Tom Hanks tipped to be top contender for best actor next Oscars

London: After Daniel Day-Lewis won his third Oscar for best actor this year, experts are already speculating next year`s contender for the accolade.

And with the ` Lincoln` star not going for a fourth in 2014, that means Tom Hanks has the chance to match him, the Sun reported. The US actor, who previously picked up the award for `Philadelphia` and `Forrest Gump`, could be in contention for the gong with two roles. Firstly, he is playing the heroic Captain Richard Phillips, who was in charge of a cargo ship hijacked by Somali pirates. The film, called Captain Phillips, opens in October. The following January Hanks will be playing Walt Disney in Saving Mr Banks. Meryl Streep could also win her third Oscar for Best Actress next year. She will appear in August: Osage County. It is an adaptation of a musical which has already picked up a Tony award - theatre`s Oscar equivalent. But it is again the Brits standing in the way of Hanks and Streep. Naomi Watts is Princess Diana in the simply-titled `Diana` while Emma Thompson plays Mary Poppins author PL Travers in `Saving Mr Banks`. Benedict Cumberbatch has also shown commitment to the role of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in `The Fifth Estate` by dying his hair white. He is also in `August: Osage County` and Steve McQueen`s `Twelve Years A Slave`. Other Brits to keep an soothsayer`s eye on are Idris Elba as Nelson Mandela and Naomie Harris as Winnie Mandela in `Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom.` ANI