The 98th Oscars could finally be the night for Paul Thomas Anderson. The filmmaker from Los Angeles, one of the most brilliant minds of his generation, leads all pools to win the award for Best Director for his acclaimed black comedy ‘One Battle After Another’.
After dominating the Golden Globes and the prestigious Directors Guild (DGA), Anderson seems to have a clear path to break his “curse” with the Academy.
Who will win the Oscar for Best Director in 2026?
Ryan Coogler after winning outstanding motion picture at the 2026 NAACP Image Awards for Sinners:
“Our people have been here over four centuries, there’s always been a lot of lies told about us. And a lie, no matter how powerful the person saying it is, it’s still a lie. And… pic.twitter.com/6FGZw4RcyK
– Ahmed/The Ears/IG: BigBizTheGod 🇸🇴 (@big_business_) March 1, 2026
Despite Paul Thomas Anderson’s favoritism, Ryan Coogler’s shadow is long.
The director of ‘Sinners’ has the highest number of nominations of the night (16) and, if he wins, he would become the first African-American filmmaker to win this award in almost a century of history.
While Anderson is betting on an adapted narrative about social conflict, Coogler has revolutionized the season with a visually groundbreaking approach to supernatural suspense.
The faces of resistance
“The tenderness was the thing that hit me like a tsunami the most and changed me forever.”
Jessie Buckley discussed taking on the character of Agnes in Chloé Zhao’s eight-time Oscar-nominated film HAMNET, the #TIFF50 People’s Choice Award winner. pic.twitter.com/lkDx1qmcoQ
– TIFF (@TIFF_NET) March 5, 2026
This year’s management category is a real “group of death” where any surprise is possible:
Chloé Zhao (‘Hamnet’): The Oscar winner for Nomadland seeks her second trophy with an intimate and painful look at Shakespeare’s family. She already snatched the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture Drama from the favorites.
Josh Safdie (‘Marty Supreme’): In his solo debut after separating from his brother Benny, Safdie has achieved one of the freshest and most original films of the year, garnering 9 nominations.
Joachim Trier (‘Sentimental Value’): The Norwegian arrives with the backing of European cinema and a family story that has touched the heartstrings of international critics.
The stories
Leonardo DiCaprio delivers a performance of remarkable depth as “Bob Ferguson” in ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER fully inhabiting the rich layers of Paul Thomas Anderson’s script. In moments such as the tense phone call about a rendezvous point, DiCaprio he balances urgency, humor, and… pic.twitter.com/k23sSc8Oma
– One Battle After Another (@onebattlemovie) March 5, 2026
With Anderson also nominated in adapted screenplay and Coogler in original screenplay, the battle for creative control of Hollywood will be defined this Sunday, March 15 at the Dolby Theatre.
‘One Battle After Another,’ which follows the story of Bob Ferguson (Leonardo DiCaprio), a troubled left-wing revolutionary who will have to save his daughter from the clutches of a white supremacist (Sean Penn), is the second most nominated film (13) at the 2026 Oscars, behind only ‘Sinners,’ which garnered the most with 16.
Precisely, it is Coogler (Oakland, 1986) who presents himself as Anderson’s most real competition, with the story of two twins who set out to open an exclusive nightclub for black people, plans interrupted by a group of vampires.
If Coogler wins the statuette he would make history by becoming the first black director to win this Oscar in the Academy’s 97-year history.
Anderson and Coogler are also nominated as best screenwriters, but in different categories, the former for best adapted screenplay and the latter for best original screenplay.
Filed under: Oscar Best Director 2026
