Netflix, Amazon set Chicago 7, One Night in Miami for prime awards placement

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

We might be in the middle of a global pandemic but the awards season still carries on! Netflix and Amazon have two big players — THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7 and ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI — that we'll likely be seeing much of this season and now the streamers are setting up which categories their films will be going for in regards to their ensemble casts during what they hope will be a very successful run on the way to the Oscars.

The Aaron Sorkin courtroom drama, THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7 features a pretty sizable ensemble cast that includes Sacha Baron Cohen, Eddie Redmayne, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Jeremy Strong, Mark Rylance, Michael Keaton, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, John Carroll Lynch, and Frank Langella. Critics have said there are some standouts in the cast, particularly Cohen and Redmayne which many thought would be headed for the Lead Actor category but "The Hollywood Reporter" has revealed that Netflix plans to push the entire cast in the Supporting Actor category. This is a similar move made by 2015's SPOTLIGHT which pushed its entire cast in the Supporting categories and led to nominations for Mark Ruffalo and Rachel McAdams.The move canceled out Michael Keaton, Liev Schreiber, and John Slattery but the film ultimately took home the big award at the end of the night for Best Picture. Other films that pushed their big ensemble casts for supporting include CRASH, BABEL, and LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE.

THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7 tells the story of seven people on trial stemming from various charges surrounding the uprising at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Illinois. The film is poised for a lot of awards attention with Sorkin likely being a lock for a Best Director or Best Screenplay nomination (perhaps both) and the movie itself could land a Best Picture nomination as well. 

Amazon has its own ensemble period piece that will also be competing in the acting categories. ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI, helmed by first-time director Regina King, has been getting a lot of buzz since debuting during this year's virtual festival circuit and Amazon is taking on a different approach in comparison to Netflix in regards to which acting categories to push for. Amazon will campaign Kingsley Ben-Adir and Eli Goree as lead actors for their respective turns as Malcolm X and the boxer who would soon call himself Muhammad Ali, Cassius Clay, while Aldis Hodge and Leslie Odom Jr. will compete in the supporting category after playing football star Jim Brown and soul singer Sam Cooke.

ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI is a fictional account of one incredible night where icons Muhammad Ali, Malcolm X, Sam Cooke, and Jim Brown gathered discussing their roles in the civil rights movement and cultural upheaval of the 60s. Much like THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7, ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI could be a player in other categories including Best Director for Regina King, Best Orignal Screenplay for Kemp Powers, and a Best Picture nomination is also in the cards.

How do YOU feel about the Oscar chances for both films?