* Academy Awards ceremony set for Sunday

* Many top categories hard to predict

* Conan O'Brien returns as host

By Lisa Richwine

LOS ANGELES, March 12 (Reuters) - Top names in Hollywood

will gather on Sunday to hand out the annual Academy Awards at a

red-carpet ceremony brimming with an unusual amount of drama in

the major races.

"One Battle After Another," starring Leonardo DiCaprio as a

one-time political radical now parenting a teenager, was seen as

the frontrunner for the coveted best picture prize after

stacking up trophy after trophy at recent ceremonies.

The vampire story "Sinners," a celebration of blues music and

Black culture in the Segregation-era U.S. South, made a late

surge with a win this month at the Actor Awards. The movie leads

all films with 16 nominations, a record number in the nearly

100-year history of the Oscars.

Jessie Buckley is seen as a sure thing for best actress. She is

nominated for playing Agnes Hathaway, the wife of William

Shakespeare, as the couple navigate the death of their

11-year-old son in "Hamnet." The remainder of the top categories

have no clear frontrunner, according to Hollywood awards

watchers.

Among the top awards, "five of the six seem to be up in the

air which is extremely rare," said Scott Feinberg, executive

editor of awards at The Hollywood Reporter.

Michael B. Jordan could take home best actor for his dual

role as twin brothers in "Sinners," Feinberg said. His

competition, however, includes previous winner DiCaprio, "Marty

Supreme" star Timothee Chalamet and Brazilian actor Wagner Moura

of "The Secret Agent."

Supporting actor is also a toss-up. Contenders include two

of DiCaprio's "One Battle" costars -- Sean Penn and Benicio del

Toro -- and Stellan Skarsgard for "Sentimental Value."

Teyana Taylor, also from "One Battle After Another," is

competing with Amy Madigan of "Weapons" for supporting actress,

among others.

Winners of the gold Oscar statuettes will be chosen by the

roughly 10,000 actors, producers, directors and ‍film

craftspeople who make up the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and

Sciences.

The ceremony gives Hollywood a night to celebrate at a time

of unease throughout the film business. Warner Bros.,

the studio behind "One Battle" and "Sinners," is in the process

of being sold to Paramount Skydance ( PSKY ) in a deal that will

narrow the ranks of major film distributors. Workers in front of

and behind the camera also are worried that artificial

intelligence will limit job opportunities and stifle creativity

and risk-taking.

Comedian Conan O'Brien will host the Oscars for a second

time after his well-received performance a year ago. The show

will be broadcast live on Walt Disney's ( DIS ) ABC and streamed

on Hulu.

"We have a lot of fun things planned, and we're getting them

up on their feet and seeing how they play at rehearsal. And then

I'm hoping that we have some great choices for Sunday night,"

O'Brien said as he helped roll out the Oscars red carpet on

Hollywood Boulevard on Wednesday.

Performers during the telecast will include the voices of

HUNTR/X, the fictional band in animated film nominee "K-Pop

Demon Hunters."

Producers said the show would reflect the growing presence

of international films at the Oscars. This year, each category

has at least one non-English-language film among the nominees.

Norwegian drama "Sentimental Value" and Brazil's "The Secret

Agent" are in the running for best picture.

"We are celebrating global cinema," executive producer Raj

Kapoor said.

(Reporting by Lisa Richwine; Additional reporting by Hanna

Rantala; Editing by Lincoln Feast.)