2020 Oscar Nomination Predictions: PRODUCTION DESIGN & COSTUME DESIGN (October)

Ahead of its release, Ad Astra was feeling very much like it was taking an identical trajectory to 2018’s First Man and indeed, it has in many ways. A Venice debut, great reviews, an early release but something that didn’t quite connect with audiences the way it did with critics. While First Man fell short of top nominations, it still earned four technical craft nods (including Production Design) and won Visual Effects. Ad Astra moves up into the top 5 this month.

1917 keeps creeping up multiple charts, and The Irishman keeps creeping down (I’m either onto something or waaay off). Little Women also takes a bit of a tumble, as does Aladdin after a brief stint in Next Up. Two films I’m watching out for in this category are The Two Popes, which had recreate almost all elements of Vatican City (no filming was allowed) and its design is impeccable. Everything in The Lighthouse was also created for the film and despite being a single set, it’s a complicated and claustrophobic labyrinth that could find the production branch salivating.

Here are my 2020 Oscar Nomination Predictions in Production Design for October 14, 2019.

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 Irishman (Bob Shaw) – 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
Jojo Rabbit (Ra Vincent) – Fox Searchlight
Little Women (Jess Gonchor) – Sony/Columbia
The Two Popes (Mark Tildesley) – Netflix

OTHER CONTENDERS (alphabetical by film)

Aladdin (Gemma Jackson) – Disney
A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (Jade Healy) – Sony/TriStar
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
The King (Fiona Crombie) – Netflix
The Lighthouse (Craig Lathrop) – A24
The Lion King (James Chinlund) – Disney
Motherless Brooklyn (Beth Mickle) – Warner Bros
Rocketman (Peter Francis, Marcus Rowland) – Paramount
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (Rick Carter, Kevin Jenkins) – Disney

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood finds itself atop the Costume Design chart this month, to go along with Production Design. There is a decent bit of history for the same film winning both here (Moulin Rouge!, The Great Gatsby – although in those cases both for the same person, Catherine Martin – an extreme rarity) but the extensive recreation of Hollywood in the 1960s in both technical areas were among the most common kudos for the film across its reviews. That move up is a flip-flop with The Irishman, from 3-time Oscar winner Sandy Powell. While Powell is almost assured a nomination here (she has 14, after all), her wins have come for elaborate, extravagant and richly colored costuming. For The Irishman, it might be some of the most subdued work of her career. That could work to her disadvantage.

Here are my 2020 Oscar Nomination Predictions in Costume Design for October 14, 2019.

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. The Irishman (Sandy Powell) – Netflix
4. Downton Abbey (Anna Robbins) – Focus Features
5. Dolemite Is My Name (Ruth E. Carter) – Netflix

NEXT UP (alphabetical by film)

1917 (Jacqueline Durran) – Universal
The Aeronauts (Alexandra Byrne) – Amazon
Jojo Rabbit (Mayes C. Rubeo) – Fox Searchlight
Maleficent: Mistress of Evil (Ellen Mirojnick) – Disney
Rocketman (Julian Day) – Paramount

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
Motherless Brooklyn (Amy Roth) – Warner Bros
Portrait of a Lady on Fire (Dorothée Guiraud) – Neon
The Two Popes (Luca Canfora) – Netflix