From the very beginning of award season, Hans Zimmer (Dune) has led the race for Best Original Score and hasn’t budged an inch. Almost three decades and nine unsuccessful nominations after his first victory for The Lion King, Zimmer is finally set to add a second Academy Award to his collection.
Zimmer has swept the televised awards with wins at the Golden Globes, BAFTAs, and Critics Choice Awards, making him essentially unbeatable on Oscar night. The only blip in Zimmer’s campaign was a surprise loss to Germaine Franco (Encanto) at the Society of Composers and Lyricists Awards. It’s an odd anomaly in an otherwise flawless season, but hardly indicative of any danger to Zimmer’s Oscar chances.
Is there a case to be made for any of the other nominees? The Best Picture frontrunner status of The Power of the Dog could help Johnny Greenwood’s chances. And that SCL win and the enormous popularity of Encanto could certainly boost Franco’s campaign. But this Oscar has been Zimmer’s to lose since September and nothing is going to change that.
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE PREDICTIONS:
1. Dune – Hans Zimmer (Warner Bros.)
2. The Power of the Dog – Johnny Greenwood (Netflix)
3. Encanto – Germaine Franco (Disney)
4. Don’t Look Up – Nicholas Britell (Netflix)
5. Parallel Mothers – Alberto Iglesias (Sony Pictures Classics)
Will win: Dune
Should win: Dune
Possible shocker: Encanto