An exciting rematch between two of the greatest living filmmakers, following their incredible clash in 2010, could dominate awards season as the 2026 Oscars race finally begins. The Academy Awards are an exciting event in film, and have helped to elevate some of the best Oscar-winning movies into essential cultural touchstones.

The 2026 Oscars already have several contenders, especially from the surprising genre of horror. Movies like Sinners have been critically acclaimed and culturally significant, and could be recognized when the awards are held early next year. However, most of the expected Oscar movies are still to come in the last few months of 2025.

The way-too-early picks for the 2026 Oscars represent an important swath of films, many of which are likely to be included in the conversation by the time the event airs. However, a new trailer has shown off an incredible new project from an acclaimed filmmaker, which could result in an exciting rematch when the Academy Awards finally air.

James Cameron & Kathryn Bigelow Could Face-Off Again At The Oscars In 2026

Kathryn Bigelow’s A House of Dynamite just released its excellent first trailer after premiering at the Venice International Film Festival, and it could be a major player in the Academy Awards race in 2026. Considering James Cameron’s Avatar: Fire and Ash has a strong chance of being nominated for Best Picture, this could result in a compeтιтion similar to 2010.

Much of the discussion around the 2010 Oscars centered around these same two filmmakers. Bigelow’s The Hurt Locker and Cameron’s Avatar each received nine nominations that year for several of the bigger awards, including Best Picture and Best Director. The Hurt Locker went on to win these two categories, as well as several others.

Why this was significant was that Cameron and Bigelow have had a long and complex relationship. From 1989 to 1991, the two were married, and even after their divorce, they continued collaborating on several projects. Some of these did not come to fruition, like Cameron’s planned X-Men movie, which Bigelow would have directed, but others did.

Cameron reportedly helped with the screenplay for Bigelow’s Point Break, but was not credited. Then, the two teamed up on Strange Days, an ahead-of-its-time science fiction movie co-written by Cameron and directed by Bigelow. Following the film’s box office failure, each went on to work on their own disparate projects.

2010 was the first time that ex-spouses were ever in compeтιтion for the Best Director Oscar, and Bigelow’s win made her the first woman to receive the award. This was a historical moment for the Academy Awards, and has been followed twice, with Chloé Zhao winning for her work on Nomadland, and Jane Campion for The Power of the Dog.

With this history behind Cameron and Bigelow, there is great precedent for each of their films to be nominated next year. Bigelow’s follow-up in 2013, Zero Dark Thirty, was nominated for Best Picture, as was Cameron’s Avatar sequel in 2023. It now looks as if a curious and compelling repeat is set to happen, potentially with a very different result.

Avatar 3 vs. House Of Dynamite: Which Movie Will Do Better At The Oscars?

How the Academy Awards play out is going to depend on the quality of each of these movies, but there are several details that can be used to help predict this compeтιтion.

James Cameron’s films have been nominated for Best Picture three times, winning in 1998 for тιтanic before losing with each of his Avatar films. He has been nominated twice for Best Director, winning once.

Bigelow has fewer nominations, though she has just as many wins in these major categories. Despite being nominated for Best Picture, Zero Dark Thirty did not garner her an additional Best Director nomination. In addition, Bigelow has since made another film, Detroit, which did not receive any nominations in 2017.

Importantly, A House of Dynamite is a Netflix movie. While works are supposed to be ᴀssessed on their own merits, Netflix’s theatrical philosophies for movies have affected how those in the industry view the streamer. Some have argued that Netflix’s movies should not qualify for Academy Awards, as they are primarily TV movies, and should compete at the Emmys instead.

This baggage will not disqualify A House of Dynamite from contention, but will likely have some impact on how certain Academy voters see the film. Unfair as it might be, the ballots of some voters will certainly be influenced by these details to at least a small extent.

On the other hand, A House of Dynamite has already premiered. Because of this, a strong Rotten Tomatoes score of 86% has already been generated, which attests to a high-quality film. The film has the potential for more acting awards than Avatar, too, with strong performances being praised from Rebecca Ferguson and Idris Elba.

Despite not having yet been screened, Avatar: Fire and Ash seems to have a better chance in the big categories. Cameron has not been absent from these compeтιтions with any of his recent films. In addition, the technological innovations of the new film make it certain to compete strongly in the below-the-line categories.

If Fire and Ash is as good as Avatar: The Way of Water, and provides a powerful story, it is possible that awards voters could swing in Cameron’s favor. A Best Picture nomination seems ᴀssured, and votes that consider the entire trilogy could help Fire and Ash win, similarly to The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.

There is no guarantee that either of these movies will be involved in the Academy Awards next year, but each seems to have a likely sH๏τ. A similar performance across the board to 2009 seems like a distinct possibility, and Bigelow even sweeping the board in a surprising move, this time with A House of Dynamite, could happen once again.