Maria Bakalova
(1 nom)
THE APPRENTICE

Brilliant casting, right? Bakalova plays Ivana Trump. If the movie goes over well, watch out... (that's a big "if" though)

Moses Ingram
(never nom'ed)
THE END

Her star is rising and we believe she has a key role here, disrupting the family dynamic in the bunker after the titular event.

Emily Watson
(2 noms)
SMALL THINGS LIKE THESE

Winning raves as a cruel nun but she might need attention for Cillian Murphy's leading role. (See Best Actor)

Joan Chen
(never nom'ed)
DIDI

Winning raves as an underappreciated mom in this Sundance coming-of-age hit and it's easy to imagine a 'career reward' narrative emerging. But it's always hard to know how well Sundance hits will go over in the larger world.

Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor
(1 nomination)
THE NICKEL BOYS

We believe she's playing the grandmother to the protagonist. But given that the bulk of the narrative is a boys reform school, we imagine it's a small role.

Danielle Deadwyler
(never nom'ed)
THE PIANO LESSON

Danielle Brooks played this on Broadway but Danielle takes over for the movie. Wilson plays always have meaty roles.

Saoirse Ronan
(4 noms)
BLITZ

We suspect Blitz is an ensemble film even if Ronan is its biggest star. What's her role like? Can she become a double nominee this season?

Julianne Moore
(5 noms| 1 win)
THE ROOM NEXT DOOR

Sounds like a lead role (in a film about three women) but since what little we know of the story sounds like it turns on Swinton who knows? And will it be ready in time?

Nathalie Emmanuel
(never nom'ed)
MEGALOPOLIS

Sounds like a leading role - a woman torn between her father and her lover's visions of the new world. But, on the other hand, nobody really knows what this will be.

Diane Kruger
THE SHROUDS

Let's imagine for a moment that Oscar voters stopped rejecting horror-tinged work. A potentially thrilling triple role for Kruger!

Tilda Swinton
(1 nom | 1 win)
THE END

She plays the wife and mother in the bunker but we'll assume screen husband Michael Shannon and screen son George Mackay are the focal points.

Jennifer Grey
(never nom'ed)
A REAL PAIN

If the film goes over big the ensemble could reap the rewards.

Michele Austin
(never nom'ed)
HARD TRUTHS

It's always hard to know anything about Mike Leigh movies before they arrive but we're guessing she has a large role.

Connie Nielsen
GLADIATOR 2

We're dreaming that Ridley Scott doesn't shove her to the side as the mother of the protagonist (and one of only two returning actors from the original) but we'll see.

Catherine O'Hara
BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE

She's much more beloved in the industry than she once was. It's fun to imagine they'll appreciate her reprisal of one of her most indelible comic creations

Who will stand out in 2024 casts? Which leads will be demoted to supporting? So many questions

• The Actor - Gemma Chan
• Back to Black - Lesley Manville
• Beetlejuice Beetlejuice - Winona Ryder, Jenna Ortega
• Blitz - Erin Kellymann, Kathy Burke, Hayley Squires
• Conclave - Isabella Rossellini
• The Deliverance - Glenn Close, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor
• Emmanuelle - Naomi Watts
• The Fire Inside - Olunike Adeliyi
• His Three Daughters - Carrie Coon, Natasha Lyonne, Elizabeth Olsen (who gets demoted to supporting?)
• Kinds of Kindness - Emma Stone, Margaret Qualley
• Klara and the Sun - Amy Adams (though we are guessing this one gets pushed to 2025)
• Maria - Valeria Golino
• Megalopolis - Aubrey Plaza, Kathryn Hunter
• The Nickel Boys - Najah Bradley
• Nosferatu - Lily-Rose Depp
• Problemista - Tilda Swinton
• The Room Next Door - Tilda Swinton, and ??? (any of the trio could get demoted to supporting)
• The Supremes At Earl's All You Can Eat - Sanaa Lathan, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Uzo Aduba 
• Wicked - Ariana Grande (we assume she'll be demoted to supporting), Michelle Yeoh, Marissa Bode