2020 Oscar Nomination Predictions: PRODUCTION DESIGN and COSTUME DESIGN (November)

Sorry to this Irishman.

I keep having this feeling that The Irishman is not going to perform as well as most think it will. After spending some significant time talking to voters it seems that The Irishman is going to be a bigger rock to push up the Oscar mountain than Netflix’s own The Two Popes, which received exuberant praise from everyone I talked to. It’s crossed faith, genre and perceived preference to become a huge audience hit.

While that is largely due to the smart and snappy script from Anthony McCarten and the performances by Jonathan Pryce and Anthony Hopkins, it’s the film’s technical achievements that are garnering not just kudos but an entire installation at the Landmark in Los Angeles. You can check out costumes and set design pieces there and marvel at the fact that designer Mark Tildesley had to do complete recreations of the Sistine Chapel and everything in Vatican City you see in the film. Not to mention the flashback to Argentina and the design that entailed.

For November, The Two Popes makes a big move into the top 5 for Production Design but I am holding off just a bit in Costume Design but it’s on the cusp. Also this month, Rocketman shoots into the top 5. The extravagance of Elton John’s costumes in Rocketman recall the nomination for Velvet Goldmine and win for The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert and this branch loves its flash.

The wild card in both of these categories though is Joker. It could blow up and show up in both. I only have it in Other Contenders right now but if it finds a spot in the Art Directors or Costume Designers guilds, look out.

Here are my 2020 Oscar Nomination Predictions in Production Design and Costume Design for November 26, 2019.

PRODUCTION DESIGN

Green – moves up Red – moves down Blue – new/re-entry

1. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (Barbara Ling) – Sony/Columbia
2. 1917 (Dennis Gassner) – Universal
3. The Two Popes (Mark Tildesley) – Netflix
4. Cats (Eve Stewart) – Universal
5. Ad Astra (Kevin Thompson) – 20th Century Fox

NEXT UP (alphabetical by film)

The Aeronauts (David Hindle, Christian Huband) – Amazon
Downton Abbey (Donal Woods) – Focus Features
The Irishman (Bob Shaw) – Netflix
Jojo Rabbit (Ra Vincent) – Fox Searchlight
Little Women (Jess Gonchor) – Sony/Columbia

OTHER CONTENDERS (alphabetical by film)

Aladdin (Gemma Jackson) – Disney
A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (Jade Healy) – Sony/Tri-Star
Dark Waters (Hannah Beachler) – Focus Features
Dolemite Is My Name (Clay A. Griffith) – Netflix
Ford v Ferrari (François Audouy) – 20th Century Fox
Harriet (Warren Allen Young) – Focus Features
Joker – (Mark Friedberg) Warner Bros
The King (Fiona Crombie) – Netflix
The Lighthouse (Craig Lathrop) – A24
The Lion King (James Chinlund) – Disney
Motherless Brooklyn (Beth Mickle) – Warner Bros
Parasite (Lee Ha-jun) – Neon
Rocketman (Peter Francis, Marcus Rowland) – Paramount
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (Rick Carter, Kevin Jenkins) – Disney

COSTUME DESIGN

Green – moves up Red – moves down Blue – new/re-entry

1. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (Arianne Phillips) – Sony/Columbia
2. Little Women (Jacqueline Durran) – Sony/Columbia
3. Downton Abbey (Anna Robbins) – Focus Features
4. Dolemite Is My Name (Ruth E. Carter) – Netflix
5. Rocketman (Julian Day) – Paramount

NEXT UP (alphabetical by film)

1917 (Jacqueline Durran and David Rossman) – Universal
The Aeronauts (Alexandra Byrne) – Amazon
The Irishman (Sandy Powell) – Netflix
Jojo Rabbit (Mayes C. Rubeo) – Fox Searchlight
The Two Popes (Luca Canfora) – Netflix

OTHER CONTENDERS (alphabetical by film)

Ad Astra (Albert Wolsky) – 20th Century Fox
Aladdin (Michael Wilkinson) – Disney
Bombshell (Colleen Atwood) – Lionsgate
Cats (Paco Delgado) – Universal
Dumbo (Colleen Atwood) – Disney
Ford v Ferrari (Daniel Orlandi) – 20th Century Fox
Harriet (Paul Tazewell) – Focus Features
Joker (Mark Bridges) – Warner Bros
The King (Jane Petrie) – Netflix
Maleficent: Mistress of Evil (Ellen Mirojnick) – Disney
Motherless Brooklyn (Amy Roth) – Warner Bros
Portrait of a Lady on Fire (Dorothée Guiraud) – Neon