With the Academy’s nominations announcement drawing closer by the day, it’s time to lay it all on the line with my final Oscar nomination predictions. And, with BAFTA nominations coming five days after the Academy’s announcement, we’re flying without that typical precursor stat. At least we have their longlists for some reference.
We’re about to discover the very first nominees for the newly-created category of Best Casting. Naturally, that makes predicting the nominees a little tough. Sinners, Hamnet, and Marty Supreme enter this final phase with nominations at both the Critics Choice Awards and from the Casting Society, plus appearing on the BAFTA longlist. One Battle After Another missed with CSA, purely due to the fact Cassandra Kulukundis is not a member, so consider it locked as well.
That leaves the final spot open for any number of possibilities. Weapons landing on the Academy’s shortlist could prove telling. Voters might want to acknowledge the huge cast of Wicked: For Good. But I think this is coming down to a battle between Sentimental Value and Frankenstein. The latter has a cast of more well-known actors, plus the SAG ensemble nod. I can’t shake the feeling they will want to honour an international casting director, giving the edge to the former. By that logic, a surprise nomination for the late-surging The Secret Agent wouldn’t be a total shock.
BEST CASTING PREDICTIONS:
1. Sinners – Francine Maisler (Warner Bros.) – BAFTA longlist, CCA, CSA
2. One Battle After Another – Cassandra Kulukundis (Warner Bros.) – BAFTA longlist, CCA
3. Hamnet – Nina Gold (Focus Features) – BAFTA longlist, CCA, CSA
4. Marty Supreme – Jennifer Venditti (A24) – BAFTA longlist, CCA, CSA
5. Sentimental Value – Yngvill Kolset Haga and Avy Kaufman – BAFTA longlist, CSA
Alternate: Frankenstein – Robin D. Cook (Netflix) – BAFTA longlist, CSA