Best Production Design Predictions (October)

Each awards season, we expect to see period pieces dominate the production design race, and this year is looking like no exception. While the stunning contemporary design of Parasite was able to break into the race last year, it’s looking highly unlikely we’ll see something similar repeated.

While we’re still yet to see the full film, Paul Greengrass’ sweeping Civil War epic News of the World feels like the likely frontrunner at this point. This may come as a surprise, but a classic western hasn’t won Best Production Design since Cimarron in 1931. That’s a tough statistic for News of the World to overcome.

Perennial David Fincher collaborator Donald Graham Burt seems the likeliest challenger with Mank dripping in gorgeous 1940s Hollywood designs. Burt won this category back in 2009 for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and he could be walking away with his second Oscar this year.

Elsewhere, the lavish late 1920s style of Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom feels reminiscent of 2002 winner Chicago. While critics and audiences were divided on the merits of Mulan, few could deny its production design was impeccable. If Netflix launch an awards season push for Ben Wheatley’s adaptation of Rebecca, don’t be surprised to see it sneak in here.

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN PREDICTIONS:
1. News of the World (Universal Pictures)
David Crank (production designer), Elizabeth Keenan (set decorator)
2. Mank (Netflix)
Donald Graham Burt (production designer), Jan Pascale (set decorator)
3. Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Netflix)
Mark Ricker (production designer), Karen O’Hara and Diana Stoughton (set decorators)
4. Mulan (Disney)
Grant Major (production designer), Anne Kuljian (set decorator)
5. The Personal History of David Copperfield (Searchlight Pictures)
Cristina Casali (production designer), Charlotte Dirickx (set decorator)

MAJOR CONTENDERS:
Ammonite (Neon)
Sarah Finlay (production designer), Sophie Hervieu (set decorator)
Death on the Nile (20th Century Studios)
Jim Clay (production designer), Abi Groves (set designer)
Emma. (Focus Features)
Kave Quinn (production designer), Stella Fox (set decorations)
Jim Clay (production designer), Abi Groves (set designer)
Hillbilly Elegy (Netflix)
Molly Hughes (production designer), Merissa Lombardo (set decorator)
Judas and the Black Messiah (Warner Bros)
Sam Lisenco (production designer), Rebecca Brown (set decorator)
One Night in Miami (Amazon Studios)
Page Buckner (production designer), Janessa Hitsman (set decorator)
Rebecca (Netflix)
Sarah Greenwood (production designer), Katie Spencer (set decorator)
Respect (United Artists Releasing) [Moved to August 2021]
Ina Mayhew (production designer), Sarah Carter (decorator)
The United States vs. Billie Holiday (Paramount Pictures)
Daniel T. Dorrance (production designer), Pascale Deschênes (set decorator)
Wonder Woman 1984 (Warner Bros.)
Aline Bonetto (production designer), Anna Lynch-Robinson (set decorator)