94th Academy Award Nominee Predictions

Brandon Siedlik, Wired Staff Writer|February 3, 2022

The nominees for each category of the 94th Academy Awards will be announced on the morning of February 8th, 2022.

Best Picture:

1. The Power of the Dog – Jane Campion, Roger Frappier, Emile Sherman, Tanya Seghstchian, Iain Canning

2. Belfast – Laura Berwick, Kenneth Branagh, Becca Kovacik, Tamar Thomas

3. Dune – Mary Parent, Denis Villeneuve, Cale Boyter, Joe Caracciolo Jr.

4. West Side Story – Kristie Macosko Krieger, Kevin McCollum, Steven Spielberg 

5. Don’t Look Up – Adam McKay, Kevin Messick, Scott Stuber, Betsy Koch, Todd Schulman

6. Licorice Pizza – Paul Thomas Anderson, Sara Murphy, JoAnne Sellar, Daniel Lupi

7. King Richard – Tim White, Trevor White, Will Smith

8. CODA – Sarah Borch-Jacobsen, Ged Dickersin, Fabrice Gianfermi, Hester Hargett, Philippe Rousslet, Ardavan Safaee, Patrick Wachsberger

9. tick, tick…BOOM! – Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Julie Oh

Ariana DeBose in “West Side Story.” (Image from Searchlight Pictures)

10. Being the Ricardos – Todd Black, Jason Blumenthal, Steve Tisch

In contention:

11. House of Gucci – Ridley Scott, Giannina Scott, Kevin Walsh, Mark Huffam

12. The Lost Daughter – Osnat Handelsman Keren, Talia Kleinhendler, Maggie Gyllenhaal

13. Drive My Car – Yuji Sadai, Osamu Kubota, Teruhisa Yamamoto

14. Spider-Man: No Way Home – Amy Pascal, Kevin Feige

15. The Tragedy of Macbeth – Joel Coen, Frances McDormand, Robert Graf

 

Best Director:

1. Jane Campion, The Power of the Dog 

Caitríona Balfe, Jamie Dornan, Judi Dench, and Jude Hill in “Belfast.” (Image from Focus Features)

2. Denis Villeneuve, Dune 

3. Kenneth Branagh, Belfast 

4. Steven Spielberg, West Side Story

5. Paul Thomas Anderson, Licorice Pizza

In contention: 

6. Ryûsuke Hamaguchi, Drive My Car

7. Adam McKay, Don’t Look Up

8. Joel Coen, The Tragedy of Macbeth

9. Maggie Gyllenhaal, The Lost Daughter

10. Lin-Manuel Miranda, tick, tick…BOOM!

Benedict Cumberbatch in “The Power of the Dog.” (Image from Netflix)

 

Best Lead Actor:

1. Will Smith, King Richard 

2. Andrew Garfield, tick, tick…BOOM!

3. Benedict Cumberbatch, The Power of the Dog

4. Denzel Washington, The Tragedy of Macbeth

5. Leonardo DiCaprio, Don’t Look Up

In contention: 

6. Javier Bardem, Being the Ricardos

7. Peter Dinklage, Cyrano

8. Nicolas Cage, Pig

Bradley Cooper in “Licorice Pizza.” (Image from MGM Studios)

9. Bradley Cooper, Nightmare Alley

10. Simon Rex, Red Rocket

 

Best Lead Actress:

1. Lady Gaga, House of Gucci

2. Nicole Kidman, Being the Ricardos

3. Olivia Colman, The Lost Daughter 

4. Jessica Chastain, The Eyes of Tammy Faye

Will Smith, Aunjanue Ellis, Demi Singleton, and Saniyya Sidney in “King Richard.” (Image from Warner Bros.)

5. Kristen Stewart, Spencer  

In contention: 

6. Alana Haim, Licorice Pizza

7. Jennifer Hudson, Respect 

8. Rachel Zegler, West Side Story 

9. Penélope Cruz, Parallel Mothers 

10. Renate Reinsve, The Worst Person in the World

 

Best Supporting Actor:

1. Kodi Smit-McPhee, The Power of the Dog 

Timothée Chalamet and Rebecca Ferguson in “Dune.” (Image from Warner Bros.)

2. Troy Kotsur, CODA

3. Ciarán Hinds, Belfast

4. Jared Leto, House of Gucci

5. Jesse Plemons, The Power of the Dog

In contention: 

6. Jamie Dornan, Belfast

7. Bradley Cooper, Licorice Pizza

8. Ben Affleck, The Tender Bar

9. Mike Faist, West Side Story 

10. Willem Dafoe, Spider-Man: No Way Home

 

Best Supporting Actress:

1. Ariana DeBose, West Side Story

Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, Meryl Streep, Jonah Hill, and Rob Morgan in “Don’t Look Up.”

2. Kirsten Dunst, The Power of the Dog

3. Caitríona Balfe, Belfast

4. Aunjanue Ellis, King Richard

5. Ruth Negga, Passing 

In contention: 

6. Ann Dowd, Mass

7. Rita Moreno, West Side Story 

8. Jessie Buckley, The Lost Daughter

9. Meryl Streep, Don’t Look Up

10. Cate Blanchett, Nightmare Alley

Amy Forsyth, Daniel Durant, Marlee Matlin, and Troy Kotsur in “CODA.” (Image from Apple TV+)

 

Best Original Screenplay:

1. Licorice Pizza – Paul Thomas Anderson 

2. Belfast – Kenneth Branagh

3. Don’t Look Up – Adam McKay, David Sirota 

4. Being the Ricardos – Aaron Sorkin

5. King Richard – Zach Baylin

In contention:

6. Mass – Fran Kranz 

7. C’mon C’mon – Mike Mills

8. The French Dispatch – Wes Anderson, Jason Schwartzman, Roman Coppola, Hugo Guinness

9. Parallel Mothers – Pedro Almodóvar

Andrew Garfield in “tick, tick…BOOM!” (Image from Netflix)

10. A Hero – Asghar Fahardi

 

Best Adapted Screenplay:

1. The Power of the Dog – Jane Campion, Based on “The Power of the Dog” by Thomas Savage

2. CODA – Siân Heder, Based on “La Familie Bélier” by Éric Lartigau

3. The Lost Daughter – Maggie Gyllenhaal, Based on “The Lost Daughter” by Elena Ferrante 

4. Dune – Jon Sphaits, Denis Villeneuve, Eric Roth, Based on “Dune” by Frank Herbert

5. West Side Story – Tony Kushner, Based on “West Side Story” by Arthur Laurents

Olivia Colman in “The Lost Daughter.” (Image from Netflix)

In contention:

6. Drive My Car – Ryûsuke Hamaguchi, Takamasa Oe, Based on “Men Without Women” by Haruki Murakami

7. tick, tick…BOOM! – Steven Larson, Based on “tick, tick…BOOM!” by Jonathan Larson

8. The Tragedy of Macbeth – Joel Coen, Based on “Macbeth” by William Shakespeare

9. Passing – Rebecca Hall, Based on “Passing” by Nella Larsen

10. House of Gucci – Becky Johnston, Roberto Bentivegna, Based on “The House of Gucci: A Sensational Story of Murder, Madness, Glamour, and Greed” by Sara Gay Forden

 

Best Editing:

1. Dune – Joe Walker 

2. Belfast – Úna Ní Dhongaíle

Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem in “Being the Ricardos.” (Image from Amazon Studios)

3.  The Power of the Dog – Peter Sciberras

4. West Side Story – Sarah Broshar 

5. Don’t Look Up – Hank Corwin

In contention:

6. King Richard – Pamela Martin

7. tick, tick…BOOM! – Myron Kerstein, Andrew Weisblum

8. Licorice Pizza – Andy Jurgensen 

9. Nightmare Alley – Cameron McLauchlin

10. No Time To Die – Elliot Graham, Tom Cross

 

Best Cinematography:

1. Dune – Greig Fraser

Tom Holland and Zendaya in “Spider-Man: No Way Home.” (Image from Sony Pictures)

2. The Tragedy of Macbeth – Bruno Delbonnel 

3. The Power of the Dog – Ari Wegner 

4. West Side Story – Janusz Kaminski 

5. Belfast – Haris Zambarloukos 

In contention:

6. Nightmare Alley – Dan Lausten 

7. Spencer – Claire Mithon

8. The French Dispatch – Robert Yeoman

9. The Green Knight – Andrew Droz Palermo

10. Licorice Pizza – Michael Bauman, Paul Thomas Anderson

Hidetoshi Nishijima and Toko Miura in “Drive My Car.” (Image from Janus Films)

 

Best Score:

1. Dune – Hans Zimmer 

2. The Power of the Dog – Jonny Greenwood 

3. Don’t Look Up – Nicholas Britell 

4. The French Dispatch – Alexandre Desplat

5. Spencer – Jonny Greenwood

Denzel Washington in “The Tragedy of Macbeth.” (Image from Apple TV+)

In contention:

6. Parallel Mothers – Alberto Iglesias 

7. Being the Ricardos – Daniel Pemberton

8. No Time To Die – Hans Zimmer

9. Encanto – Germaine Franco 

10. The Tragedy of Macbeth – Carter Burwell

 

Best Production Design:

1. Dune – Patrice Vermette, Richard Roberts, Zsuzsanna Sipos

Bradley Cooper in “Nightmare Alley.” (Image from Searchlight Pictures)

2. Nightmare Alley – Tamara Deverell, Shane Vieau 

3. West Side Story – Adam Stockhausen, Rena DeAngelo 

4. The French Dispatch – Adam Stockhausen, Rena DeAngelo

5. Belfast – Jim Clay, Claire Nia Richards 

In contention:

6. The Tragedy of Macbeth – Stefan Dechant, Nancy Haigh

7. Cyrano – Sarah Greenwood

8. The Power of the Dog – Grant Major, Amber Richards

9. Being the Ricardos – Jon Hutman, Ellen Brill

Kristen Stewart in “Spencer.” (Image from NEON)

10. Spencer – Guy Hendrix-Dyas, Yesim Zolan

 

Best Costume Design:

1. Cruella – Jenny Beavan

2. Dune – Jacqueline West, Robert Morgan 

3. West Side Story – Paul Tazewell 

4. House of Gucci – Janty Yates 

5. Nightmare Alley – Luis Sequeira

Jessica Chastain in “The Eyes of Tammy Faye.” (Image from Searchlight Pictures)

In contention:

6. Cyrano – Massimo Cantini Parrini

7. The French Dispatch – Milina Canonero

8. Spencer – Jacqueline Durran

9. The Tragedy of Macbeth – Mary Zophres

10. Licorice Pizza – Mark Bridges, Tammy Williamson

 

Best Makeup and Hairstyling:

1. House of Gucci – Jana Carboni, Giuliano Mariano, Göran Lundström 

2. The Eyes of Tammy Faye – Linda Dowds, Stephanie Ingram, Justin Raleigh

Lady Gaga in “House of Gucci.” (Image from MGM Studios)

3. Dune – Donald Mowat, Love Larson, Eva von Bahr

4. Cruella – Sarita Allison, Nadia Stacey 

5. Coming 2 America – Vera Steimberg, Merc Arceneaux, Trent Simmons, Felicia Okanlawon, Stacey Morris, Carla Farmer, Louis Anthony, Dennis Bailey, Mike Marino

In contention:

6. Nightmare Alley – Cliona Furey, Jo-Ann MacNeil

7. The Suicide Squad – Heba Thorisdottir, Janine Thompson

8. West Side Story – Judy Chin, Kay Georgiou

9. Cyrano – Stan Miller, Alessandro Bertolazzi

10. No Time To Die – Daniel Phillips

Ruth Negga in “Passing.” (Image from Netflix)

 

Best Sound:

1. Dune – Mac Ruth, Mark Mangini, Theo Green, Doug Hemphill, Ron Bartlett

2. West Side Story – Gary Rydstrom, Steve Bissinger, Andy Nelson, Brian Chumney

3. No Time To Die – Bryan Bowen, James Harrison, Dawn Gough

4. Belfast – Simon Chase, James Mather, Denise Tarde, Niv Adris

5. Spider-Man: No Way Home – Tony Lamberti, Kevin O’Connell, Jamie Hardt, Steven Ticknor, Ken McGill, Takako Ishikawa, Justin M. Davey, Sam Fan

In contention:

6. The Power of the Dog – Robert Mackenzie, Richard Flynn, Leah Katz, Tara Webb, Dave Whitehead

7. The Matrix Resurrections – Barry O’Sullivan, Dane A. Davis, Stephanie Flack, Matthias Lempert, Lars Ginzel

8. tick, tick…BOOM! – Todd A. Maitland

Jason Isaacs, Martha Plimpton, Ann Dowd, and Reed Birney in “Mass.” (Image from Bleeker Street)

9. A Quiet Place Part II – Brandon Jones, Chris Diebold, Brandon Proctor, Erik Aadahl, Ethan van der Ryn, Matt Cavanaugh, Malte Bieler

10. Last Night in Soho – Arthur Graley, Samir Foco, Julian Slater, Ben Meechan, Dan Morgan, Jeremy Price

 

Best Original Song:

1. “No Time To Die,” No Time To Die – Billie Eilish, Finneas O’Connell 

2. “Be Alive,” King Richard – Dixson, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter 

3. “Dos Oruguitas,” Encanto – Lin-Manuel Miranda 

4. “Just Look Up,” Don’t Look Up – Kid Cudi, Ariana Grande, Nicholas Britell, Tara Stinson

Bill Murray and Elisabeth Moss in “The French Dispatch.” (Image from Searchlight Pictures)

5. “Down to Joy,” Belfast – Van Morrison 

In contention:

6. “Beyond the Shore,” CODA – Emilia Jones

7. “Here I Am (Singing My Way Home),” Respect – Jamie Alexander Hartman, Jennifer Hudson, Carole King 

8. “Guns Go Bang,” The Harder They Fall – Kid Cudi, The Bullitts, Jay-Z 

9. “The Anonymous Ones,” Dear Evan Hansen – Benj Pasek, Justin Paul, Amanda Stenberg

10. “So May We Start,” Annette – Ron Mael, Russell Mael

Emma Stone in “Cruella.” (Image from Disney)

 

Best Visual Effects:

1. Dune – Paul Lambert, Tristan Myles, Brian Connor, Gerd Nefzer 

2. The Matrix Resurrections – Dan Glass, Huw J. Evans, Tom Debenham, J.D. Schwalm 

3. Spider-Man: No Way Home – Kelly Port, Chris Waegner, Scott Edelstein, Dan Sudick

4. Godzilla vs. Kong – John Desjardin, Bryan Hirota, Kevin Smith, Mike Meinardus

5. No Time To Die – Charlie Noble, Chris Corbould

In contention:

6. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings – Christopher Townsend, Joe Farrell, Sean Walker, Dan Oliver

7. Ghostbusters: Afterlife – Alessandro Ongaro, Sheena Duggal, Aharon Bourland, Pier Lefebvre

8. Free Guy – Swen Gillberg, Bryan Grill, Nikos Kalaitzidis, Dan Sudick

9. Eternals – Stephanie Ceretti, Matt Aitken, Daniele Bigi, Neil Corbould 

10. Black Widow – Geoffrey Baumann, Dave Hodgins, Craig Hammack, Paul Corbould

Daniel Craig in “No Time To Die.” (Image from MGM Studios)

 

Best Animated Feature:

1. Encanto – Jared Bush, Byron Howard 

2. Luca – Andrea Warren, Enrico Casarosa

3. The Mitchells vs. The Machines – Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, Michael Rianda 

4. Raya and the Last Dragon – Don Hall, Carlos López Estrada, Osnat Shurer

5. Sing 2 – Garth Jennings

In contention:

6. Flee – Monica Helström, Signe Byrge Sørensen

7. Belle – Mamoru Hosoda

8. Ron’s Gone Wrong – Sarah Smith, Jean-Philippe Vine

Stephanie Beatriz in “Encanto.” (Image from Disney)

9. Vivo – Kirk DeMicco

10. The Summit of the Gods – Jean-Charles Ostorero, Didier Brunner, Damien Brunner, Stéphan Roelants

 

Best International Feature:

1. Drive My Car (Japan) – Ryûsuke Hamaguchi

2. The Worst Person in the World (Norway) – Joachim Trier

3. A Hero (Iran) – Asghar Farhadi

4. The Hand of God (Italy) – Paolo Sorrentino

Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Ann Moss in “The Matrix Resurrections.” (Image from Warner Bros.)

5. Flee (Denmark) – Jonas Poher Rasmussen

In contention:

6. Compartment No. 6 (Finland) – Juho Kuosmanen 

7. I’m Your Man (Germany) – Maria Schrader

8. Lamb (Iceland) – Valdimar Jóhannsson

9. The Good Boss (Spain) – Fernando León de Aranoa

10. Prayers for the Stolen (Mexico) – Tatiana Huezo

 

Best Documentary:

Renate Reinsve and Herbert Nordrum in “The Worst Person in the World.” (Image from NEON)

1. The Rescue – Jimmy Chin, Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi

2. Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) – Questlove

3. Procession – Robert Green

4. Ascension – Jessica Kingdon

5. Flee – Jonas Poher Rasmussen

In contention:

6. Attica – Stanley Nelson

7. Julia – Julia Cohen, Betsy West

8. The Velvet Underground – Todd Haynes

9. Simple As Water – Megan Mylan

10. Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry – R. J. Cutler