As Tom Donahue’s 2012 documentary “Casting By” brought to wider attention, “casting director” is the only main title credit that the Oscars have never recognized. But that’s about to change. Last year, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced its plan to introduce the category at the 2026 ceremony.
The decision comes after years of lobbying from cinema luminaries about how crucial the role is to the success of a film. (This marks the first time the Oscars have introduced a new category since the Academy added a prize for best animated feature in 2002.)
But what would have happened if the achievement in casting award had debuted this year instead—and which films would have been the most likely contenders? AMPAS has yet to reveal details about the category, including how many nominees will be included and whether the award will honor individual CDs or their firms. (The Academy is releasing the official rules in April.) In any case, the award will celebrate the work of casting directors who have brought promising newcomers to the fore, introduced you to your latest screen crush, or perhaps orchestrated the spectacular comeback of an underused Hollywood vet.
The 2025 Academy Awards: Full List of Nominees Two 2024 projects seem like sure bets for a hypothetical nomination at the 97th Academy Awards. There’s Jon M. Chu’s runaway smash “Wicked,” which was cast by veteran team Tiffany Little Canfield and Bernard Telsey. Not only did the pair take risks that paid off in spades—the film also boasts one of the most diverse ensembles of the year.
Their most successful gambit was casting pop star and cinema newcomer Ariana Grande opposite Broadway powerhouse Cynthia Erivo, who’s only one letter away from an EGOT. (Maybe this Oscars will be the charm?) Anyone who’s seen “Wicked” will tell you that the electric chemistry between these two witches speaks for itself. The film also includes turns from Hollywood royalty (Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh); stage and TV star Jonathan Bailey; and fresh faces like theater actor Ethan Slater and wheelchair user Marissa Bode. Fortunately, the sequel, which debuts later this year, will be eligible to compete for casting gold in 2026.
“Emilia Pérez” Credit: PAGE 114/WHY NOT PRODUCTIONS/PATHÉ FILMS/FRANCE 2 CINÉMA
Though “Wicked” is the clear frontrunner for the hypothetical 2025 prize, it would have faced stiff competition from Jacques Audiard’s Mexico-set “Emilia Pérez,” cast by Christel Baras and Carla Hool. The diverse, bilingual ensemble includes leading actor Karla Sofía Gascón, who is a trans woman; Latin American A-listers Zoe Saldana and Selena Gomez; and Mexican performer Adriana Paz. Then there’s the ingenuity of the film itself—a genre-defying blend of crime thriller, telenovela-style romance, and musical theater. Add to that Gascón, Saldana, Gomez, and Paz’s joint lead actress win at Cannes, and Audiard’s film would have been a strong competitor for the casting prize.
Or perhaps the statuette would have gone to Laure Cochener and Léa Moszkowicz for “The Substance.” Yes, Coralie Fargeat’s feminist body horror has a much smaller ensemble than “Wicked” or “Emilia Pérez.” But it also gave us the comeback performance of the year with Demi Moore’s Elisabeth Sparkle, a lonely, insecure star grappling with aging in a youth-obsessed industry. It’s a career-defining turn for the actor, whose Golden Globe speech was a rallying cry for moviegoers to celebrate the talent of older women in Hollywood. Margaret Qualley is the perfect foil as Elisabeth’s younger counterpart, Sue. Extra points for the inclusion of Dennis Quaid, who stepped in for the late Ray Liotta to play a misogynistic, shrimp-snarfing TV producer.
There are plenty of other titles that could round out the category. Sean Baker’s “Anora,” cast by the filmmaker himself, introduced the world to the prodigious talents of Mikey Madison as the titular sex worker and Russian actor Yura Borisov as a sensitive thug. Brady Corbet’s Golden Globe–winning “The Brutalist,” cast by Kristina Erdely and Cassandra Kulukundis, could also have been in the running for its thoughtfully crafted central ensemble (Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, and Guy Pearce).
“A Complete Unknown” Courtesy Searchlight Pictures
There’s also James Mangold’s Bob Dylan biopic “A Complete Unknown,” cast by Yesi Ramirez. The film has earned acclaim for Timothée Chalamet’s uncanny leading turn as the legendary singer-songwriter—not to mention Edward Norton and Monica Barbaro’s performances as Pete Seeger and Joan Baez.
Another biopic, Ali Abbasi’s “The Apprentice,” proved the doubters wrong thanks to Sebastian Stan and Jeremy Strong’s surprising takes on Donald Trump and Roy Cohn, respectively. In the film, cast by Carmen Cuba and Stephanie Gorin, the two actors brought unexpected shades of gray to this pair of outsize hucksters.
As we reflect on these could-have-beens, we can’t wait to see where the newly minted category takes us next year.
This story originally appeared in the Jan. 30 issue of Backstage Magazine.
