Oscars Predictions: Best Costume Design – ‘One Night in Miami’ Is One of Many 1960s Threads Eyeing AMPAS

Clayton Davis
·12-min read

Variety's Awards Circuit is home to the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars from Film Awards Editor Clayton Davis. Following Academy Awards history, buzz, news, reviews and sources, the Oscar predictions are updated regularly with the current year's contenders in all categories. Variety's Awards Circuit Prediction schedule consists of four phases, running all year long: Draft, Pre-Season, Regular Season and Post Season. Eligibility calendar and dates of awards will determine how long each phase lasts and will be displayed next to revision date.

To see all the latest predictions, of all the categories, in one place, visit THE COLLECTIVE

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2021 OSCARS PREDICTIONS:
BEST COSTUME DESIGN

UPDATED: Mar. 4, 2021

AWARDS PREDICTION COMMENTARY: “One Night in Miami” is having a resurgence after being in the race and trying to sustain since the Venice Film Festival at the end of last summer. Ann Roth is on her way to becoming the oldest nominee of all-time for “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” and the critical leader “Emma.” looks to be in a good position for a slot. We should start looking for some outside the box choices like “Mad Max: Fury Road” winner Jenny Beavan, who worked on “Doolittle.” Can Mark Bridges (“News of the World”) stay in the race? Can “Mulan” hold on to the moment its having with the tech branches? Are AMPAS cool enough to recognize the greatness of “Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar?” Six days of voting ahead.

WATCH RECOMMENDATIONS BEFORE VOTING: “Judas and the Black Messiah” (Warner Bros), “The Personal History of David Copperfield” (Searchlight Pictures), “Promising Young Woman” (Focus Features), “Ammonite” (Neon), “I’m No Longer Here” (Netflix)

PRECURSORS LEADER:
“Emma.” (Focus Features) – Alexandra Byrne
Awards Circuit Winners Chart (2020-2021)
2021 Awards Season Calendar

AND THE PREDICTED NOMINEES ARE:

  1. "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom" (Netflix)
    Ann Roth (costume designer)

    OSCAR HISTORY: 4 nominations, 1 win (1996's "The English Patient")
    -
    DIRECTOR: George C. Wolfe
    SYNOPSIS: Chicago, 1927. A recording session. Tensions rise between Ma Rainey, her ambitious horn player and the white management determined to control the uncontrollable "Mother of the Blues". Based on Pulitzer Prize winner August Wilson's play.
    STARRING: Chadwick Boseman, Dusan Brown, Jonny Coyne, Viola Davis, Colman Domingo, Taylour Paige, Michael Potts, Jeremy Shamos, Glynn Turman

  2. "Emma." (Focus Features)
    Alexandra Byrne (costume designer)

    OSCAR HISTORY: 5 nominations, 1 win (2007's "Elizabeth: The Golden Age")
    –
    DIRECTOR: Autumn de Wilde
    SYNOPSIS: In 1800s England, a well meaning but selfish young woman meddles in the love lives of her friends.
    STARRING: Anya Taylor-Joy, Callum Turner, Mia Goth, Josh O'Connor, Johnny Flynn, Tanya Reynolds, Bill Nighy

  3. "Mank" (Netflix)
    Trish Summerville (costume designer)

    OSCAR HISTORY: Never nominated
    –
    DIRECTOR: David Fincher
    SYNOPSIS: 1930s Hollywood is re-evaluated through the eyes of scathing social critic and alcoholic screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz as he races to finish the screenplay of Citizen Kane for Orson Welles.
    STARRING: Tom Burke, Lily Collins, Joseph Cross, Charles Dance, Monika Gossman, Ferdinand Kingsley, Jamie McShane, Tuppence Middleton, Toby Leonard Moore, Gary Oldman, Tom Pelphrey, Amanda Seyfried, Sam Troughton

  4. "Mulan" (Walt Disney Pictures)
    Bina Daigeler (costume designer)

    OSCAR HISTORY: Never nominated
    –
    DIRECTOR: Niki Caro
    SYNOPSIS: A young Chinese maiden disguises herself as a male warrior in order to save her father.
    STARRING: Yifei Liu, Donnie Yen, Gong Li, Tzi Ma, Jet Li, Jason Scott Lee, Yosan An, Rosalind Chao

  5. "One Night in Miami" (Amazon Studios)
    Francine Jamison-Tanchuck (costume designer)

    OSCAR HISTORY: Never nominated
    –
    DIRECTOR: Regina King
    SYNOPSIS: A fictional account of one incredible night in 1964, where four icons of activism, sports and music – Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali, Jim Brown and Sam Cooke – gathered, discussing their roles in the civil rights movement and cultural upheaval of the ’60s.
    STARRING: Kingsley Ben-Adir, Eli Goree, Aldis Hodge, Leslie Odom, Jr., Joaquina Kalukango, Nicolette Robinson

NEXT IN LINE:

  1. "News of the World" (Universal Pictures)
    Mark Bridges (costume designer)

    OSCAR HISTORY: 4 nominations, 2 wins (2011's "The Artist" and 2017's "Phantom Thread")
    –
    DIRECTOR: Paul Greengrass
    SYNOPSIS: A Civil War veteran agrees to deliver a girl, taken by the Kiowa people years ago, to her aunt and uncle, against her will. They travel hundreds of miles and face grave dangers as they search for a place that either can call home.
    STARRING: Tom Hanks, Helena Zengel, Elizabeth Marvel, Mare Winningham, Michael Angelo Covino, Ray McKinnon

  2. "Promising Young Woman" (Focus Features)
    Nancy Steiner (costume designer)

    OSCAR HISTORY: Never nominated
    –
    DIRECTOR: Emerald Fennell
    SYNOPSIS: A young woman, traumatized by a tragic event in her past, seeks out vengeance against those who cross her path.
    STARRING: Carey Mulligan, Bo Burnham, Laverne Cox, Molly Shannon, Clancy Brown, Jennifer Coolidge, Max Greenfield, Alison Brie, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Connie Britton, Chris Lowell, Adam Brody, Sam Richardson

  3. "Judas and the Black Messiah" (HBO Max/Warner Bros.)
    Charlese Antoinette Jones (costume designer)

    OSCAR HISTORY: Never nominated
    –
    DIRECTOR: Shaka King
    SYNOPSIS: The story of Fred Hampton, Chairman of the Illinois Black Panther Party, and his fateful betrayal by FBI informant William O'Neal.
    STARRING: Lakeith Stanfield, Daniel Kaluuya, Dominique Fishback, Jesse Plemons, Martin Sheen, Dominique Thorne, Algee Smith, Lil Rel Howery, Jermaine Fowler

  4. "Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey" (Netflix)
    Michael Wilkinson (costume designer)

    OSCAR HISTORY: 1 nomination (2013's "American Hustle")
    –
    DIRECTOR: David E. Talbert
    SYNOPSIS: Set in the gloriously vibrant town of Cobbleton, the film follows legendary toymaker Jeronicus Jangle whose fanciful inventions burst with whimsy and wonder. But when his trusted apprentice steals his most prized creation, it’s up to his equally bright and inventive granddaughter — and a long-forgotten invention — to heal old wounds and reawaken the magic within.
    STARRING: Forest Whitaker, Madelen Mills, Keegan-Michael Key, Hugh Bonneville, Ricky Martin, Phylicia Rashad, Anika Noni Rose

  5. "Doolittle" (Universal Pictures)
    Jenny Beavan (costume designer)

    OSCAR HISTORY: 10 nominations, 2 wins (1986's "A Room with a View" and 2016's "Mad Max: Fury Road")
    –
    DIRECTOR: Stephen Gaghan
    SYNOPSIS: A physician who can talk to animals embarks on an adventure to find a legendary island with a young apprentice and a crew of strange pets.
    STARRING: Robert Downey Jr, Antonio Banderas, Michael Sheen, Jim Broadbent, Jessie Buckley, Emma Thompson, Harry Collett, John Cena, Rami Malek, Kumail Nanjiani, Octavia Spencer, Tom Holland, Craig Robinson, Ralph Fiennes, Selena Gomez

ALSO IN CONTENTION:

  1. "Ammonite" (Neon)
    Michael O'Connor (costume designer)

    OSCAR HISTORY: 3 nominations, 1 win (2008's "The Duchess")
    –
    DIRECTOR: Francis Lee
    SYNOPSIS: 1840s England, acclaimed but overlooked fossil hunter Mary Anning and a young woman sent to convalesce by the sea develop an intense relationship, altering both of their lives forever.
    STARRING: Kate Winslet, Saoirse Ronan, Fiona Shaw, Gemma Jones, James McArdle

  2. "The Glorias" (Roadside Attractions and LD Entertainment)
    Sandy Powell (costume designer)

    OSCAR HISTORY: 15 nominations, 3 wins (1998's "Shakespeare in Love," 2004's "The Aviator" and 2009's "The Young Victoria")
    –
    DIRECTOR: Julie Taymor
    SYNOPSIS: The story of feminist icon Gloria Steinem's itinerant childhood and its influence on her life as a writer, activist and organizer for women's rights worldwide.
    STARRING: Julianne Moore, Alicia Vikander, Timothy Hutton, Lorraine Toussaint, Janelle Monáe, Bette Midler

  3. "Pinocchio" (Roadside Attractions)
    Massimo Cantini Parrini (costume designer)

    OSCAR HISTORY: Never nominated
    –
    DIRECTOR: Matteo Garrone
    SYNOPSIS: Old woodcarver Geppetto's puppet creation, Pinocchio, magically comes to life with dreams of becoming a real boy. Easily led astray, Pinocchio tumbles from one misadventure to another as he is tricked, kidnapped and chased by bandits.
    STARRING: Roberto Benigni, Federico Ielapi, Rocco Papaleo

  4. "The Prom" (Netflix)
    Lou Eyrich (costume designer)

    OSCAR HISTORY: Never nominated
    -
    DIRECTOR: Ryan Murphy
    SYNOPSIS: A troupe of hilariously self-obsessed theater stars swarm into a small conservative Indiana town in support of a high school girl who wants to take her girlfriend to the prom.
    STARRING: Meryl Streep, Jo Ellen Pellman, James Corden, Nicole Kidman, Ariana DeBose, Kerry Washington, Keegan-Michael Key, Andrew Rannells. Tracey Ullman

  5. "The Personal History of David Copperfield" (Searchlight Pictures)
    Suzie Harman, Robert Worley (costume designer)

    OSCAR HISTORY: Never nominated
    –
    DIRECTOR: Armando Iannucci
    SYNOPSIS: A modern take on Charles Dickens's classic tale of a young orphan who is able to triumph over many obstacles.
    STARRING: Dev Patel, Hugh Laurie, Tilda Swinton, Peter Capaldi, Gwendoline Christie

  6. "The United States vs. Billie Holiday" (Hulu)
    Paolo Nieddu (costume designer)

    OSCAR HISTORY: Never nominated
    –
    DIRECTOR: Lee Daniels
    SYNOPSIS: Follows Holiday during her career as she is targeted by the Federal Department of Narcotics with an undercover sting operation led by black Federal Agent Jimmy Fletcher, with whom she had a tumultuous affair.
    STARRING: Andra Day, Trevante Rhodes, Natasha Lyonne, Garrett Hedlund, Rob Morgan, Da'Vine Joy Randolph, Tyler James Williams

  7. "The Trial of the Chicago 7" (Netflix)
    Susan Lyall (costume designer)

    OSCAR HISTORY: 1 nomination (2013's "Nebraska")
    –
    DIRECTOR: Aaron Sorkin
    SYNOPSIS: The story of 7 people on trial stemming from various charges surrounding the uprising at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Illinois.
    STARRING: Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Sacha Baron Cohen, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Michael Keaton, John Carroll Lynch, Eddie Redmayne, Mark Rylance, Alex Sharp, Jeremy Strong

  8. "Barb and Star Go To Vista Del Mar" (Lionsgate)
    Trayce Gigi Field (costume designer)

    OSCAR HISTORY: Never nominated
    –
    DIRECTOR: Kelly Reichardt
    SYNOPSIS: Lifelong friends Barb and Star embark on the adventure of a lifetime when they decide to leave their small Midwestern town for the first time - ever.
    STARRING: Kristen Wiig, Annie Mumolo, Jamie Dornan

  9. "Wonder Woman 1984" (Warner Bros.)
    Lindy Hemming (costume designer)

    OSCAR HISTORY: 1 nomination, 1 win (1999's "Topsy-Turvy")
    –
    DIRECTOR: Patty Jenkins
    SYNOPSIS: Rewind to the 1980s as Wonder Woman's next big screen adventure finds her facing two all-new foes: Max Lord and The Cheetah.
    STARRING: Gal Gadot, Kristen Wiig, Chris Pine, Pedro Pascal, Robin Wright, Connie Nielsen

  10. "Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)" (Warner Bros.)
    Erin Benach (costume designer)

    OSCAR HISTORY: Never nominated
    –
    DIRECTOR: Cathy Yan
    SYNOPSIS: After splitting with the Joker, Harley Quinn joins superheroes Black Canary, Huntress and Renee Montoya to save a young girl from an evil crime lord.
    STARRING: Margot Robbie, Ewan McGregor, Rosie Perez, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Jurnee Smollett, Chris Messina, Ella Jay Basco, Ali Wong

† = no release date scheduled / could be delayed / may not be eligible
†† = could be campaigned in lead or supporting categories / original or adapted screenplay categories

AWARDS CATEGORY HISTORY

The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, is Hollywood’s most prestigious artistic award in the film industry. The most awarded films in Oscar history are “Ben-Hur,” “Titanic” and “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” at 11 statuettes. The most nominated films in Academy history are “All About Eve,” “Titanic” and “La La Land” at 14. “La La Land” is the only film of the three to have lost best picture. The biggest Oscar “losers,” meaning most nominated and walk away with zero awards, are 1977’s “The Turning Point” and 1985’s “The Color Purple” at 11 each. John Ford has the most wins in this category with four, with Frank Capra and William Wyler behind with three. Wyler has the most nominations of any director with 12, with Martin Scorsese next in line with nine. Clint Eastwood is the oldest winner in Oscar history at 74 when he won for “Million Dollar Baby” (2004), while the oldest nominee ever is John Huston at 79 when he was nominated for “Prizzi’s Honor.” The youngest winner in history is Damien Chazelle for “La La Land” (2016) at 32, while John Singleton was the youngest nominee of all-time at 24 when he was shortlisted for “Boyz N in the Hood.” (1991)

Academy Awards Predictions (All Categories)

2021 Golden Globes Predictions (Film)

2021 SAG Awards Predictions (Film)

About the Academy Awards (Oscars)

The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, is Hollywood’s most prestigious artistic award in the film industry. Since 1927, nominees and winners are selected by members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). 17 branches are represented within the near 10,000 person membership. The branches are actors, associates, casting directors, cinematographers, costume designers, directors, documentary, executives, film editors, makeup and hairstylists, marketing and public relations, members-at-large, members-at-large (artists’ representatives), music, producers, production design, short films and feature animation, sound, visual effects and writers.

  • The Oscars are scheduled for Sunday, April 25, 2021.

About the Golden Globes

The Golden Globes Awards, hosted by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, is held annually with 93 members since 1944. The group recognizes excellence in film and television across drama and comedy or musical categories. Damien Chazelle’s “La La Land” holds the record for the most awards won by a single film with seven. Milos Forman’s “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” and Alan Parker’s “Midnight Express” are next in line with six each. Robert Altman’s “Nashville” has the record for most nominations received by a film with 11 while Colin Higgins’ “Foul Play,” Francis Ford Coppola’s “The Godfather Part III” and Mike Nichols’ “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” share the record for receiving the most nominations and not winning a single award at seven.

  • The Golden Globes are scheduled for Feb. 28, 2021.

About the SAG Awards

The Screen Actors Guild Awards, hosted by SAG-AFTRA, is an annual award show that has become one of the most important and key indicators for the Oscars. Four films have won the most SAG awards with three: 1999’s “American Beauty,” 2002’s “Chicago,” 2011’s “The Help” and 2017’s “Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri.” Three movies have been nominated for the most SAG awards with five: 1998’s “Shakespeare in Love,” “Chicago” and 2008’s “Doubt.”

  • The SAG Awards are scheduled to take place on Sunday, April 4, 2021

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