With the fall festival season here, that means only one thing: the Oscars and awards race is starting to heat up. As we did last year, my podcast partner at Awards Central, Benji, and I are going to ramp up our thoughts on the podcast but also via articles on our awards predictions. From Critics Choice to Golden Globes to the Oscars, we will be covering predictions all season long. Today, we share our predictions of the Best Director race as of mid-October. 

We have films from Paul Thomas Anderson, Guillermo del Toro, Chloe Zhao, Kathryn Bigelow, Josh Safdie, and Ryan Coogler set to ramp up the award season. Within those films, we have some star power that could feature many first-time nominees, but also some faces of the past ready to secure another nomination. 

2026 Oscar Best Director Predictions

Ricky’s Best Director Predictions

1. Paul Thomas Anderson – One Battle After Another
2. Ryan Coogler – Sinners
3. Chloe Zhao – Hamnet
4. Kathryn Bigelow – A House of Dynamite
5. Josh Safdie – Marty Supreme

Benji’s Best Director Predictions

1. Paul Thomas Anderson – One Battle After Another
2. Chloe Zhao – Hamnet
3. Ryan Coogler – Sinners
4. Josh Safdie – Marty Supreme
5. Joachim Trier – Sentimental Value

Other Prospects: Jafar Panahi – It Was Just An Accident – Joachim Trier – Sentimental Value, Park Chan-wook – No Other Choice, Kleber Mendonca Filho – The Secret Agent, Joseph Kosinski – F1: The Movie, Guillermo del Toro – Frankenstein