Will this upcoming awards season be the year of Tom Hiddleston?  The popular Brit already has Guillermo Del Toro's “Crimson Peak” on tap for October and, now, he's officially in the mix for his performance as the iconic Hank Williams in Marc Abraham's “I Saw The Light.”

“Light” is based on Colin Escott's 1994 novel “Hank Williams: The Biography” and chronicles his rise to superstardom and tragic death at the age of 29.  An autopsy revealed he died of a heart attack, but he was also a known alcoholic who had also developed addictions to morphine and other painkillers.  Williams had 11 no. 1 hits on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart including two posthumously.  

The cast also includes Elizabeth Olsen as William's wife Audrey Mae and Bradley Whitford as Fred Rose (founder of the legendary Acruff-Rose Music which published Williams songs) as well as David Krumholtz, Cherry Jones, Wrenn Schmidt and Josh Pais.  The screenplay is by Abraham (usually a producer best known for directing “Flash of Genius) and is produced by Brett Ratner's RatPac Entertainment.

Sony Classics hasn't revealed when “Light” will hit theaters, but considering production wrapped in December it's almost a foregone conclusion the biopic will be held for the Fall festival circuit.  And anyone who has followed awards season for even a short period of time can tell you this one has Oscar bait written all over it.

Sony Classics had a memorable Oscars taking home a Best Actress win for Julianne Moore (“Still Alice”) and three statues for “Whiplash” including J.K. Simmons for Best Supporting Actor.

Hiddleston also has the thriller “High Rise” looking for distribution in the U.S. and is attached to star in “Kong: Skull Island” for a 2017 release.