The films in the running for the 2022 Best Visual Effects Oscar are “Dune,” “Free Guy,” “No Time to Die,” “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” and “Spider-Man: No Way Home.” Our odds currently indicate that “Dune” (31/10) is the frontrunner, followed in order by “Spider-Man: No Way Home” (4/1), “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” (4/1), “No Time to Die” (9/2), and “Free Guy” (9/2).
Included among the 19 individuals are 12 past nominees, four of whom have triumphed at least once. The seven first-timers are Brian Connor (“Dune”), Nikos Kalaitzidis (“Free Guy”), Sean Noel Walker (“Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings”), and pairs Joel Green and Charlie Noble (“No Time to Die”) and Scott Edelstein and Chris Waegner (“Spider-Man: No Way Home”).
Connor’s three fellow “Dune” nominees – Paul Lambert, Tristan Myles, and Gerd Nefzer – have each won this award at least once before. Lambert and Nefzer prevailed in 2018 for “Blade Runner 2049,” and then Lambert nabbed a bookend trophy alongside Myles for “First Man” (2019).
Dan Sudick, who is part of both the “Free Guy” and “Spider-Man: No Way Home” teams, has 10 past nominations to his name. He is now only three bids away from tying Dennis Muren’s category record of 15, which has stood since 2006. Including “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” nine of the dozen films for which he has earned notices are part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Also nominated for “Spider-Man: No Way Home” is Kelly Port, who shared in Sudick’s bid for “Avengers: Infinity War” three years ago. There are two more past contenders in the “Free Guy” group, including Bryan Grill, who was recognized for “Hereafter” (2011) and then with Sudick for “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” (2015). The other is Swen Gillberg, who first caught the academy’s attention with his work in “Real Steel” (2012).
Chris Corbould’s “No Time to Die” nomination is his sixth and could lead to his second victory after his 2011 one for “Inception.” “No Time to Die” is also the third film for which Jonathan Fawkner has been recognized after the two in Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy” series.
The “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” team includes past nominees Joe Farrell, Dan Oliver, and Christopher Townsend. Farrell previously shared in Grill’s “Hereafter” bid, while Townsend was recognized alongside Fawkner and Sudick for “Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2” (2018).
The films that won in this category most recently are “Tenet” (2021), “1917” (2020), “First Man” (2019), and “Blade Runner 2049” (2018). This year’s winner will be revealed during the 94th Academy Awards ceremony, airing March 27 on ABC.
Make your predictions at Gold Derby now. Download our free and easy app for Apple/iPhone devices or Android (Google Play) to compete against legions of other fans plus our experts and editors for best prediction accuracy scores. See our latest prediction champs. Can you top our esteemed leaderboards next? Always remember to keep your predictions updated because they impact our latest racetrack odds, which terrify Hollywood chiefs and stars. Don’t miss the fun. Speak up and share your huffy opinions in our famous forums where 5,000 showbiz leaders lurk every day to track latest awards buzz. Everybody wants to know: What do you think? Who do you predict and why?
