Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg could compete at the Oscars for “Maestro”

Awards Column: Two legendary directors could share Bradley Cooper’s Maestro nomination and compete for only the second time in Oscar history.

Guess how many times movie legends Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg went head-to-head at the Oscars?

With 37 nominations between them and five decades of indelible classics such as the gangster epic Casino (1995) and the shark thriller Jaws (1975), it’s safe to assume that at least a half-dozen ceremonies have seen both auteurs receive widespread acclaim.

Read: Diversity Awards for the latest Oscars predictions in all categories.

Well, guess again. There was only one face-off, and it wasn’t even in the Best Director category. It was in the 2012 Best Picture race between two perhaps less talked about films – Scorsese’s Parisian adventure epic “Hugo” and Spielberg’s World War I drama “War Horse.”

They lost to Michel Hazanavicius’s silent-era drama The Artist (though Hugo was the most nominated and awarded film of the year with 11 and five respectively).

Now, more than ten years later, the master filmmakers can compete against each other for the second time. On top of that, they can compete for victory at the Oscars.

The veterans are producers on Netflix’s Leonard Bernstein biopic Maestro along with writer, director and star Bradley Cooper. If (when?) the drama gets a better picture title, it will be the first time the two names are listed together.

“Maestro” follows the renowned composer-conductor through decades of making music against the backdrop of his marriage to Felicia Montealegre (delicately played by Carey Mulligan). After a special screening at the New York Film Festival, “Maestro” received rave reviews from audiences, bolstering its awards prospects for its performance and technical achievements, as well as supporting the streamer’s bid for the Academy’s top prize. Having names like Spielberg and Scorsese on the credits will only help the film appeal to industry voters and push Cooper into the director’s race.

Both directors have an uncanny ability to capture and even transcend genres, cultures and periods. Scorsese’s gritty portrayal of city life in Taxi Driver (1976) and his exploration of organized crime in Goodfellas (1990) demonstrate his talent for raw, unfiltered storytelling. Spielberg is the king of imagination, weaving stories ranging from the extraterrestrial wonder E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) to the high-flying historical drama Munich (2005). Their versatility knows no bounds and they are masters of storytelling in its purest form.

As for the Oscars, Spielberg received three statuettes: one for 1998’s Saving Private Ryan (Directing) and two for 1993’s Schindler’s List (Directing, Best Picture). Scorsese has one Oscar to his name for directing the 2006 film The Departed. The film also won Best Picture, but he did not produce it. Let’s up the ante: Scorsese and Spielberg are tied for second most best director nominations with nine, behind William Wyler with 12.

While the two are joining forces in “Maestro,” they are also competitors: Each has other projects in the best picture race that could make them double nominees in that category.

Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon, an insightful look at the murders of members of the Osage tribe in the 1920s, is a strong contender for the award. Along with his stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro and Lily Gladstone, Scorsese can expect nominations for best picture, director and adapted screenplay.

After receiving a triple nomination last year for his semi-autobiographical film The Fabelmans, Spielberg is not directing the film. But he is the producer of Blitz Bazawule’s reimagining of his 1985 best picture nominee The Color Purple. Movie Warner Bros. is still waiting in the wings, but early rumors favor his prospects for acting awards (Fantasia Barrino, Danielle Brooks and Taraji P. Henson) and his chances of making it into the top category.

The ceremony, which features big names like Scorsese and Spielberg, will only increase ratings and audience investment in the Oscars. “Maestro” is almost guaranteed to take these two to Dolby. The rest is hard.

Read the latest forecast updates below.

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Best picture
American Fantasy (MGM)
“Barbie” (Warner Bros.)
“Leftovers” (Focus Functions)
“Iron Claw” (A24)
Killers of the Flower Moon (Apple Original Films/Paramount Pictures)
“The Master” (Netflix)
“Oppenheimer” (Universal Pictures)
“Poor Things” (Searchlight Pictures)
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (Sony Pictures)
“Zone of Interest” (A24)

Director
Greta Gerwig, “Barbie”
Jonathan Glaser, “Zone of Interest”
Yorgos Lanthimos, “Poor People”
Christopher Nolan, “Oppenheimer”
Martin Scorsese, Killers of the Flower Moon

Actor
Bradley Cooper, “The Master”
Leonardo DiCaprio, Killers of the Flower Moon
Colman Domingo, “Rustin”
Cillian Murphy, “Oppenheimer”
Jeffrey Wright, American Fantasy

Actress
Lily Gladstone, Killers of the Flower Moon
Sandra Hüller, Anatomy of a Fall
Carey Mulligan, “The Master”
Margot Robbie, “Barbie”
Emma Stone, “Poor Little Things”

Supporting Actor
Willem Dafoe, “Poor Folks”
Robert De Niro, Killers of the Flower Moon
Robert Downey Jr., “Oppenheimer”
Ryan Gosling, “Barbie”
Mark Ruffalo, “Poor Things”

Supporting Actress
Emily Blunt, Oppenheimer
America Ferrera, “Barbie”
Julianne Moore, “May December”
Dear Jade Myers, Killers of the Flower Moon
Da’Vine Joy Randolph, “The Leftovers”

Original script
“Barbie”
“Remains”
“Iron Claw”
“Owner”
“Past Lives”

Adapted Screenplay
“American Fantasy”
“Killers of the Flower Moon”
“Oppenheimer”
“Poor things”
“Zone of Interest”

Animated Features
“The Boy and the Heron”
“Elemental”
“Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse”
“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem”
“Trolls United”

Production Design
“Barbie”
“Killers of the Flower Moon”
“Owner”
“Oppenheimer”
“Poor things”

Cinema
“Killers of the Flower Moon”
“Napoleon”
“Oppenheimer”
“Saltburn”
“Zone of Interest”

Costume design
“Are you there, God? It’s me, Margaret.”
“Barbie”
“Killers of the Flower Moon”
“Owner”
“Poor things”

Film editing
“Barbie”
“Remains”
“Iron Claw”
“Killers of the Flower Moon”
“Oppenheimer”

Makeup and hairstyle
“Ferrari”
“Guardians of the Galaxy, Part 3”
“Iron Claw”
“Owner”
“Poor things”

Sound
“Ferrari”
“Killers of the Flower Moon”
“Owner”
“Oppenheimer”
“Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse”

Visual effects
“Blue Beetle”
“Creator”
“Mermaid”
“Oppenheimer”
“Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse”

Original score
“American Fantasy”
“Killers of the Flower Moon”
“Oppenheimer”
“Source”
“Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse”

Original song
“It Never Left” from American Fiction
“What was I created for?” from “Barbie”
“Road to Freedom” from Rustin
“The Best Place” from “A Bunch of Trolls Together”
“It’s a Desire” from “Desire”

Documentary
“American Symphony”
“Anselm”
“Little Richard: I am everything”
“Pigeon Tunnel”
“They shot the pianist”

International features
“Perfect Days” (Japan)
“The Taste of Things” (France)
“Teacher’s Lounge” (Germany)
“Peasants” (Poland)
“Zone of Interest” (UK)

Tracking the leaders of the top 4 nominations (film)

Tracking the leaders of the top 4 nominations (Studios)

Oscar prediction categories

BEST IMAGE | DIRECTOR | BEST ACTOR | BEST ACTRESS | SUPPORTING ACTOR | SECOND SUPPORTING ACTRESS | ORIGINAL SCRIPT | ADAPTED SCRIPT | CARTOON | PRODUCTION DESIGN | CINEMATOGRAPHY | COSTUME DESIGN | EDITING MOVIES | MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLE | SOUND | VISUALS | ORIGINAL ACCOUNT | ORIGINAL SONG | DOCUMENTARY | INTERNATIONAL INFORMATION | CARTOON | SHORT DOCUMENTARY | BRIEF STRAIGHT ETIQUETTE