At this point, it seems almost impossible that A Star Is Born won’t be a leading awards season contender. It’s a crowd-pleaser, has the critical backing to be taken seriously, and Hollywood loves a story about the perils of fame. Still, it’s early days yet. In December 2016, La La Land seemed a shoo-in for the golden statue, and then, well, Moonlight happened . (In an ironic turn of events, Barry Jenkins’ latest film, If Beale Street Could Talk , is almost certainly going to be in the running against A Star Is Born, along with Damien Chazelle’s La La Land follow-up, First Man .) Many films that will very probably be considered haven’t even screened yet, including Vice, On The Basis Of Sex Mary, Queen of Scots , and Bohemian Rhapsody . (And as a result, some of this speculation is just a series wild guesses based on hype and hearsay.)