While its broader Oscar campaign never got off the ground, Babylon has felt like the frontrunner for Best Production Design from the moment its first trailer dropped. Its elaborate and lavish recreation of 1920s Hollywood is right up the Academy’s alley and precisely the kind of sumptuous production design they usually can’t help but reward.
With wins at BAFTA, Critics’ Choice, and the Art Directors Guild, Babylon has certainly cemented its place as the leader. Its only bump along the way has been a loss from the Set Decorators Society of America where it was trumped by Elvis, but those awards are still relatively young and it’s yet hard to know if they hold much credence for the overall race.
That being said, Elvis is still very much in this race. Catherine Martin has won this category twice before (so, technically, she’s never lost) and there’s every chance Elvis overperforms to nab 4 or 5 Oscars. And Martin’s staggering efforts at recreating the gaudy stylings of Las Vegas and Graceland are definitely in the Academy’s wheelhouse too. But those precursor wins for Babylon are hard to ignore and I think it’s got this one.
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN PREDICTIONS:
1. Babylon (Paramount Pictures) – ADG, BAFTA, CCA, SDSA
Florencia Martin (production designer), Anthony Carlino (set decorator)
2. Elvis (Warner Bros.) – ADG, BAFTA, CCA, SDSA
Catherine Martin, Karen Murphy (production designers), Shaun Barry, Beverly Dunn, Daniel Reader (set decorators)
3. All Quiet on the Western Front (Netflix) – ADG, BAFTA
Christian M. Goldbeck (production designer), Ernestine Hipper (set decorator)
4. The Fabelmans (Universal Pictures) – ADG, CCA, SDSA
Rick Carter (production designer), Karen O’Hara (set decorator)
5. Avatar: The Way of Water (20th Century Studios) – ADG, CCA, SDSA
Dylan Col, Ben Procter (production designer), Vanessa Cole (set decorator)
Will win: Babylon
Should win: Babylon
Possible shocker: The Fabelmans