The battle for Best Production Design has been a tight two-horse race all season long. In one corner, we have the dazzling futuristic sci-fi designs of Dune. In the other, there’s the lush art deco period work of Nightmare Alley. Historically, the Academy has favoured period designs over sci-fi blockbusters, but something as epic as Dune may be too grand to ignore.
While both films scored wins from the Art Directors Guild where they competed in separate categories, Dune has picked up awards from BAFTA and Critics Choice plus a win from the Set Decorators Society of America where Nighmarey Alley was oddly defeated by Being the Ricardos.
There’s still a chance Nightmare Alley pulls off a mild upset victory, particularly if Academy members feel like spreading the wealth and don’t want to see Dune essentially sweep the tech categories. Maybe the two will split the votes and West Side Story strolls through. But Dune has peaked at the right time in this category and now feels like a safer bet than earlier in the season.
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN PREDICTIONS:
1. Dune (Warner Bros.)
Patrice Vermette (production designer), Richard Roberts and Zsuzsanna Sipos (set decorators)
2. Nightmare Alley (Searchlight Pictures)
Tamara Deverell (production designer), Shane Vieau (set decorator)
3. West Side Story (20th Century Studios)
Adam Stockhausen (production designer), Rena DeAngelo (set decorator)
4. The Tragedy of Macbeth (A24/Apple TV+)
Stefan Dechant (production designer), Nancy Haigh (set decorator)
5. The Power of the Dog (Netflix)
Grant Major (production designer), Amber Richards (set decorator)
Will win: Dune
Should win: Nightmare Alley
Possible shocker: The Tragedy of Macbeth