What's Next for Oscar A-Listers?
- 1/10
Brad Pitt King of the casual-reaction shot and best-actor nominee Brad Pitt will continue producing and starring in -- but not directing -- a series of action roles as he cozies up to turning the big 5-0 at the end of 2013. Up next: starring turns in the zombie apocalypse movie "World War Z" and the crime thriller "Cogan's Trade." And maybe a trip to Legoland with Angelina and the brood. Photo By Jeffrey Mayer/WireImage
- 2/10
Michelle Williams Best-actress nominee -- and Independent Spirit Award winner -- Michelle Williams will continue making great movies big and small. She's in the sweet zone. Up next she plays an unhappily married woman opposite cuddly Seth Rogen in the terrific marital dramedy "Take This Waltz," followed by Glinda (the good witch!) in Sam Raimi's big-budget fantasy "Oz: The Great and Powerful." Photo By Jeff Vespa/WireImage
- 3/10
George Clooney Best-actor nominee George Clooney will try, try again to nail that best-actor win. He'll be leaping to big-budget sci-fi action in Alfonso Cuaron's "Gravity" opposite Sandra Bullock. It's about an astronaut set adrift while repairing the Hubble Space Telescope. Since it's scheduled for next Thanksgiving season, can this be the basis for his next best-actor nomination? The release date says "no doubt." Photo By Jeffrey Mayer/WireImage
- 4/10
Rooney Mara Best-actress nominee Rooney Mara went from "Who's that girl?" to red carpet regular with back-to-back David Fincher movies. Response has been mixed: Some great fashion moments mixed with a chilly personality haven't turned her into America's sweetheart. Let's see how she fares if the next "Dragon Tattoo" movie gets green-lit and she grows into her new stature. Meanwhile, she's definitely living life on the A-list with two upcoming high-profile projects: a Steven Soderbergh thriller opposite Channing Tatum called "The Bitter Pill," and the Terrence Malick love triangle drama "Lawless" with Ryan Gosling and Natalie Portman. Photo By Jeffrey Mayer/WireImage
- 5/10
Octavia Spencer Best-supporting actress -- and audience favorite -- Octavia Spencer already has the Sundance hit "Smashed" in the can. She plays a sympathetic AA member who sponsors newbie Mary Elizabeth Winstead. Spencer also has a string of other supporting roles on tap, including "Lost on Purpose" with Jane Kaczmarek, "The Trials and Tribulations of a Trailer Trash Housewife," and an untitled Diablo Cody project. The big challenge here will be for her to either nail a big leading-lady role (hint, hint, BFF writer-director Tate Taylor) or get her own smart, sassy cable TV series like "The Big C." Photo By Jason Merritt/Getty Images
- 6/10
Meryl Streep Best actress Meryl Streep can now truly rest on her laurels with three Oscars on her shelf. She'll continue to play leading ladies, expanding the range of images of the 60-plus set onscreen, mixing comedies and dramas. First she, Tommy Lee Jones, and Steve Carell unite in "Great Hope Springs," a dramedy due out next summer about a middle-aged husband and wife who attend couples counseling camp. And then Streep is set to bring Tracy Letts's award-winning play "August: Osage County" to the big screen opposite Julia Roberts. Photo By Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic
- 7/10
Jean Dujardin After breaking into the American market in a big way, best actor Jean Dujardin returns to safe ground and a French-language sex comedy, "The Players," that combines a series of short films about infidelity. He even wrote one of the segments. The movie's racy poster features a bemused and fully dressed Dujardin posed between a pair of upside-down naked female legs. What about an Inspector Clouseau reboot? Open question: How will Dujardin master an English-speaking role? Photo By Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic
- 8/10
Viola Davis Now that best-actress nominee Viola Davis has made the leap from supporting actress to leading lady, there's no going back. With her buff build, I predict she'll be booking some action movies. She's also top-billed in the drama "Won't Back Down" with Maggie Gyllenhaal and Holly Hunter, and is currently filming the futuristic sci-fi adventure "Ender's Game" with "Hugo" stars Asa Butterfield and Ben Kingsley. Photo By Lester Cohen/WireImage
- 9/10
Christopher Plummer Cruise control is the name of the game for octogenarian best-supporting actor Christopher Plummer, who finally got his golden statuette amid a wave of applause and standing ovations. He should be feeling good. Next up is a featured role in Stephen Frears's "Muhammad Ali's Greatest Fight," about the boxer's refusal to fight in Vietnam, as well as performing live in the title role of "Barrymore: A Play" at Toronto's Elgin Theater. Photo By Steve Granitz/WireImage
- 10/10
Melissa McCarthy It was truly a win for Melissa McCarthy to be nominated for best-supporting actress for the comedy "Bridesmaids" -- and she already has her own TV show, "Mike & Molly." On the feature front, she has two movies in the pipeline: a supporting role in the Judd Apatow "Knocked Up" sequel "This Is 40," and a lead in the Seth Gordon comedy "Identity Theft" opposite Jason Bateman. Photo By Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic