For our ninth Rundown article, we look at one of the two “Design” categories. After the jump, you’ll find our winner and runner-up predictions for Best Production Design as well as general commentary about the race. Friday, we’ll cover the female performances that lead the pack.

Best Production Design

Winner Predictions

• Black Panther (TB O)
• The Favourite (WL R) [New](TL O)
• First Man (PP R) [New]
• Mary Poppins Returns
• Roma

Runner-Up Predictions

• Black Panther (WL R) [New](TL R) [New]
• The Favourite (PP R) [New] (TB O)

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Wesley Lovell: There are a lot of good options here, but none of them are guaranteed a win. Black Panther and The Favourite won the Art Directors Guild award and both are in contention here. The question is whether the Academy’s general bias against superhero movies could hinder Black Panther‘s chances. I’m giving Favourite the slight lead with Panther running close behind.
Peter J. Patrick: This is the category for which they could throw First Man a bone, but are just as apt to go with The Favourite.
Tripp Burton: This seems to be down between the ADG winners from last weekend, and I will bet that the sheer size and scope of Black Panther gives it a win over The Favourite. After all, the Academy has leaned more towards fantasy in this category in recent years than royal England, which hasn’t won since Shakespeare in Love.
Thomas La Tourrette: The Academy has tended to favor more classic designs than futuristic ones in the past, which makes me wonder if they will go for The Favourite. The design work was something that one noticed in the film, and it was gorgeous. Its strongest competition will be from Black Panther, and there will be debate about how much was created in computers versus actually being built. It is a debate that will be raging for some time, but may still affect the outcome of this year’s race. I am leaning towards a win by Favourite, but would not be surprised if it goes the other way. If the Academy released the voting records, I think it will prove to be very close. Both of those seem to have the edge over the 1960s work of Roma and First Man, as well as the bright period work of Mary Poppins Returns with its 1930s work. Black Panther could win, but I expect it to go to The Favourite.

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