In 2026, the first Oscar for the newly appointed Best Casting category will be handed out to the winning casting director. The Best Casting category has existed at the BAFTAs since 2020, but it will be difficult to pin down exactly how Oscar voters will decide to award it without prior Oscar history. With the exception of “Rocks” in 2021, the Best Casting BAFTA has always gone to a film that also received a BAFTA acting win. When you think of the best ensembles of 2019 or 2022, “Joker” and “Elvis” may not come to mind. But this is decidedly not a Best Ensemble award, and when you consider the fact that Joaquin Phoenix and Austin Butler were cast in highly transformative roles and knocked their performances out of the park, it makes sense that the casting directors who selected them won the BAFTA. “Anora” and “West Side Story” are the kind of ensemble-heavy films more in line with what you might expect from a Best Casting winner, especially since each has the added task of finding several talented actors who can authentically depict the nationalities of their characters.
However, while it must again be said that this is not a Best Ensemble Oscar, this year’s Oscar contenders can use a variety of narratives to propel them toward awards success in this category.
The current frontrunner, “Sinners,” is also widely predicted to win SAG Ensemble, and for good reason. “Sinners” is a cultural sensation with one of the year’s most expansive and excellent ensembles. The cast is large, but every performer gets their moment to shine and further endear you to their character despite their tragic fate. It is a film about community, and its intentional, identity-conscious casting elevates it to new heights. From performances by known thespians like Delroy Lindo and Michael B. Jordan, who both showcase new sides of themselves, to turns from underrated, scene-stealing actors like Wunmi Mosaku and Omar Benson Miller, to rising star Miles Caton’s breakout role, “Sinners” has a perfect cast from top to bottom. Francine Maisler may have to begin making room on her shelf.
Meanwhile, “One Battle After Another” is the clear frontrunner for Best Picture, and it is certainly possible that Best Casting is part of its Oscar haul. The film’s performances are stellar across the board, with Oscar-winning legends like Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, and Benicio del Toro turning in some of their best work in years, while talents like Teyana Taylor and Regina Hall steal scenes with their captivating presences. Penn and Taylor both stand a great chance at winning Oscars, and being the casting director responsible for two potentially Oscar-winning performances is a strong narrative. However, the film’s biggest casting achievement is the discovery of Chase Infiniti, who makes her film debut here. Yet you would never guess this was her first performance, given how she goes toe-to-toe with veterans and, at times, outright outshines them. She leads the film with a simultaneous intensity and ease that is rarely seen on-screen, and it is impossible to imagine “One Battle After Another” without her. It is easy, however, to imagine her becoming one of our newest movie stars.
“Hamnet” features two powerhouse, best-of-the-year performances from Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal, with the former widely tipped to win the Oscar. The feat of being the casting director behind two of the year’s most beloved performances is already a compelling argument. However, Nina Gold has also accomplished perhaps the most challenging bit of casting out of any film on this list: casting capable child actors. In “Hamnet,” she perfectly casts three young performers who not only hold their own against these acting juggernauts but also anchor some of the film’s most emotional scenes. The film does not work if you are not emotionally invested in the Shakespeare family dynamic, and Jacobi Jupe, Olivia Lynes, and Freya Hannan-Mills are central to it.
If voters cast their ballots based on which film’s casting director made the single best decision of the year, “Marty Supreme” has a strong chance here as well. Timothée Chalamet has received immense acclaim, career-best, for his turn as Marty Mauser. He could easily win his Oscar for this role, as his raves trump those of most of his competition. And the film has its fair share of inspired casting choices outside of Chalamet; casting Gwyneth Paltrow as an out-of-touch former actress hoping for a comeback and Kevin O’Leary as a wealthy, conniving manager plays on and subverts public perceptions. The performances across the board in “Marty Supreme” are well-liked. If this film winds up as the top-tier contender many expect, a nomination for Jennifer Venditti could easily happen.
One of the year’s most surprising performances came from a last-minute casting decision. After Andrew Garfield withdrew from “Frankenstein” due to scheduling conflicts, Jacob Elordi replaced him as the Creature. Though Elordi has done solid work in projects like “Euphoria,” “Priscilla,” and “Saltburn,” few could have predicted he had this kind of performance in him. But clearly Robin D. Cook did, and as a result, we have a remarkable transformation that fully embodies one of fiction’s most iconic characters. The film is essentially a two-hander between Elordi and Oscar Isaac, but the strength of their performances could help its chances here.
The likelihood of “Wicked: For Good” receiving a Best Picture nomination is much lower than it was a week ago, though it is still undeniably in contention. However, casting an ensemble of actors who can sing, dance, and embody beloved characters with sky-high audience expectations was an arduous task, one that was thankfully knocked out of the park. Cynthia Erivo’s Elphaba and Ariana Grande-Butera’s Glinda are two of the most iconic film characters in recent years, and they blew away all expectations last year. There is, however, a potential issue “Wicked: For Good” may face in this category: Tiffany Little Canfield and Bernard Telsey’s actual casting achievement was for “Wicked,” and the only significant cast addition this year was Colman Domingo’s voice-over role as the Cowardly Lion. Perhaps voters will recognize that Canfield and Telsey were not awarded the previous year because of the novelty of the category. Still, if the film begins to drop off as a major Oscar contender, Best Casting is not a safe nomination.
Though the buzz for “Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere” has dropped off significantly since its wide release, it still stands a chance at receiving a nomination here if Jeremy Allen White garners a Best Actor nod for his embodiment of singer Bruce Springsteen. Though it is less a physical transformation than Austin Butler in “Elvis” or Jessica Chastain in “The Eyes of Tammy Faye,” he nonetheless captures the essence of the musician, which may be even more of an achievement. Francine Maisler undoubtedly stands a better shot at a nomination for “Sinners,” but she should not be counted out here.
On the flip side, “Sentimental Value” is securely in Best Picture contention, but a casting nomination does not necessarily need to be part of its package. While it may feature only four pivotal actors, the chemistry, or lack thereof in Fanning’s case, that Renate Reinsve, Stellan Skarsgård, Ingeborga Dapkūnaitė, and Elle Fanning share is the central reason the film is as emotionally resonant as it is. Their dynamics are delicate and feel impossible to recreate with a different cast, making this a bona fide casting achievement. The core conflict in this film, the controversial casting of Rachel Kemp, could also appeal to a category whose nominees are voted on by casting directors.
The “Knives Out” franchise has set an impossibly high standard for its ensembles between its first two hits. Though the top-tier Daniel Craig remains a constant in this delightful whodunnit series, the supporting casts change with every movie, forcing casting directors to be inventive in their selections. Yet they manage to top themselves with “Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery,” which has been praised for how well each cast member is utilized. It is a notably darker and more grounded entry in the franchise, so it is doubly impressive that each actor manages to capture the essence of the “Knives Out” tone while adapting it to a more gothic backdrop. And without Bret Howe and Mary Vernieu, this killer ensemble could never have been assembled.
While “Jay Kelly” was immediately pegged as an Oscar contender, its muted Venice reception seemed to halt its awards potential. Yet slowly but surely, it has risen in acclaim after premiering at North American festivals like Telluride and the New York Film Festival. As it stands, “Jay Kelly” features a star-studded cast chosen for their legacy. Look no further than George Clooney, a movie star reflecting on his career by playing a movie star reflecting on his career. The film explores the emotional toll the entertainment industry takes on identity and relationships. Hence, Douglas Aibel and Nina Gold’s decision to cast well-known actors in the later, more reflective stages of their careers ultimately creates deep catharsis.
Finally, we have a film that has not been discussed nearly enough as a contender in this race: “It Was Just an Accident.” Jafar Panahi’s Palme d’Or winner features one of the best ensembles of the year. Each performer authentically conveys their character’s lingering trauma and unique coping mechanisms without a single false note. These naturalistic yet devastating performances would be reason enough for a Best Casting nomination. Yet “It Was Just an Accident” is an unfathomable feat of casting for another reason: virtually no performer in the film is a professional actor, save for Vahid Mobasseri and Ebrahim Azizi. The fact that Panahi was able to spot such talent in people who do not act for a living and give them a platform to deliver some of the year’s best performances should not be ignored.
What do you think will be nominated for the first Oscar for Best Casting? Is there anything we missed? Please let us know in the comments section below and on Next Best Picture’s X account and check out the team’s latest Oscar predictions here.
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