Deadpool, Star Trek Beyond and Suicide Squad are among the seven films shortlisted for this year’s Makeup and Hairstyling Oscar, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has confirmed.
They’ll be jostling for that coveted gold statuette alongside The Dressmaker, Florence Foster Jenkins, A Man Called Ove – Hannes Holm’s Swedish pic that’s also in the running for the Foreign Language Film Oscar – and Hail, Caesar!, Joel and Ethan Coen’s perfectly cast Hollywood caper.
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and Jackie, Pablo Larraín’s profound biopic, are among the most notable exceptions, while many feel the Gareth Edwards-directed Rogue One: A Star Wars Story was also unfairly shunned – Disney’s anthology movie made the cut for Best VFX, at least.
Here’s that official shortlist for this year’s Makeup and Hairstyling Oscar:
Deadpool
The Dressmaker
Florence Foster Jenkins
Hail, Caesar!
A Man Called Ove
Star Trek Beyond
Suicide Squad
As is standard practice during the nomination process, members of the Academy’s Makeup Artists and Hairstylists Branch will be invited to view 10-minute excerpts from each of those seven candidates. That’ll take place on Saturday, January 7, after which experts will be asked to whittle down the shortlist to three before all other nominations for next year’s Oscars ceremony are announced on January 24, 2017.
Of the films nominated for this year’s Makeup and Hairstyling Oscar, it’s easy to make a strong case for each candidate. The extensive prosthetic work involved to transform Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje into Killer Croc almost defies belief, while Idris Elba certainly stole many a scene in Star Trek Beyond. Then again, having emerged as the cinematic underdog of 2016, it’d be foolish to discount Deadpool‘s chances – just imagine the Merc With a Mouth’s acceptance speech.
Expect the 89th Academy Awards to take place in Hollywood’s Dolby Theatre on February 26, 2017.