The 2022 Oscars may well be a battle of the biopics, with Lady Gaga, Jennifer Hudson and Kristen Stewart all frontrunners to pick up best actress nominations.
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The Academy infamously loves a biopic and it may just be that this year will see all five nominations go to actresses who starred as real life women.
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The 2022 awards season kicked off on Monday at the Gotham Awards, with Kristen - who has been considered a shoo-in for a nomination since Spencer debuted at the Venice Film Festival - receiving a special honor.
Her work as Princess Diana in Pablo Larrain's haunting film- which HELLO! gave five stars - has been critically acclaimed although the 31-year-old herself has been coy when discussing the possibility of her first Oscar nomination, admitting she finds the process strange.
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Jennifer Hudson's name has been mentioned in the awards race since Respect, a biopic on the late great Aretha Franklin, debuted earlier in 2021, although her potential has ebbed and flowed.
A recent appearance in The Hollywood Reporter's actress roundtable however proves that the studio is keen to push her further into the conversation, and the actress and singer - who found fame on American Idol - is a favorite of the Academy's already, having won best supporting actress for her work in Dreamgirls in 2006.
Kristen has been coy when discussing the possibility of her first Oscar nomination
But there is further stiff competition from Lady Gaga, whose star power is an attractive draw for the Academy, and Nicole Kidman, a Hollywood A-lister who was last nominated in the category in 2011 and has only won once, for The Hours in 2003.
Her role as Lucille Ball in Aaron Sorkin's Being The Ricardos is a display of her incredible comedic and dramatic talents, and Lucille - the star of 50s comedy I Love Lucy - is an actress and talent that many fondly remember.
Gaga, who has proven herself a talented actress after 10 years as a global pop star, is back in the awards mix this season with Ridley Scott's House of Gucci.
Jennifer won best supporting actress in 2006
But although Gaga has been praised, the film's mixed reviews may hinder her chances of winning; she also lost in 2019 for her work in A Star Is Born but won the best original song category.
Elsewhere, Jessica Chastain, a two-time nominee, may be in with a chance for her stunning performance in The Eyes of Tammy Faye, the true story of the controversial history of televangelists Tammy Faye Bakker and Jim Bakker.
Jessica also helped to produce the film almost 10 years after she first acquired the rights to tell Tammy's story. A passion project, her love for the story may help her as she makes the rounds this season.
Gaga has star power and is a draw for viewers
Other potential names in the mix include Olivia Colman for her work in Maggie Gyllenhaal's The Lost Daughter, an adaptation of Elena Ferrante's novel, and Rachel Zegler, a Hollywood newcomer who received rave reactions after the first screenings of Steven Spielberg's remake of the 1961 film West Side Story.
Penelope Cruz has also been tipped by some for nomination for her work in Parallel Mothers, as well as British newcomer Emilia Jones for CODA, and Frances McDormand - who won in 2021 for Nomadland - for her work in The Tragedy of Macbeth.
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