Pro: An auteur in the original sense of the term, Tarantino's writerly voice is both unmistakeable and vastly influential, having previously earned him a win and a nomination in this category for “Pulp Fiction” and “Inglourious Basterds” respectively. We already know that his wild, woolly, thematically ambitious screenplay for “Django” has his stamp all over it.

Con: So much is dependent on execution, and with the film still racing toward completion, we won't know if Tarantino's pulled it off until December – which doesn't give the film much time to impress Academy voters. There's also no guaranteeing the film will be to their liking: only two of his works have earned general Oscar approval, and the writers have never stumped for him without a Best Picture nod.

- Guy Lodge