"Oppenheimer", Cillian Murphy in the title role as J. Robert Oppenheimer.Universal
Irish actor Cillian Murphy has been tipped by a leading Oscars prediction site to scoop the 2024 Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in Christopher Nolan's "Oppenheimer."
US prediction site GoldDerby has tipped Cillian Murphy to beat off the likes of Bradley Cooper ("Maestro") and Leonardo DiCaprio ("Killers of the Flower Moon") at the Oscars next March.
The site praised Murphy's performance as American physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer during his efforts to develop the atomic bomb during the Second World War.
"It's a complex role and Murphy soars in it. As such, Murphy finds himself at the top of our list of predicted best actor Oscar nominees for next year's Academy Awards," GoldDerby said in a recent post.
"We think that he will be nominated alongside Leonardo DiCaprio, Bradley Cooper, Colman Domingo ("Rustin"), and Paul Giamatti ("The Holdovers")."
47-year-old Cork Murphy has never been nominated for an Oscar before and GoldDerby is tipping him to receive his first nomination and to be successful on his first attempt.
"This would be Murphy's first-ever Oscar bid but we think he will go one better than a simple nomination. We think he'll win on his first try."
The site states that the critical acclaim for Nolan's summer blockbuster should tip the balance in Murphy's favor, adding that the fact that "Oppenheimer" is a biopic should boost the Irish actor's chances.
The site additionally noted that six of the last ten actors who have scooped the Best Actor award have played real-life characters.
"Murphy as Oppenheimer would fit in right alongside that crowd," GoldDerby said.
"Voters will want to reward 'Oppenheimer' in some capacity and the obvious way to do that looks like Best Actor. It's a powerful performance from a beloved actor breaking out in his first major leading role.
"It's a film that's built entirely around Murphy's central performance, and Murphy is the biggest takeaway from the film."
Check out the trailer for "Oppenheimer" here: