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With the likes of Boyhood, Fury and Gone Girl already making a splash with critics and audiences, this upcoming awards season is bound to produce more remarkable films before the Oscars arrive in four months time.
To prepare for the big day, we look at ten future releases that are being tipped for potential awards glory.
American Sniper – Jan 16th
Veteran Hollywood legend Clint Eastwood returns to directing duties with his real-life drama, which stars the in-form Bradley Cooper as American’s most prolific sniper Chris Kyle.
Given the intensity of its trailer, Eastwood will hope to triumph with this film after achieving previous awards success with Unforgiven and Million Dollar Baby.
Birdman – Jan 2nd
Sharing similarities with his own portrayal of Batman in the Tim Burton films, Michael Keaton is already earning rave reviews for his role as a washed-up actor who tries to overcome his demons on Broadway in Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu’s Birdman.
Edward Norton, Emma Stone and Naomi Watts are amongst the talented actors supporting Keaton in the ensemble.
Foxcatcher – Jan 9th
Steve Carrell ditches his comedic roots for a dark and disturbing role as the schizophrenic-suffering manager John Du Pont in Bennett Miller’s real-life drama Foxcatcher.
Channing Tatum and Mark Ruffalo are also said to be impressive as the Olympic-wrestling siblings who try to shrug off their psychotic employer, which ultimately leads to tragedy.
The Imitation Game – Nov 14th
A huge hit at the Toronto Film Festival; this World War II biopic about the British code-breaker Alan Turing has already earned fantastic reviews particularly for the consistent Benedict Cumberbatch and his female co-star Keira Knightley.
With the Weinstein Company backing it, there is no doubt that this film could end up being the one to beat.
Inherent Vice – Jan 9th
Reuniting with his The Master director Paul T. Anderson, Joaquin Phoenix turns detective in the upcoming 1970s crime romp as his character gets caught up in a case involving his ex-girlfriend and her current lover.
Josh Brolin, Benicio Del Toro and Reese Witherspoon co-star in a film that shares a similar feel to last year’s comic caper American Hustle.
Interstellar – Nov 7th
Having concluded his work on the Dark Knight trilogy, Christopher Nolan is hoping that his most ambitious film to date will finally land him Oscar success.
The rejuvenated Matthew McConaughey leads an all-star cast including Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain and Michael Caine with the story focusing on a group of explorers who travel through space to discover whether mankind has a future.
Expect plenty of emotion and groundbreaking special effects!
Into the Woods – Jan 9th
Musicals have been hit and miss with the Academy Awards but director Rob Marshall has already been there and done that with Chicago and Nine.
His big-screen adaptation of the dark Broadway show Into the Woods looks visually stunning and has a strong ensemble led by three-time Oscar winner Meryl Streep as well as James Corden, Emily Blunt and Johnny Depp.
The Theory of Everything – Jan 1st
The emotional story of renowned physicist Stephen Hawking and his battle with motor neuron disease is brought to the big screen in James Marsh’s biopic drama.
Eddie Redmayne has already earned strong praise for his physically challenging turn and could be battling it out with Benedict Cumberbatch and Michael Keaton for the Best Actor accolade.
Unbroken – Dec 26th
Hollywood beauty Angelina Jolie tackles her second directional feature, which depicts the incredible true story of Louis Zamperini, a former Olympic athlete who spent World War II in a Japanese prisoner of war camp.
Rising British actor Jack O’Connell plays the young Zamperini in a film that looks to be ticking the right boxes when it comes to emotionally uplifting tales.
Whiplash – Jan 16th
Having made a big splash at the London Film Festival, this indie-drama stars Miles Teller as an ambitious young drummer who gets embroiled in a head-to-head battle with his overly strict teacher, played by J.K Simmons.
The veteran character actor is the early frontrunner for the Best Supporting Actor award in a dark role that the Oscars usually recognise.