Why does he have to choose? The minute the shuffled Dev Patel into support, they weren't competing in the same categories. Lion is adapted. The Founder is original. He can't push two movies in the same year? This is Harvey Weinstein. He's the one guy who can!Big Magilla wrote
I don't know. I think Harvey made the right choice between Lion and The Founder.
Best Actor is an increasingly barren wasteland of a category. For the second year in a row, there are almost not enough contenders to fill the lineup. The lower-tiered contenders like Andrew Garfield and Ryan Gosling would not be considered in a normal year. The front-runner is under incredible media scrutiny for sexual assault AND his performance is uncharacteristically subtle of an Oscar winner in this category. Michael Keaton has never won an Oscar, is in the middle of a comeback, and was in two Best Picture winners. He's also in the news because he's just been hired (in an especially meta piece of Birdman-turned-reality) for a superhero movie. Do you know how I know this is a gimme? Because the Captain Fantastic people are doing it very successfully.
Best Original Screenplay could be in tow for them too. With Loving and Moonlight moving to adapted, the field literally cleared for them. Instead, we're looking at The Lobster and Zootopia? Robert D. Siegel wasn't nominated for The Wrestler. You can campaign on that.
Additionally, while I haven't seen The Founder (because nobody has) I'm sure Laura Dern had a shot of getting in too on the basis of she doubtlessly has more screen-time than she did in Wild and Octavia Spencer has no big scenes or moments in Hidden Figures. Maybe they didn't want to compete with Nicole Kidman, but if that's the case then should've reminded her HEY! DON'T SAY WE SHOULD SUPPORT DONALD TRUMP UNTIL MARCH.