Oscars 2026: Nearly 30 Years On, Spielberg May Get His Shakespearean Revenge
Of all the directors still working today, few can match the awards record of Steven Spielberg. Over the course of his career, the esteemed filmmaker has three Oscars and a whopping 22 nominations to his name.
However, you could argue that Spielberg is deserving of more little gold statues on his mantle. Indeed, he hasn’t won a major one since he claimed the Best Director prize for Saving Private Ryan in 1999. He also won that award, plus Best Picture, in 1994 for Schindler’s List.
While many of his films have earned critical acclaim and he remains highly popular with regular cinemagoers, Spielberg has not managed to stand up on that stage and take home an award for a very long time, but that could change this year – and it’s both despite, and because of, Shakespeare.
Steven Spielberg Was Robbed By Shakespeare In Love in 1999
If Spielberg wins an Oscar in 2026, it may make him feel a little better about one of the most shocking decisions made by the Academy back in 1999.
Despite Spielberg being hailed for his directorial work on Saving Private Ryan, and the war movie bagging five awards on the night, including Best Director, it somehow didn’t take home the Best Picture prize. Instead, that accolade went to Shakespeare in Love, much to everyone’s surprise.
While the John Madden film won seven awards that year, no one expected it to win the big one. Shakespeare In Love is by no means a bad film – it’s actually quite an interesting twist on the history of one of the most famous storytellers of all time – but most would agree it’s not Best Picture quality. The upset is similar to the iconic La La Land and Moonlight mix-up, only in 1999, no one corrected what was seemingly a huge mistake.
It wasn’t to be for Spielberg that year, and unfortunately, that was the last time we saw the revered director get his flowers from the Academy.
The Oscar-Nominated Hamnet Had a Helping Hand From Spielberg
In 2026, though, Spielberg could get his revenge and win big again – and ironically, it’s a Shakespeare story that will help rather than hinder him.
It’s gone a little bit unnoticed, but Spielberg was a producer on the brilliant Hamnet. I didn’t know that until I saw the credits for the film, but if the Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal masterpiece can win Best Picture at this year’s ceremony, we should see Spielberg up on stage with the rest of the cast and crew.
Obviously, Hamnet faces stern competition from the record-breaking Sinners, and highly popular films like Marty Supreme, One Battle After Another, and Yorgos Lanthimos’ bizarre and brilliant Bugonia. On the plus side, the Academy certainly has form for bestowing its highest honour on Shakespearean stories. An adaptation of Hamlet won Best Picture back in 1949, while West Side Story, a modern retelling of Romeo and Juliet, did the same in 1962.
Can Hamnet make it four? Given how devastatingly profound the Chloe Zhao film is, I would not be surprised or disappointed at all if Hamnet, and by association, Spielberg, is the big winner this year.
