Which 9 superstars could be nominated at the 2024 Oscars for Best Picture?

It has been an ascending trend at the Oscars in recent years for actors getting noticed in the Best Picture category as producers. Since 2011, 17 actors have been welcomed as a producer nominee for the first time at the Oscars for their respective films. They are in chronological order Mark Wahlberg (2011), Brad Pitt (2012), George Clooney and Ben Affleck (2013), Steve Coogan and Leonardo DiCaprio (2014), Clint Eastwood, Bradley Cooper and Oprah Winfrey (2015), Matt Damon and Denzel Washington (2017), Jordan Peele (2018), Robert De Niro (2020), Frances McDormand (2021), Kenneth Branagh and Will Smith (2022) and Tom Cruise (2023).

For the 2024 races, many superstar actors are vying for their shot in the top category as a producer for their upcoming movies. Some are looking to get repeat nominations and others are hoping to make it in for the first time, should they clear approval from the Producers Guild of America.

Here is a list of nine actors and actresses that could potentially receive a nomination for Best Picture at the upcoming 2024 Oscars:

Ben Affleck and Matt Damon (“Air”)

Affleck and Damon got their start together when they made “Good Will Hunting” in 1997, garnering them their first Oscar wins in Best Original Screenplay. They have both reunited again this year for the biographical sports drama “Air” about the making of the famous Michael Jordan shoeline, where they both star in and Affleck directs. Both have separately been mentioned in Best Picture previously, with Affleck winning for “Argo” in 2013 and Damon being nominated in 2017 for “Manchester by the Sea.” The latter also has three acting bids for “Good Will Hunting,” “Invictus,” and “The Martian.” “Air” released April 5.

Natalie Portman and Will Ferrell (“May December”)

Ferrell and Portman are an interesting producing actor pair for this Todd Haynes movie starring the latter who portrays an actress researching a couple with a vast age difference for a role. Portman has an Oscar win for Best Actress for “Black Swan” in 2011, and two additional nods under her belt for her performances in “Closer” and “Jackie,” while Ferrell has 16 Emmy nominations for producing a variation of comedy, drama, and variety series and specials, and won two each for “Succession” and “Live in Front of a Studio Audience.” “May December” premiered in Cannes earlier in May and will release in theaters November 17, before streaming to Netflix December 1.

Bradley Cooper (“Maestro”)

Cooper has probably had the most success in the Best Picture category as a producer, with four citations for “American Sniper,” “A Star Is Born,” “Joker,” and “Nightmare Alley.” In his follow-up to his directing debut, “A Star Is Born,” he returns with the biopic “Maestro” about the life of legendary conductor Leonard Bernstein and his marriage to Felicia Montealegre, while also writing and starring as the famed composer. Cooper has nine prior Oscar nominations for producing, acting, and writing, and “Maestro” will release limited in theaters November 22, before debuting on Netflix December 20.

Oprah Winfrey (“The Color Purple”) 

After her Oscar-nominated turn as Sofia in the original 1985 film version of “The Color Purple,” Winfrey returns as a producer for the upcoming film musical adaptation of 2005 Broadway musical production, and the second film adaptation of the 1982 novel of the same name by Alice Walker about Celie Harris and her struggles in the south during the early 1900s as a Black woman. She joins the initial 1985 producing team of Quincy Jones and Steven Spielberg, the latter of whom directed the original. Winfrey was previously recognized as a producer for “Selma,” and is a recipient of the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award in 2011. “The Color Purple” is planning to be released on Christmas.

Emma Stone (“Poor Things”)

Stone has recently stepped into the producer’s chair and this is her third collaboration with Yorgos Lanthimos, having worked with him on the short film “Bleat” and “The Favourite,” which gave her her third Oscar bid, after winning for “La La Land” and being nominated for “Birdman.” She stars in “Poor Things” as a Victorian woman Bella Baxter, who is resurrected and rediscovers her identity and sexual liberation. The steampunk, surrealist comedy film has already had a successful festival run, winning the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival, and will release in theaters December 8.  

Margot Robbie (“Barbie” and “Saltburn”)

Robbie contends for two movies this year as a producer, both female-directed in “Barbie” and “Saltburn” through her production company LuckyChap Entertainment. Starring in the former with Greta Gerwig behind the camera, Robbie portrays the title character and fashion doll going through an existential crisis when she discovers the real world. In addition, Robbie previously produced the first Oscar-winning feature for “Saltburn” director Emerald Fennell, “Promising Young Woman.” Robbie is still seeking her first Oscar nom as a producer, but has been cited for her performances in “I, Tonya” and “Bombshell.” “Barbie” released in theaters July 21, becoming the highest-grossing movie directed by a woman, while “Saltburn” will debut November 24.

Jamie Foxx (“The Burial”)

Foxx serves as a producer and star for “The Burial” as personal injury lawyer Willie E. Gary, who represents a funeral homeowner in a contract dispute with a funeral corporation. The movie directed and co-written by Maggie Betts, also stars Tommy Lee Jones and Bill Camp and will release on Amazon Prime Video on October 6. Foxx was double-nominated for “Collateral” and “Ray,” winning for the latter.