Could this film win Leonardo DiCaprio an Oscar?

Leonardo DiCaprio may finally land that coveted Academy Award, if the buzz surrounding his upcoming film is anything to go by.

The actor has lost out on the best actor award three times, and best supporting actor once, but it seems 2016 could be his year, according to the latest speculation on the back of his first trailer for The Revenant.

Entertainment and media sites including Vanity Fair, The Guardian, GQ, People, Vulture and E!Online have all asked whether this role could bag DiCaprio the prestigious gong.

In the Alejandro Gonzalez Iarritu directed film, the actor ticks all of the boxes for a potential Oscar win.

Leonardo DiCaprio is seen fighting for his survival in a bloody battle in the movie The Revenant.

He has changed his image drastically, sporting a large, bushy beard and long hair and spends most of his time battling foes in a large, fur coat as a horse-riding warrior.

Previous winners such as Charlize Theron, Matthew McConaughey and Nicole Kidman all landed Oscars after they altered their appearances.

The movie is also inspired by true events - The Revenant is based on the life of frontiersman Hugh Glass.

DiCaprio also has the added kudos of pairing up with Iarritu who won the best director award at last year's Oscars for Birdman, which also landed three other Academy Awards including best film.

In the trailer for The Revenant, DiCaprio is seen fighting for his survival in a bloody battle.

"I ain't afraid to die any more, I've done it already," he says in the clip.

Leonardo DiCaprio stars in the upcoming film The Revenant.

A lone DiCaprio is then seen trekking the icy landscape before battling a grizzly bear in this epic adventure.

But the film is essentially a story of survival and revenge: if DiCaprio's injured trapper can make it through a brutal winter, and warring Native Americans, he finally has the chance to exact revenge on his traitorous partner, played by Tom Hardy.

The Revenant is due to be released on Christmas Day.

- AAP