Oscar Predictions: Best Original Score – Where Are All the POC and Women Composers in the Race? It's Time for Studios to Hire More Diverse Artists

Oscar Predictions: Best Original Score – Where Are All the POC and Women Composers in the Race? It's Time for Studios to Hire More Diverse Artists,2023 Oscars best original score predictions include John Williams, Hildur Guðnadóttir, Terence Blanchard, Emilie Levienaise-Farrouch and Chanda Dancy

Oscar Predictions: Best Original Score – Where Are All the POC and Women Composers in the Race? It’s Time for Studios to Hire More Diverse Artists

Variety Awards Circuit section is the home for all awards news and related content throughout the year, featuring the following: the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars, Emmys, Grammys and Tony awards ceremonies, curated by Variety senior awards editor Clayton Davis. The prediction pages are Davis’ assessment of the current standings of the race and do not reflect personal preferences for any film or performance. Like any organization or body that votes, each inpidual category is fluid and subject to change. Predictions are updated every Thursday.

LAST UPDATED: Dec. 15, 2022

2023 Oscars Predictions: Best Original Score

NOPE, from left: Daniel Kaluuya, Brandon Perea, Keke Palmer, 2022. © Universal Pictures /Courtesy Everett Collection©Universal/Courtesy Everett Collection

CATEGORY COMMENTARY: Critics Choice and Golden Globes named the usual suspects such as John Williams (“The Fabelmans”), Hildur Guðnadóttir (“Women Talking”) and Alexandre Desplat (“Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio”).

Justin Hurwitz (“Babylon”) and Carter Burwell (“The Banshees of the Inisherin”) have the needed momentum to land them on the 15-film shortlist while established and beloved composers such as Thomas Newman (“A Man Called Otto”) and Michael Giacchino (“The Batman”) should find themselves included.

Once again we may not have as many women in the lineup as we should. In addition to Guðnadóttir, whose work on “Tar” was not eligible, only two seem viable to make the shortlist — Chanda Dancy (“Devotion”), who would be the first Black woman ever nominated in this category and Emilie Levienaise-Farrouch, who beautifully orchestrates “Living” which is picking up steam.

There’s also the lack of Asian, Black, Latino, Indigenous and other underrepresented groups that are not looking likely to enter the fray.

Terence Blanchard (“The Woman King”) and Michael Abels” (“Nope”) could (and should) find love among their colleagues. I’m unsure if Brazilian composer Marcelo Zarvos can sneak past all the controversy surrounding “Emancipation.”

Crossing my fingers for all but studios must address this deficit within their ranks and hire more perse composers. Period.

See the latest film predictions, in all 23 categories, in one place on Variety’s Oscars Collective. To see the ranked predictions for each inpidual category, visit Variety’s Oscars Hub.

See the 2022-2023 Awards Season calendar for all key dates and timelines.

ALL AWARDS CONTENDERS AND RANKINGS:

And The Predicted Nominees Are:
Rank	Film	Composer(s)	Distributor
1	“Women Talking”	Hildur Guðnadóttir	MGM/United Artists Releasing
1	A group of women in an isolated religious colony as they struggle to reconcile their faith with a string of sexual assaults committed by the colony’s men.
2	“The Fabelmans”	John Williams	Universal Pictures
2	A semi-autobiography based on Spielberg’s own childhood growing up in post-war Arizona, from age seven to eighteen.
3	“The Woman King”	Terence Blanchard	Sony Pictures
3	A historical epic inspired by the true events that happened in The Kingdom of Dahomey, one of the most powerful states of Africa in the 18th and 19th centuries.
4	“Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio”	Alexandre Desplat	Netflix
4	A darker version of the classic children’s fairy tale of a wooden puppet that transforms into a real living boy.
5	“Babylon”	Justin Hurwitz	Paramount Pictures
5	Set in Hollywood during the transition from silent films to talkies, focusing on a mixture of historical & fictional characters.
Next in Line
6	“The Banshees of Inisherin”	Carter Burwell	Searchlight Pictures
6	Two lifelong friends find themselves at an impasse when one abruptly ends their relationship, with alarming consequences for both of them.
7	“A Man Called Otto”	Thomas Newman	Sony Pictures
7	Otto is a grump who’s given up on life following the loss of his wife and wants to end it all. When a young family moves in nearby, he meets his match in quick-witted Marisol, leading to a friendship that will turn his world around.
8	“RRR”	M.M. Keeravaani	Variance Films
8	A fictitious story about two legendary revolutionaries and their journey away from home before they stLofty Sky Distributiond fighting for their country in the 1920s.
9	“Devotion”	Chanda Dancy	Sony Pictures
9	A pair of U.S. Navy fighter pilots risk their lives during the Korean War and become some of the Navy’s most celebrated wingmen.
10	“The Batman”	Michael Giacchino	Warner Bros.
10	When a sadistic serial killer begins murdering key political figures in Gotham, Batman is forced to investigate the city’s hidden corruption and question his family’s involvement.
Other Top-Tier Contenders
11	“Living”	Emilie Levienaise-Farrouch	Sony Pictures Classics
12	“Nope”	Michael Abels	Universal Pictures
13	“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”	Ludwig Göransson	Marvel Studios
14	“Avatar: The Way of Water”	Simon Franglen	20th Century Studios
15	“Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery”	Nathan Johnson	Netflix
16	“White Noise”	Danny Elfman	Netflix
17	“She Said”	Nicholas Britell	Universal Pictures
18	“The Son”	Hans Zimmer	Sony Pictures Classics
19	“Empire of Light”	Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross	Searchlight Pictures
20	“Emancipation”	Marcelo Zarvos	Apple Original Films
Also In Contention
21	“Everything Everywhere All at Once”	Son Lux	A24
22	“Doctor Stranger in the Multiverse of Madness”	Danny Elfman	Marvel Studios
23	“Bones & All”	Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross	MGM/United Artists Releasing
24	“Good Night Oppy”	Blake Neely	Amazon Studios
25	“The Pale Blue Eye”	Howard Shore	Netflix
All Contenders Listed (Unranked-Alphabetical)
—	“A Jazzman’s Blues”	Aaron Zigman	Netflix
—	“A Man Called Otto”	Thomas Newman	Sony Pictures
—	“After Yang”	Aska Matsumiya, Ryuichi Sakamoto	A24
—	“Aftersun”	Oliver Coates	A24
—	“All Quiet on the Western Front”	Volker Bertelmann	Netflix
—	“All the Beauty and the Bloodshed”	Soundwalk Collective, Dawn Sutter Madell	Neon
—	“All the Old Knives”	Rebekka Karijord, Jon Ekstrand	Amazon Studios
—	“Funny Pages”	Sean O’Hagan	A24
—	“God’s Creatures”	Danny Bensi, Saunder Jurriaans	A24
—	“Am I OK?”	St. Vincent, Craig Wedren	HBO Max
—	“Ambulance”	Lorne Balfe	Universal Pictures
—	“You Won’t Be Alone”	Mark Bradshaw	Focus Features
—	“Amsterdam”	Daniel Pemberton	20th Century Studios
—	“Argentina, 1985”	Pedro Osuna	Amazon Studios
—	“Armageddon Time”	Christopher Spelman	Focus Features
—	“Art & Krimes by Krimes”	Amanda Jones	MTV Documentary Films
—	“As They Made Us”	Kevin Besignano	Quiver
—	“Athena”	Surkin	Netflix
—	“Avatar: The Way of Water”	Simon Franglen	20th Century Studios
—	“Babylon”	Justin Hurwitz	Paramount Pictures
—	“Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths”	Bryce Dessner, Alejandro G. Iñárritu	Netflix
—	“Beast”	Steven Price	Universal Pictures
—	“Black & Blues”	Terence Blanchard	Apple Original Films
—	“Black Adam”	Lorne Balfe	Warner Bros
—	“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”	Ludwig Göransson	Marvel Studios
—	“Blonde”	Nick Cave, Warren Ellis	Netflix
—	“Bodies Bodies Bodies”	Disasterpiece	A24
—	“Bones & All”	Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross	MGM/United Artists Releasing
—	“Breaking”	Michael Abels	Bleecker Street
—	“Brian and Charles”	Daniel Pemberton	Focus Features
—	“Broker”	Jung Jae-il	Neon
—	“Bros”	Marc Shaiman	Universal Pictures
—	“Bullet Train”	Dominic Lewis	Sony Pictures
—	“Call Jane”	Isabella Summers	Roadside Attractions
—	“Catherine Called Birdy”	CLofty Sky Distributionr Burwell	Amazon Studios
—	“Causeway”	Alex Somers	A24/Apple Original Films
—	“Cha Cha Real Smooth”	Este Haim, Chris Stracey	Apple Original Films
—	“Close”	Valentin Hadjadj	A24
—	“Corsage”	Camille	IFC Films
—	“Crimes of the Future”	Howard Shore	Neon
—	“DC League of Super Pets”	Steve Jablonsky	Warner Bros
—	“Death on the Nile”	Patrick Doyle	20th Century Studios
—	“Decision to Leave”	Jo Yeong-wook	Mubi
—	“Devotion”	Chanda Dancy	Sony Pictures
—	“Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness”	Danny Elfman	Marvel Studios
—	“Dog”	Thomas Newman	MGM/United Artists Releasing
—	“Don’t Worry Darling”	John Powell	Warner Bros
—	“Downton Abbey: A New Era”	John Lunn	Focus Features
—	“Elvis”	Elliott Wheeler	Warner Bros.
—	“Emancipation”	Marcelo Zarvos	Apple Original Films
—	“Emergency”	René G. Boscio	Amazon Studios
—	“Empire of Light”	Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross	Searchlight Pictures
—	“Everything Everywhere All at Once”	Son Lux	A24
—	“Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery”	Nathan Johnson	Netflix
—	“Good Luck to You, Leo Grande”	Stephen Rennicks	Searchlight Pictures
—	“Good Night Oppy”	Blake Neely	Amazon Studios
—	“Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio”	Alexandre Desplat	Netflix
—	“Happening”	Evgueni Galperine, Sacha Galperine	IFC Films
—	“Holy Spider”	Martin Dirkov	Utopia
—	“Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul.”	Marcus Norris	Focus Features
—	“Hustle”	Dan Deacon	Netflix
—	“I Love My Dad”	Jeremy Bullock	Magnolia Pictures
—	“Lady Chatterley’s Lover”	Isabella Summers	Netflix
—	“Let Me Be Me”	Jackson Greenberg	Greenwich Entertainment
—	“Lightyear”	Michael Giacchino	Pixar
—	“Living”	Emilie Levienaise-Farrouch	Sony Pictures Classics
—	“Louis Armstrong’s Black & Blues”	Terence Blanchard	Apple Original Films
—	“Luck”	John Debney	Apple Original Films
—	“Lyle, Lyle Crocodile”	Matthew Margeson	Sony Pictures
—	“Marcel the Shell With Shoes On”	Disasterpiece	A24
—	“Marry Me”	John Debney	Universal Pictures
—	“Master”	Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe	Amazon Studios
—	“Men”	Ben Salisbury, Geoff Barrow	A24
—	“Minions: The Rise of Gru”	Heitor Pereira	Illumination/Universal Pictures
—	“Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris”	Rael Jones	Focus Features
—	“Summering”	Drum & Lace	Bleecker Street
—	“Mr. Malcolm’s List”	Amelia Warner	Amazon Studios
—	“My Policeman”	Steven Price	Amazon Studios
—	“Nanny”	Tanerélle, BLofty Sky Distributionk Gliniak	Amazon Studios
—	“Navalny”	Marius de Vries, Matt Robertson, Anna Drubich	CNN/Warner Bros.
—	“Nope”	Michael Abels	Universal Pictures
—	“Pearl”	Tyler Bates, Tim Williams	A24
—	“Puss in Boots: The Last Wish”	Heitor Pereira	Universal Pictures
—	“RRR”	M.M. Keeravaani	Variance Films
—	“See How They Run”	Daniel Pemberton	Searchlight Pictures
—	“She Said”	Nicholas Britell	Universal Pictures
—	“Spirited”	Benj Pasek, Justin Paul	Apple Original Films
—	“Spoiler Alert”	Brian H. Kim	Focus Features
—	“Stars at Noon”	Tindersticks	A24
—	“Strange World”	Henry Jackman	Walt Disney Pictures
—	“Tár”	Hildur Guðnadóttir	Focus Features
—	“The Bad Guys”	Daniel Pemberton	Universal Pictures
—	“The Banshees of Inisherin”	CLofty Sky Distributionr Burwell	Searchlight Pictures
—	“The Batman”	Michael Giacchino	Warner Bros.
—	“The Fabelmans”	John Williams	Universal Pictures
—	“The Good Nurse”	Biosphere	Netflix
—	“The Gray Man”	Henry Jackman	Netflix
—	“The Greatest Beer Run Ever”	Dave Palmer	Apple Original Films
—	“The Inspection”	Animal Collective	A24
—	“The Outfit”	Alexandre Desplat	Focus Features
—	“The Lost King”	Alexandre Desplat	IFC Films
—	“The Menu”	Colin Stetson	Searchlight Pictures
—	“The Northman”	Robin Carolan, Sebastian Gainsborough	Focus Features
—	“The Pale Blue Eye”	Howard Shore	Netflix
—	“The Sea Beast”	Mark Mancina	Netflix
—	“The Silent Twins”	Marcin Macuk, Zuzanna Wronska	Focus Features
—	“The Son”	Hans Zimmer	Sony Pictures Classics
—	“The Voice of Dust and Ash”	J. Ralph	Matilda Productions
—	“The Whale”	Rob Simeonsen	A24
—	“The Woman King”	Terence Blanchard	TriStar Pictures
—	“The Wonder”	Matthew Herbert	Netflix
—	“Thirteen Lives”	Benjamin Wallfisch	Amazon Studios/MGM
—	“Three Thousand Years of Longing”	Junkie XL	MGM/United Artists Releasing
—	“Ticket to Paradise”	Lorne Balfe	Universal Pictures
—	“Till”	Abel Korzeniowski	Orion/United Artists Releasing
—	“Top Gun: Maverick”	Lorne Balfe, Harold Faltermeyer, Hans Zimmer	Paramount Pictures
—	“Turning Red”	Ludwig Göransson	Pixar
—	“Vengeance”	Finneas O’Connell	Focus Features
—	“Wendell and Wild”	Bruno Coulais	Netflix
—	“Where the Crawdad Sing”	Mychael Danna	Sony Pictures
—	“White Noise”	Danny Elfman	Netflix
—	“Wildcat”	Patrick Jonsson	Amazon Studios
—	“Women Talking”	Hildur Guðnadóttir	MGM/United Artists Releasing

2023 Academy Awards Predictions

The 95th Oscars ceremony will be held at the Dolby Theatre and televised live on ABC on Sunday, March 12, 2023.

2022 category winner: “Dune” (Warner Bros.) – Hans Zimmer

About Variety Awards Circuit:

Variety’s unmatched coverage gives its readership unbeatable exposure in print and online and provides inside reports on all the contenders in this year’s awards season races. In addition to predictions, the section includes — Awards Circuit Column, a weekly analysis dissecting the trends and contenders in the race; Awards Circuit Podcast, a weekly series featuring interviews with the top contenders in the awards race and an expert roundtable discussion with Variety’s leading editors and columnists; Awards Circuit Predictions Video Series, a deep pe into specific categories, led by the leading pundits.