Final Oscars Predictions: Lady Gaga, Will Smith and Other A-Listers Expected to Land Noms

Ballots are in, and the nail-biting portion of Oscar season has begun. Nominations for the 94th Academy Awards will be revealed on Feb. 8.

More from Variety

• Final Oscars Predictions: Best Director - Can Ryûsuke Hamaguchi Take a Spot from PT Anderson or Spielberg?

• Final Oscars Predictions: Best Picture -- Can Netflix Become the First Studio to Score Three Top Category Noms in 47 Years?

• BAFTA Awards Nominations Unveiled: 'Dune,' 'Power of the Dog' Lead Field, Will Smith Earns First BAFTA Nod

Another jam-packed phase one offered plenty of twists and turns, along with much speculation and reading of tea leaves. Now, that many of the guilds have weighed in, we’re predicting Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune” will lead the way with 10 nominations, while Jane Campion’s “The Power of the Dog” and Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story” are expected to pick up an impressive nine and seven nods each. Kenneth Branagh’s “Belfast,” the presumed frontrunner for best picture, is also expected to score a healthy seven mentions (or eight if Jamie Dornan can make the cut alongside his co-star Ciarán Hinds).

With an increasingly global Academy, it’s important to consider the tastes of international members that aren’t working on studio lots in Hollywood. While you can argue that their love is already demonstrated by Irish, coming-of-age drama “Belfast there’s some palpable buzz brewing for films by other international filmmakers, which could translate into multiple artisan nods for Guillermo del Toro’s “Nightmare Alley” or Ridley Scott’s “House of Gucci,” a heavy acting branch favorite demonstrated by its SAG nominations. Pedro Almodóvar’s “Parallel Mothers” seemed to have a massive surge in the final days leading up to nominations, which could result in recognition for Penélope Cruz, and possibly a best picture slot.

In a season marked by a lack of frontrunners in most categories, we could see a spirited selection that includes many of the names and films already nominated for SAG, Critics Choice, DGA, WGA and PGA awards. However, with the return of 10 best picture nominees, there are some strange parallels (no pun intended) between this season and the one that first introduced the expansion, which included incredible selections like 2009 films “District 9,” “A Serious Man” and shockingly, “The Blind Side.”

This could be traditional Academy fare, which follows the SAG nominees and the other guilds, or we could see real jaw-droppers.

Either way, it’ll make for an exciting Oscar morning, which will lead to (hopefully) an incredible ceremony under the production of Will Packer on March 27.

The final nominations predictions are below. The final prediction rankings on the individual awards pages, with commentary, will be updated before the end of the weekend.

NOTE: All final credits are determined by the Academy and will be announced with nominations on Feb. 8.

Best Picture

• “Being the Ricardos” (Amazon Studios)
  Todd Black, Jason Blumenthal, Steve Tisch

• “Belfast” (Focus Features)
  Laura Berwick, Kenneth Branagh, Becca Kovacik, Tamar Thomas

• “CODA” (Apple Original Films)
  Fabrice Gianfermi, Philippe Rousselet, Jerôme Seydoux, Patrick Wachsberger

• “Don’t Look Up” (Netflix)
  Betsy Koch, Adam McKay, Kevin Messick, Todd Schulman, Scott Stuber

• “Dune” (Warner Bros)
  Cale Boyter, Joe Caracciolo Jr, Mary Parent, Denis Villeneuve

• “King Richard” (Warner Bros)
  Will Smith, Tim White, Trevor White

• “Licorice Pizza” (MGM/United Artists Releasing)
  Paul Thomas Anderson, Daniel Lupi, Sara Murphy, JoAnne Sellar

• “Nightmare Alley” (Searchlight Pictures)
  Bradley Cooper, J. Miles Dale, Guillermo Del Toro

• “The Power of the Dog” (Netflix)
  Jane Campion, Iain Canning, Roger Frappier, Tanya Seghatchian, Emile Sherman

• “West Side Story” (20th Century Studios)
  Kristie Macosko Krieger, Kevin McCollum, Steven Spielberg

Alternate: “No Time to Die” (MGM/United Artists Releasing) – Michael G. Wilson, Barbara Broccoli

• • •

Best Achievement in Directing

• Paul Thomas Anderson
  “Licorice Pizza” (MGM/United Artists Releasing)

• Kenneth Branagh
  “Belfast” (Focus Features)

• Jane Campion
  “The Power of the Dog” (Netflix)

• Steven Spielberg
  “West Side Story” (20th Century Studios)

• Denis Villeneuve
  “Dune” (Warner Bros)

Alternate: Ryûsuke Hamaguchi, “Drive My Car” (Janus Films/Sideshow)

• • •

Best Actor in a Leading Role

Glen Wilson/ © 2021 Amazon Cont

• Javier Bardem
  “Being the Ricardos” (Amazon Studios)

• Benedict Cumberbatch
  “The Power of the Dog” (Netflix)

• Andrew Garfield
  “Tick, Tick … Boom!” (Netflix)

• Will Smith
  “King Richard” (Warner Bros)

• Denzel Washington
  “The Tragedy of Macbeth” (Apple Original Films/A24)

Alternate: Leonardo DiCaprio, “Don’t Look Up” (Netflix)

• • •

Best Actress in a Leading Role

• Olivia Colman
  “The Lost Daughter” (Netflix)

• Penélope Cruz
  “Parallel Mothers” (Sony Pictures Classics)

• Lady Gaga
  “House of Gucci” (MGM/United Artists Releasing)

• Nicole Kidman
  “Being the Ricardos” (Amazon Studios)

• Kristen Stewart
  “Spencer” (Neon/Topic Studios)

Alternate: Alana Haim, “Licorice Pizza” (MGM/United Artists Releasing)

• • •

Best Actor in a Supporting Role

• Ben Affleck
  “The Tender Bar” (Amazon Studios)

• Bradley Cooper
  “Licorice Pizza” (MGM/United Artists Releasing)

• Ciarán Hinds
  “Belfast” (Focus Features)

• Troy Kotsur
  “CODA” (Apple Original Films)

• Kodi Smit-McPhee
  “The Power of the Dog” (Netflix)

Alternate: Jesse Plemons, “The Power of the Dog” (Netflix)

• • •

Best Actress in a Supporting Role

• Caitríona Balfe
  “Belfast” (Focus Features)

• Cate Blanchett
  “Nightmare Alley” (Searchlight Pictures)

• Ariana DeBose
  “West Side Story” (20th Century Studios)

• Kirsten Dunst
  “The Power of the Dog” (Netflix)

• Aunjanue Ellis
  “King Richard” (Warner Bros)

Alternate: Jessie Buckley, “The Lost Daughter” (Netflix)

• • •

Best Original Screenplay

• “Being the Ricardos” (Amazon Studios)
  Aaron Sorkin

• “Belfast” (Focus Features)
  Kenneth Branagh

• “Don’t Look Up” (Netflix)
  Adam McKay, David Sirota

• “King Richard” (Warner Bros)
  Zach Baylin

• “Licorice Pizza” (MGM/United Artists Releasing)
  Paul Thomas Anderson

Alternate: “The French Dispatch of the Liberty, Kansas Evening Sun” (Searchlight Pictures) – Wes Anderson, Roman Coppola, Jason Schwartzman

• • •

Best Adapted Screenplay

• “CODA” (Apple Original Films)
  Siân Heder

• “The Lost Daughter” (Netflix)
  Maggie Gyllenhaal

• “Passing” (Netflix)
  Rebecca Hall

• “The Power of the Dog” (Netflix)
  Jane Campion

• “West Side Story” (20th Century Studios)
  Tony Kushner

Alternate: “Drive My Car” (Janus Films/Sideshow) – Ryûsuke Hamaguchi, Takamasa Oe

• • •

Best Animated Feature

• “Encanto” (Walt Disney Pictures)
  Jared Bush, Byron Howard

• “Flee” (Neon)
  Monica Hellström, Jonas Poher Rasmussen, Signe Byrge Sørensen

• “Luca” (Pixar)
  Enrico Casarosa, Andrea Warren

• “The Mitchells vs. the Machines” (Netflix)
  Kurt Albrecht, Phil Lord, Chris Miller, Mike Rianda

• “Raya and the Last Dragon” (Walt Disney Pictures)
  Don Hall, Carlos López Estrada, Osnat Shurer

Alternate: “Belle” (GKIDS) – Mamoru Hosoda

• • •

Best Production Design

• “Cyrano” (MGM/United Artists Releasing)
  Sarah Greenwood, Katie Spencer

• “Dune” (Warner Bros)
  Patrice Vermette, Richard Roberts and Zsuzsanna Sipos

• “The French Dispatch of the Liberty, Kansas Evening Sun” (Searchlight Pictures)
  Adam Stockhausen, Rena DeAngelo

• “Nightmare Alley” (Searchlight Pictures)
  Tamara Deverell, Shane Vieau

• “West Side Story” (20th Century Studios)
  Adam Stockhausen, Rena DeAngelo

Alternate: “Belfast” (Focus Features) – Jim Clay, Claire Nia Richards

• • •

Best Cinematography

• “Dune” (Warner Bros)
  Greig Fraser

• “Nightmare Alley” (Searchlight Pictures)
  Dan Laustsen

• “The Power of the Dog” (Netflix)
  Ari Wegner

• “The Tragedy of Macbeth” (Apple Original Films/A24)
  Bruno Delbonnel

• “West Side Story” (20th Century Studios)
  Janusz Kamiński

Alternate: “Belfast” (Focus Features) – Haris Zambarloukos

• • •

Best Costume Design

• “Cruella” (Walt Disney Pictures)
  Jenny Beavan

• “Dune” (Warner Bros)
  Robert Morgan, Jacqueline West

• “House of Gucci” (MGM/United Artists Releasing)
  Janty Yates

• “Licorice Pizza” (MGM/United Artists Releasing)
  Mark Bridges

• “Nightmare Alley” (Searchlight Pictures)
  Luis Sequeira

Alternate: “West Side Story” (20th Century Studios) – Paul Tazewell

• • •

Best Film Editing

• “Belfast” (Focus Features)
  Úna Ní Dhonghaíle

• “Don’t Look Up” (Netflix)
  Hank Corwin

• “Dune” (Warner Bros)
  Joe Walker

• “King Richard” (MGM/United Artists Releasing)
  Pamela Martin

• “The Power of the Dog” (Netflix)
  Peter Sciberras

Alternate: “No Time to Die” (MGM/United Artists Releasing) – Tom Cross, Elliot Graham

• • •

Best Makeup and Hairstyling

• “Cruella” (Walt Disney Pictures)
  Carolyn Cousins, Nadia Stacey

• “Dune” (Warner Bros)
  Eva von Bahr, Love Larson, Donald Mowat

• “The Eyes of Tammy Faye” (Searchlight Pictures)
  Linda Dowds, Stephanie Ingram, Justin Raleigh

• “House of Gucci” (MGM/United Artists Releasing)
  Jana Carboni, Göran Lundström, Giuliano Mariano

• “The Suicide Squad” (Warner Bros)
  Janine Thompson, Heba Thorisdottir

Alternate: “No Time to Die” (MGM/United Artists Releasing) – Daniel Phillips

• • •

Best Sound

• “Belfast” (Focus Features)
  Simon Chase, James Mather, Denise Yarde, Niv Adris

• “Dune” (Warner Bros)
  Mac Ruth, Mark Mangini, Theo Green, Doug Hemphill, Ron Bartlett

• “No Time to Die” (MGM/United Artists Releasing)
  Simon Hayes, Oliver Tarney, Paul Massey

• “Spider-Man: No Way Home” (Sony Pictures)
  Willie Burton, Kevin O’Connell, Tony Lambert, Steven Ticknor, Vanessa Lapato

• “West Side Story” (20th Century Studios)
  Gary Rydstrom, Brian Chumney, Andy Nelson, Tod Maitland, Shawn Murphy

Alternate: “The Power of the Dog” (Netflix) – Robert Mackenzie, Richard Flynn, Leah Katz, Tara Webb, Dave Whitehead

• • •

Best Visual Effects

• “Dune” (Warner Bros)
  Paul Lambert, Tristan Myles, Brian Connor, Gerd Nefzer

• “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” (Sony Pictures)
  Alessandro Ongaro, Sheena Duggal, Aharon Bourland, Pier Lefebvre

• “Godzilla vs. Kong” (Warner Bros)
  John Desjardin, Bryan Hirota, Kevin Smith, Mike Meinardus

• “No Time to Die” (MGM/United Artists Releasing)
  Charlie Noble, Chris Corbould

• “Spider-Man: No Way Home” (Sony Pictures)
  Kelly Port, Chris Waegner, Scott Edelstein, Dan Sudick

Alternate: “The Matrix: Resurrections” (Warner Bros) – Dan Glass, Huw J Evans, Tom Debenham, J.D. Schwalm

• • •

Best Original Score

• “Don’t Look Up” (Netflix)
  Nicholas Britell

• “Dune” (Warner Bros)
  Hans Zimmer

• “Encanto” (Walt Disney Pictures)
  Germaine Franco

• “The Power of the Dog” (Netflix)
  Jonny Greenwood

• “Spencer” (Neon/Topic Studios)
  Jonny Greenwood

Alternate: “The French Dispatch of the Liberty, Kansas Evening Sun” (Searchlight Pictures) – Alexandre Desplat

• • •

Best Original Song

• “So May We Start” from “Annette” (Amazon Studios)
  Ron Mael, Russell Mael

• “Just Look Up” from “Don’t Look Up” (Netflix)
  Nicholas Britell, Ariana Grande, Scott Mescudi, Taura Stinson

• “Dos Oruguitas” from “Encanto” (Walt Disney Pictures)
  Lin-Manuel Miranda

• “Guns Go Bang” from “The Harder They Fall” (Netflix)
  Jeymes Samuel, Scott Mescudi, Shawn Carter

• “No Time to Die” from “No Time to Die” (Amazon Studios)
  Billie Eilish, Finneas O’Connell

Alternate: “Four Good Days” (“Somehow You Do”) – Diane Warren

• • •

Best Documentary Feature

• “Attica” (Showtime)
  Traci Curry, Stanley Nelson

• “Flee” (Neon)
  Monica Hellström, Jonas Poher Rasmussen, Signe Byrge Sørensen

• “The Rescue” (National Geographic)
  Jimmy Chin, Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi

• “Simple as Water” (HBO)
  Robin Hessman, Megan Mylan

• “Summer of Soul (Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised)” (Hulu/Searchlight Pictures)
  David Dinerstein, Robert Fyvolent, Joseph Patel, Questlove

Alternate: “Ascension” (MTV Documentary Films) – Jessica Kingdon, Kira Simon-Kennedy, Nathan Truesdell

• • •

Best International Feature

• “Drive My Car” (Japan)
  dir. Ryûsuke Hamaguchi

• “Flee” (Denmark)
  dir. Jonas Poher Rasmussen

• “The Hand of God” (Italy)
  dir. Paolo Sorrentino

• “A Hero” (Iran)
  dir. Asghar Farhadi

• “The Worst Person in the World” (Norway)
  dir. Joachim Trier

Alternate: “Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom” (Bhutan)

• • •

Best Animated Short

• “Boxballet”

• “Mum is Pouring Rain”

• “Namoo”

• “Robin Robin”

• “Step into the River”

Alternate: “Us Again” (Walt Disney Pictures)

• • •

Best Documentary Short

• “Audible”

• “A Broken House”

• “Coded: The Hidden Love of J.C. Leyendecker”

• “The Queen of Basketball”

• “Terror Contagion”

Alternate: “Aguilas” (The New Yorker)

• • •

Best Live Action Short

• “Censor of Dreams”

• “The Dress”

• “The Long Goodbye”

• “When the Sun Sets”

• “You’re Dead Hélène“

Alternate: “Tala’vision”

Best of Variety

• 2022 Oscars Predictions: The Collective - Final Picks Before Oscar Nominations on Tuesday

• Final Oscars Predictions: Best Director - Can Ryûsuke Hamaguchi Take a Spot from PT Anderson or Spielberg?

• Final Oscars Predictions: Best Picture -- Can Netflix Become the First Studio to Score Three Top Category Noms in 47 Years?

Sign up for Variety’s Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Click here to read the full article.