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BAFTA nominations arrive Tuesday, alongside Writers Guild Awards nominations, under an unusual shadow coming days after the Academy Awards set the table for a history-making ceremony.
Last week’s 98th Oscar nominations saw Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners” make history with a record-setting 16 nominations, the most ever earned by a single film. That level of dominance, however, is not expected to repeat itself when the British Academy of Film and Television Arts unveils its slate, after announcing its longlists on Jan. 9.
Historically, BAFTA has spread the wealth more generously, and the record for most nominations remains Richard Attenborough’s “Gandhi” (1982), which earned 16 mentions. While Paul Thomas Anderson’s epic, scathing and increasingly topical political satire “One Battle After Another” matched that total during BAFTA longlist voting across 25 categories — the highest since the longlist round was introduced in 2021 — the final nominations are expected to narrow considerably.
Variety is predicting “Sinners” and “One Battle After Another” to emerge as the co-leaders with 12 nominations apiece, followed closely by a cluster of prestige contenders including “Hamnet,” “Marty Supreme” and “Sentimental Value.”
One potential milestone looms in the race for leading actor. Leonardo DiCaprio is expected to secure a nomination for “One Battle After Another,” which would mark his seventh career mention in the category, tying the all-time BAFTA record held by Michael Caine, Daniel Day-Lewis, Peter Finch, Dustin Hoffman, Jack Lemmon and Laurence Olivier.
As previously announced, BAFTA announced its 2026 Rising Star nominees, which include Miles Caton (“Sinners”), Archie Madekwe (“Lurker”), Robert Aramayo (“I Swear”), Posy Sterling (“Lollipop”) and potential leading actress nominee Chase Infiniti (“One Battle After Another”).
Potential surprises — and snubs — may include Guillermo del Toro’s “Frankenstein” missing a best film nomination, despite landing nine Oscar nominations. With only five slots available, marquee omissions are unavoidable.
It’s also worth noting that several of this year’s Oscar nominees failed to make the BAFTA longlists and therefore will not be nominated, including best actor nominee Wagner Moura for “The Secret Agent” and supporting actress nominee Elle Fanning for “Sentimental Value.” Meanwhile, Netflix’s animated film “KPop Demon Hunters” is currently the Oscar frontrunner in its category but will be absent from the BAFTA race after failing to meet the eligibility requirements for a qualifying theatrical release. That opens the door for contenders such as “Zootropolis 2,” released in the U.K. under that title.
The acting categories recognize six nominees each, which bodes well for several key performers. Leading actress is expected to include season-long fixtures such as Jessie Buckley (“Hamnet”), Rose Byrne (“If I Had Legs I’d Kick You”) and Emma Stone (“Bugonia”), though BAFTA has room for a surprise or two. Andrea Riseborough could emerge for “Dragonfly,” while her co-star Brenda Blethyn, who is projected to land in the supporting actress category, could push someone out. Blethlyn’s last nom was her winning performance in Mike Leigh’s “Secrets and Lies” (1996), and veterans can often spark large pockets of support.
Another former BAFTA winner, Russell Crowe, appears well-positioned for his first BAFTA nomination in 24 years for “Nuremberg,” his first since his performance in “A Beautiful Mind” (2002), for which he won. He could be joined by Leonardo DiCaprio, along with Ethan Hawke (“Blue Moon”) and Timothée Chalamet (“Marty Supreme”). Seasoned awards watchers, however, are likely feeling familiar anxiety over whether Michael B. Jordan makes the cut for his dual performances in “Sinners.” This is, after all, the same voting body that has never nominated Denzel Washington despite nine Oscar nominations and two wins. Still, there is cautious optimism.
One of the biggest stories on Oscar nomination morning was “Wicked: For Good” being shut out entirely. A repeat outcome is not expected at BAFTA, though the film is unlikely to match the seven nominations earned by the first entry last year. Costume design and make up and hair styling are its strongest bets, with an outside chance that Ariana Grande could still sneak into the supporting actress race.
When it comes to the Writers Guild Awards, several ineligibilities remain due to the guild’s strict submission and production requirements.
Among the best adapted screenplay contenders that will be absent from the WGA ballot, and despite strong critical support, are “No Other Choice,” “Pillion,” “The History of Sound,” “Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight,” “Ballad of a Small Player,” “Peter Hujar’s Day” and “The Chronology of Water.” Their ineligibility clears the field considerably, leaving an unobstructed pathway for the five Oscar-nominated adapted screenplays — “Bugonia,” “Frankenstein,” “Hamnet,” “One Battle After Another” and “Train Dreams.”
On the opposite side of the writing hours, several original screenplay contenders are also off the ballot, including recent Oscar nominees “Blue Moon,” “It Was Just an Accident” and “Sentimental Value.” In addition, the writers behind “Dead Man’s Wire,” “Rental Family,” “The Secret Agent,” “Sirāt” and “Sorry, Baby” are not eligible for consideration. That volume of movies ineligible could work to the advantage of former WGA nominee Bradley Cooper and his film “Is This Thing On?”, co-written with Mark Chappell and Will Arnett, as well as a populist title like “F1,” from Joseph Kosinski and Ehren Kruger, especially following the film’s best picture nom.
Below are the final BAFTA nominations predictions across all categories, in addition to the WGA Awards.
Writers Guild of America Awards Nomination Predictions
Original Screenplay
- “F1” (Apple Original Films/Warner Bros.) — Joseph Kosinski, Ehreh Kruger
- “Is This Thing On?” (Searchlight Pictures) — Will Arnett, Mark Chappell, Bradley Cooper
- “Marty Supreme” (A24) — Ronald Bronstein and Josh Safdie
- “Sinners” (Warner Bros.) — Ryan Coogler
- “Weapons” (Warner Bros.) — Zach Cregger
Alternate: “Jay Kelly”
Adapted Screenplay
- “Bugonia” (Focus Features) — Will Tracy
- “Frankenstein” (Netflix) — Guillermo del Toro
- “Hamnet” (Focus Features) — Chloé Zhao & Maggie O’Farrell
- “One Battle After Another” (Warner Bros.) — Paul Thomas Anderson
- “Train Dreams” (Netflix) — Clint Bentley & Greg Kwedar
Alternate: “Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Story”
BAFTA Awards Nomination Predictions
Best Film
- “Hamnet”
- “Marty Supreme”
- “One Battle After Another”
- “Sentimental Value”
- “Sinners”
Alternate: “Bugonia”
Outstanding British Film
- “28 Years Later”
- “Ballad of a Small Player”
- “The Ballad of Wallis Island”
- “The Choral”
- “Die My Love”
- “Goodbye June”
- “Hamnet”
- “I Swear”
- “Pillion”
- “Steve”
Alternate: “Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy”
Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer
- “My Father’s Shadow”
- “Mother Vera”
- “Ocean with David Attenborough”
- “Pillion”
- “Urchin”
Alternate: “The Ceremony”
Children’s and Family Film
- “Arco”
- “How to Train Your Dragon”
- “Little Amelie”
- “Zootropolis 2”
Alternate: “Lilo & Stitch”
Film Not in English Language
- “It Was Just an Accident”
- “Nouvelle Vague”
- “The Secret Agent”
- “Sentimental Value”
- “Sirāt”
Alternate: “The Voice of Hind Rajab”
Documentary
- “Apocalypse in the Tropics”
- “The Librarians”
- “Mr. Nobody Against Putin”
- “The Perfect Neighbor”
- “Riefenstahl”
Alternate: “2000 Meters to Andriivka”
Animated Film
- “Arco”
- “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle”
- “Little Amelie”
- “Zootropolis 2”
Alternate: “The Bad Guys 2”
Director
- Paul Thomas Anderson, “One Battle After Another”
- Ryan Coogler, “Sinners”
- Yorgos Lanthimos, “Bugonia”
- Josh Safdie, “Marty Supreme”
- Joachim Trier, “Sentimental Value”
- Chloé Zhao, “Hamnet”
Alternate: Kaouther Ben Hania, “The Voice of Hind Rajab”
Original Screenplay
- “Blue Moon” – Robert Kaplow
- “I Swear” – Kirk Jones
- “Marty Supreme” – Ronald Bronstein and Josh Safdie
- “Sentimental Value” – Joachim Trier and Eskil Vogt
- “Sinners” – Ryan Coogler
Alternate: “It Was Just an Accident”
Adapted Screenplay
- “Bugonia” – Will Tracy
- “Frankenstein” – Guillermo Del Toro
- “Hamnet” – Maggie O’Farrell and Chloé Zhao
- “One Battle After Another” – Paul Thomas Anderson
- “Train Dreams” – Clint Bentley and Greg Kwedar
Alternate: “Pillion”
Leading Actress
- Jessie Buckley, “Hamnet”
- Rose Byrne, “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You”
- Kate Hudson, “Song Sung Blue”
- Chase Infiniti, “One Battle After Another”
- Renate Reinsve, “Sentimental Value”
- Emma Stone, “Bugonia”
Alternate: Andrea Riseborough, “Dragonfly”
Leading Actor
- Timothée Chalamet, “Marty Supreme”
- Russell Crowe, “Nuremberg”
- Leonardo DiCaprio, “One Battle After Another”
- Ethan Hawke, “Blue Moon”
- Michael B. Jordan, “Sinners”
- Jesse Plemons, “Bugonia”
Alternate: Joel Edgerton, “Train Dreams”
Supporting Actress
- Odessa A’zion, “Marty Supreme”
- Brenda Blethlyn, “Dragonfly”
- Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, “Sentimental Value”
- Amy Madigan, “Weapons”
- Wunmi Mosaku, “Sinners”
- Teyana Taylor, “One Battle After Another”
Alternate: Ariana Grande, “Wicked: For Good”
Supporting Actor
- Benicio Del Toro, “One Battle After Another”
- Jacob Elordi, “Frankenstein”
- Delroy Lindo, “Sinners”
- Paul Mescal, “Hamnet”
- Andrew Scott, “Blue Moon”
- Stellan Skarsgård, “Sentimental Value”
Alternate: Sean Penn, “One Battle After Another”
Casting
- “Hamnet”
- “I Swear”
- “Pillion”
- “Sentimental Value”
- “Sirāt”
Alternate: “Sinners”
Cinematography
- “F1”
- “Frankenstein”
- “One Battle After Another”
- “Sinners”
- “Train Dreams”
Alternate: “Ballad of a Small Player”
Costume Design
- “Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale”
- “Frankenstein”
- “Hamnet”
- “Sinners”
- “Wicked: For Good”
Alternate: “Nuremberg”
Editing
- “F1”
- “Frankenstein”
- “Marty Supreme”
- “One Battle After Another”
- “Sinners”
Alternate: “Hamnet”
Make Up and Hair
- “Frankenstein”
- “Nuremberg”
- “One Battle After Another”
- “The Smashing Machine”
- “Wicked: For Good”
Alternate: “Sinners”
Original Score
- “Bugonia”
- “Frankenstein”
- “Hamnet”
- “One Battle After Another”
- “Sinners”
Alternate: “Nuremberg”
Production Design
- “Bugonia”
- “Frankenstein”
- “Hamnet”
- “Marty Supreme”
- “Sinners”
Alternate: “The Fantastic Four: First Steps”
Special Visual Effects
- “Avatar: Fire and Ash”
- “F1”
- “Frankenstein”
- “The Lost Bus”
- “Superman”
Alternate: “Wicked: For Good”
Sound
- “F1”
- “Frankenstein”
- “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning”
- “One Battle After Another”
- “Sinners”
Alternate: “Avatar: Fire and Ash”
British Short Animation
- “Cardboard”
- “Death’s Peak”
- “Solstice”
Alternate: “Two Black Boys in Paradise”
British Short Film
- “Neil Armstrong and the Langholmites”
- “The Pearl Comb”
- “Terence”
Alternate: “Blondi”
English (US) ·