11 Oscar-Nominated Actors to Look for in Upcoming Peacock Originals

On Mar 10, after a longer-than-usual Awards Season runway, Annette Bening will finally go toe to toe with Lily Gladstone, Sandra Hüller, Carey Mulligan, and Emma Stone for the Best Actress in a Leading Role Oscar®. Then, just four days later, she’ll star in the Peacock Original series .  

And she won’t be alone. In the upcoming year (and beyond), Peacock plans to showcase nearly a dozen Oscar nominees and winners in its Originals. So, let’s keep the Oscar momentum going by looking at 11 of these decorated actors headed to our screens soon, shall we?  
 
This list will be updated as dates, trailers, and new cast members are made public.

1. Annette Bening (Apples Never Fall)

What is Apples Never Fall about?  

From the author of Big Little Lies and Nine Perfect Strangers, Apples Never Fall centers on the seemingly picture-perfect Delaney family. Former tennis coaches Stan (Sam Neill) and Joy (Oscar winner Annette Bening) have sold their successful tennis academy and are ready to start what should be the golden years of their lives. While they look forward to spending time with their four adult children (Jake Lacy, Alison Brie, Conor Merrigan-Turner, Essie Randles), everything changes when a wounded young woman knocks on Joy and Stan's door, bringing the excitement they've been missing. But when Joy suddenly disappears, her children are forced to reexamine their parents' so-called perfect marriage as their family’s darkest secrets begin to surface. 

Bening will portray Delaney matriarch Joy. 

Nominations: 5; Actress in a Leading Role (Nyad), Actress in a Leading Role (The Kids Are All Right), Actress in a Leading Role (Being Julia), Actress in a Leading Role (American Beauty), Actress in a Supporting Role (The Grifters)  

Stream Apples Never Fall Mar 14.  

2. Anthony Hopkins (Those About to Die) 

What is Those About to Die about? 

Those About to Die is an epic drama set in the complex and corrupt world of ancient Rome’s spectacle-driven gladiatorial competition. The series introduces an ensemble of characters from all corners of the Roman Empire who collide at the explosive intersection of sports, politics, and dynasties. 

Hopkins will portray Vespasian, Roman Emperor and head of the Flavian bloodline. 

Nominations: 6; Actor in a Leading Role (The Father), Actor in a Supporting Role (The Two Popes), Actor in a Supporting Role (Amistad), Actor in a Leading Role (Nixon), Actor in a Leading Role (The Remains of the Day), Actor in a Leading Role (The Silence of the Lambs)  
Wins: 2; Actor in a Leading Role (The Father), Actor in a Leading Role (The Silence of the Lambs) 

Stream Those About to Die in 2024.

3. Harvey Keitel (The Tattooist of Auschwitz) 

What is The Tattooist of Auschwitz about? 

Based on the global bestselling novel of the same name by Heather Morris, The Tattooist of Auschwitz is inspired by the heart-breaking true-life story of Lale and Gita Sokolov. Lale arrived at Auschwitz-Birkenau in 1942, and shortly after arrival, he was made one of the tätowierer (tattooists), charged to ink identification numbers onto fellow prisoners’ arms. One day, he meets Gita when tattooing her prisoner number on her arm. They experience love at first sight, and so begins a courageous, unforgettable, and human story. Under constant guard from a volatile SS officer Baretzki, Lale and Gita became determined to keep each other alive. 

Around 60 years later, Lale meets novice writer Heather Morris. Recently widowed, Lale finds the courage to tell the world his story. In recounting his story to Heather, Lale, in his 80s, faces the traumatic ghosts of his youth and relives his memories of falling in love. 
 
Keitel will portray the modern-day Lale Sokolov. 

Here’s everything to know about the series.  

Nominations: 1; Actor in a Supporting Role (Bugsy)  

Stream The Tattooist of Auschwitz May 2.  

4. Colin Firth (Lockerbie) 

What is Lockerbie about?  

On Dec 21, 1988, 259 passengers and crew were killed when Pan Am Flight 103 exploded over Lockerbie, Scotland 38 minutes after take-off, with a further 11 residents losing their life as the plane came down over the quiet town.   

In the wake of the disaster and his daughter Flora’s death, Dr. Jim Swire, becomes the spokesperson for the UK victims’ families, who have united to demand truth and justice. Traveling across continents and political divides, Jim embarks on a relentless journey that not only jeopardizes his stability, family, and life, but completely overturns his trust in the justice system. As the truth shifts under Jim’s feet, his view of the world is left forever sullied.   

Exploring events from the disaster and its aftermath, Lockerbie provides an intimate account of a man, a husband, and a father who risks everything in memory of his daughter and the unflinching pursuit of truth and justice.    
 
Firth will portray Dr. Jim Swire. 

Nominations: 2; Actor in a Leading Role (The King’s Speech), Actor in a Leading Role (A Single Man) 
Wins: 1; Actor in a Leading Role (The King’s Speech) 

5. Don Cheadle (Fight Night) 

What is Fight Night about?  

Based on the acclaimed true crime podcast, Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist tells the infamous story of how an armed robbery during the night of Muhammad Ali’s historic 1970 comeback fight changed not only one man’s life but an entire city’s destiny. The series follows the heavyweight fight and criminal underground heist that introduced the world to the city dubbed “the Black Mecca,” and the cop and the hustler at the center of it all.  

Cheadle will portray JD Hudson, one of Atlanta’s first Black detectives assigned to Ali's security detail and the robbery. 

Nominations: 1; Actor in a Leading Role (Hotel Rwanda)  

6. Samuel L. Jackson (Fight Night)  

Jackson will portray Frank Moten, an underworld kingpin coined the “Black Godfather” by the New York tabloids.  

Nominations: 1; Actor in a Supporting Role (Pulp Fiction)  

7. Terrence Howard (Fight Night)

Howard will portray Richard "Cadillac" Wheeler, a real-life New Jersey gangster and associate of the Council of 12. 

Howard previously starred in the Peacock Original The Best Man: The Final Chapters.  

Nominations: 1; Actor in a Leading Role (Hustle & Flow)  

8. Taraji P. Henson (Fight Night)

Henson will portray Vivian Thomas, a savvy businesswoman and Chicken Man’s mistress.   

Nominations: 1; Actress in a Supporting Role (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) 

9. Eddie Redmayne (The Day of the Jackal) 

What is The Day of the Jackal about? 
 
So far, we can share that the series is based on the seminal Frederick Forsyth thriller and subsequent award-winning 1973 film adaptation of the same name from Universal Pictures. 

Redmayne will portray the Jackal. 

Nominations: 2; Actor in a Leading Role (The Danish Girl), Actor in a Leading Role (The Theory of Everything)  
Wins: Actor in a Leading Role (The Theory of Everything) 

10. Stephanie Hsu (Laid) 

What is Laid about?  

A woman finds out her former lovers are dying in unusual ways and must go back through her sex timeline to confront her past in order to move forward. Laid is a f**cked up rom-com where the answer to “Why can’t I find love, is there something wrong with me?” is a resounding “Yes. There is. The problem is definitely you.” 

Hsu previously starred in the Peacock Original Poker Face.  

Nominations: 1; Actress in a Supporting Role (Everything Everywhere All at Once)  

11. Amanda Seyfried (Long Bright River) 

What is Long Bright River about?  

Based on Liz Moore’s New York Times bestselling novel of the same name, Long Bright River is a suspense thriller series that tells the story of Mickey, a police officer who patrols a Philadelphia neighborhood hard-hit by the opioid crisis. When a series of murders begins in the neighborhood, Mickey realizes that her personal history might be related to the case.    

“Long Bright River tells a story about the collective power of an underserved community," series creators and executive producers Liz Moore and Nikki Toscano said. "We are thrilled that Amanda Seyfried will lead this series about how those initially perceived as victims can band together to regain their power. Moore's family history and her work with harm-reduction and community-service organizations in Philadelphia informed the series, which aims to portray with compassion the lives of those struggling with addiction and the family members who love them. 

Seyfried will portray Mickey, the police officer.  

Nominations: 1; Actress in a Supporting Role (Mank)