Ten movies we’re dying to see this fall

Hilariously Early Best Picture Predictions

The ink was barely dry on the, er, online announcements about what movies would be premiering at which fall festivals before the pundits started punditing about which titles would be battling it out for best picture nominations. While there are some spring releases that will probably be in the mix (oh hi, Sinners), most studios wait until fall to unload their prestige flicks so they can be top-of-mind when Oscar voting starts in January. Here are some of the buzziest autumn releases that we’ll probably see on the ballot.

Related: Best of Fall—A sneak peek at the season’s buzziest debuts on stage, screen and page

Bugonia

Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons star in Yorgos Lanthimos’s dark comedy about two conspiracy-obsessed bros who kidnap the CEO of a major company because they think she’s an alien plotting to destroy the world. Out October 24

Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere

The Boss is the latest musical legend to get the biopic treatment in this heartstring-tugging flick about the making of Bruce Springsteen’s 1982 album, Nebraska. The Bear’s Jeremy Allen White trades his knives for a guitar to take on the title role. Out October 24

Frankenstein

Could there be a more Guillermo del Toro–coded story than this macabre gothic tale? The director’s long-awaited take on the Mary Shelley classic stars Jacob Elordi as the tormented and vengeful monster and Oscar Isaac as his not-so-benevolent creator. Out October 17

Related: SOS—Jacob Elordi is missing from Guillermo del Toro’s first Frankenstein trailer

Sentimental Value

Stellan Skarsgård stars as a washed-up film director and absentee father who tries to reignite his career and his relationship with his adult daughters in this quietly devastating dramedy that won the Grand Prix at Cannes. Out November 14

Wicked: For Good

Last year’s blockbuster may well be this year’s best pic. Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande return for the conclusion of the glitzy two-part Broadway-musical adaptation. Dorothy’s arrival in Oz sets the stage for an epic showdown that will hopefully feature a plethora of jazz hands. Out November 21

Safdie vs. Safdie

Benny and Josh Safdie have broken up their fraternal directing duo (RIP, Uncut Gems sequel) and are each coming out with big films of their own. Both movies are inspired by true stories about high-level competitors, and both are obvious awards bait. Which Safdie will win the season?

The Smashing Machine

Benny Safdie wrote and directed this gritty sports drama about the career and addiction struggles of MMA and UFC icon Mark Kerr. Dwayne Johnson—and a lot of facial prosthetics—stars as Kerr in a surprisingly dramatic lead role, and Emily Blunt plays his long-suffering wife. Out October 3

Related: Dwayne Johnson is already undergoing another total body transformation for his next role

Marty Supreme

Sure, wrestling is hard-core, but have you heard of the cut-throat world of mid-century professional ping-pong? Josh Safdie co-wrote and directed this charming take on a high-octane sports movie. Timothée Chalamet stars, and Gwyneth Paltrow appears on screen for the first time in years as a troubled actor who just can’t resist the blistering sexual charisma of a skinny nerd armed with a paddle. Out December 25 

Paul in Plural

Is there ever too much Paul Mescal? We say no! Last year’s gladiator is this fall’s tortured heart-throb as the Irish actor digs into two juicy roles that both scream Golden Globe. In the period romance The History of Sound (out now), he plays a closeted musician ambling through America with his lover (Josh O’Connor) after the First World War, collecting folk songs for posterity. Then, in Hamnet (November 27), Mescal journeys even further back in time to take a turn as William Shakespeare in a story about the playwright penning Hamlet while mourning the death of his only son. Jessie Buckley stars as his grieving wife, and Oscar-winner Chloé Zhao is in the director’s chair.