FINAL 2026 Oscar Predictions: BEST CASTING
New year, new category.
The Casting Society (CSA) recently revealed its nominations and Sinners, Hamnet, Marty Supreme and Wicked: For Good now have that and Critics Choice nominations under their belt. Sinners won CCA. The BAFTA longlists also give us a peek into possibilities.
Missing from CSA were two big contenders, One Battle After Another and Weapons. But don’t call it a snub; it’s a guild exclusive to members for nominations and neither Cassandra Kulukundis (OBAA) or Allison Jones (Weapons) are members.
It seems hard to not want to go with Wicked: For Good as its the first year of this category and a voter could essentially reward last year’s first first by nominating the sequel. But despite maxing out on Oscar shortlists and hitting pretty much everywhere it should, the blanking it got from both CCA and the Globes on top of the middling performance with SAG nominations, I do wonder if it’s going to left out in the cold. People just feel… over it.
That opens the door for a combination of Frankenstein, Marty Supreme, One Battle After Another and Weapons to round out the top five. Thinking about the SAG Cast nominees further solidifies the top 3 for me. Dropping Sentimental Value down feels wrong, I feel I may regret it. Maybe Weapons isn’t going to be that strong. Maybe Frankenstein’s recent surge will be. Either way, it will be great to have a test case in this first year.
Here are my final 2026 Oscar nomination predictions in Best Casting.
| 1. Sinners – Francine Maisler (Warner Bros) | CCA, CSA (BAFTA longlist) |
| 2. One Battle After Another – Cassandra Kulukundis (Warner Bros) | CCA (BAFTA longlist) |
| 3. Hamnet – Nina Gold (Focus Features) | CCA, CSA (BAFTA longlist) |
| 4. Marty Supreme – Jennifer Venditti (A24) ↑ | CCA, CSA (BAFTA longlist) |
| 5. Frankenstein – Robin D. Cook (Netflix) ↑ | CSA (BAFTA longlist) |
| 6. Weapons – Allison Jones (Warner Bros/New Line) ↓ | |
| 7. Wicked: For Good – Tiffany Little Canfield, Bernard Telsey (Universal Pictures) ↓ | CCA, CSA |
| 8. Sentimental Value – Yngvill Kolset Haga, Avy Kaufman (NEON) ↓ | CSA (BAFTA longlist) |
| 9. The Secret Agent – Gabriel Domingues (NEON) | |
| 10. Sirāt – Nadia Acimi and Luis Bértolo (NEON) | (BAFTA longlist) |
He is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, accredited by the Cannes Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and more, is a member of the International Cinephile Society (ICS), The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics (GALECA), Critics Choice Association (CCA), San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle (SFBAFCC) and the International Press Academy. Among his many achieved goals with AwardsWatch, he has given a platform to underrepresented writers and critics and supplied them with access to film festivals and the industry and calls the Bay Area his home where he lives with his husband and son.
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