The Dark Knight Rises” — the best Batman movies of all time — and he also produced “Man of Steel,” “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,” “Justice League,” and “Zack Snyder’s Justice League.” Nolan somehow didn’t earn an Oscar nomination for any of those Batman movies (his “The Dark Knight” Best Director/Best Picture snubs are egregious) but he does have five bids to his name. He was nominated for Best Original Screenplay in 2002 for “Memento” (shared with brother Jonathan Nolan) and in 2011 for “Inception.” He was also nominated for Best Picture for “Inception” and “Dunkirk” in 2018. His sole Best Director bid also came for “Dunkirk.” However, we think that Nolan will land three more Oscar nominations this year for “Oppenheimer” — for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay. In fact, we are currently predicting that Nolan will actually win Best Picture and Best Director. It could be a big year for Nolan.

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