Zendaya is one of the few “movie stars” of her generation in the sense that her name alone can get a movie financed and greenlit, and she has a proven box office track record. That being said, her most acclaimed and awarded work has been in television. She has never gotten much awards-season attention for her film work. Will that change in the next five months? I doubt she’ll have an awards campaign around The Odyssey, but what about The Drama? And she’s got another big movie coming out at the end of the year: Dune Part 3. Well, Variety had an interesting piece about Zendaya’s potential awards-season blitz.

Zendaya is “Dune’s” leading lady. Multiple sources tell Variety that Zendaya will campaign for Oscar consideration in the lead actress category for her role as Chani in “Dune: Part Three,” the final chapter of Denis Villeneuve’s sci-fi epic. The move marks a shift from the first two films, where she was positioned in supporting actress.

Warner Bros. and representatives for Zendaya declined to comment.

The decision reflects Chani’s expanded role in the story. “Dune: Part Three” is set nearly two decades after Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) seized control of the Imperium. Now a ruthless emperor, Paul must face the consequences of his reign as old allies return, terrifying new threats emerge and betrayal lurks in every shadow. Haunted by visions of imperial collapse and the reappearance of his long-lost love, Paul is drawn into a sweeping conspiracy, with Chani at the heart of its unfolding mystery. As rebellion brews and enemies close in, Paul must confront the true cost of power and the fate of those he loves most. The film also stars Jason Momoa, Florence Pugh, Rebecca Ferguson, Anya Taylor-Joy, Robert Pattinson, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, Charlotte Rampling and Isaach de Bankolé.

The film caps a stellar year for the 30-year-old multi-hyphenate, who could find herself in contention across multiple categories and films this season.

She kicked off 2026 starring as Emma Harwood, a literary editor who reveals shocking secrets, in the romantic dark comedy “The Drama” from writer-director Kristoffer Borgli. That performance, opposite Robert Pattinson, will also be submitted in lead.

She followed it with her turn as Athena in Christopher Nolan’s billion-dollar mythological adaptation “The Odyssey,” where she will vie for supporting actress recognition alongside co-stars Anne Hathaway, Samantha Morton and Charlize Theron.

She also reprised her role as MJ in Destin Daniel Cretton’s “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” another billion-dollar hit that now ranks among the highest-grossing films of all time.

[From Variety]

Having seen The Drama, it was fine and she was fine in it, but I don’t think it will get much awards-season attention. Like… maybe some Golden Globe nominations, if they put it in the Comedy/Musical category. That’s about it for The Drama. I also think The Odyssey’s Oscar team will probably center a lot of time and money on Anne Hathaway, Matt Damon and Christopher Nolan. It will definitely be interesting to see the reaction to Dune 3 though. I loved the first two Dune movies and Zendaya is great in them, but we’ll see. I have a feeling that Timothee Chalamet will get some big nominations though.

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