Could Chadwick Boseman Win Oscar Posthumously? His Final Films Aim For Awards Season

Chadwick Boseman died last week, but he still has one film appearance left. Netflix’s “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” will release later this year, and it might just nab the late actor an Oscar. He could also enter the awards season race with Spike Lee’s “Da 5 Bloods,” another Netflix movie.

While a press event for the adaptation of August Wilson’s 1920s-set play was set for Monday, it was delayed after Boseman’s death. The actor died at age 43 after battling colon cancer privately for several years.

It has been confirmed that Boseman’s final film will be “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” which Boseman finished filming before his passing. He plays Levee, an ambitious trumpet player. Over the course of an afternoon in a recording studio, Ma (Viola Davis) has to fight her white manager and producer for creative control. Meanwhile, the band waits in the rehearsal room where Levee pokes and prods the other musicians until they spill truths that can’t be untold.

The movie was already building Oscar buzz. August Wilson’s play was nominated for a Tony when it was on Broadway in 1985, and the 2016 West End revival won an Olivier. With Davis, who is a Grammy away from the coveted EGOT, as the titular character and a press tour that was set to start this fall, it’s safe to assume that Netflix considers it an awards contender.

Boseman will be eligible for an Oscar, likely in the best lead actor category, as long as the film releases before March. Amidst the global health crisis, the Academy has extended the eligibility period to include films released from Jan. 1, 2020, through midnight on Feb. 28, 2021.

The 43-year-old is also eligible for an Oscar for Vietnam drama “Da 5 Bloods,” directed by Spike Lee. With a premiere previously intended for Cannes (before the event was canceled), “Da 5 Bloods” is another film Netflix is clearly hoping to get some awards-season love. Boseman plays a fallen infantryman whose fellow soldiers return to Saigon for his remains and some buried treasure. The role is important but would likely put him in the Best Supporting Actor category if nominated.

“Chadwick, a trooper, never complained,” Lee said, per Entertainment Weekly. “He was there every single minute in the moment. And his performance is a testament to what he put into that role and all his roles.”

Though Boseman never won an Oscar while he was living, he was in multiple nominated films. “Marshall” had a nod in the Best Original Song category, and “Black Panther” won Academy Awards for Best Original Score, Costume Design and Production Design.

Fans will have to wait until Oscar nominations are announced on March 15, 2021, to find out if Boseman will get a posthumous nom.