Baftas Betting 2022: Who’s Favourite In The Main Categories?
There is not long to go until the ceremony takes place at the Royal Albert Hall in London and anticipation is beginning to rise for the 75th British Academy Film Awards (also known as the Baftas) on Saturday night.
As always, the best specials and entertainment betting sites are offering their estimations of who will come out on top in the main categories and are throwing up some interesting possibilities.
Given it precedes this year’s Academy Awards in Los Angeles by two weeks, it might also provide an indication of who will be coming away with Oscars come the end of the month.
Baftas A Staple Of Awards Season
Of course, many voters across both Academies have completely different tastes and views of the film industry. Therefore, those who come away with gongs in the English capital won’t necessarily be doing the same on the west coast of America.
Nonetheless, the Baftas are an important entry in the awards calendar and with Australian actress and comedian Rebel Wilson on hosting duties this year, it could prove to be one of the more memorable ceremonies of recent times.
The Power Of The Dog Leading The Way In Best Film Betting
In the Best Film category, Jane Campion’s Western psychological drama The Power of the Dog is the current frontrunner amongst the best betting sites out there valuing the chances of success at 4/6.
The Best Motion Picture – Drama winner at the Golden Globes, it has already made history as the first film directed by a woman to garner more than 10 Academy Award nominations – as it is up for 12 in total.
While it would be hard to bet against it, the candidacy of Kenneth Branagh’s labour of love Belfast should be given due consideration. Based on his own experience of growing up amongst The Troubles in Northern Ireland, it is valued at 15/8 with William Hill to come home with the Best Film Bafta.
Despite having the most nominations for this year’s ceremony with 11, Dune is only rated as third favourite for this particular category.
The second adaptation of Frank Herbert’s 1965 novel of the same name – David Lynch directed an earlier version in the 1980s – it is rated at 10/1, but may have to look elsewhere for award recognition.
Although releases that are based on the film industry itself tend to perform quite well in awards season – The Artist and Argo immediately spring to mind – it would be a massive surprise if Paul Thomas Anderson’s Licorice Pizza won Best Film given its current status as a 20/1 outsider.
Don’t Look Up is the most star-laden production in the category and tackles the topical subject of climate change, but the 33/1 on offer reflects how unlikely it is to be crowned the best of the last 12 months in the minds of Bafta voters.
Benedict Cumberbatch On Course For Best Actor Success
Moving onto the Best Actor category, Benedict Cumberbatch appears to be the odds-on favourite to win a Bafta Film Award having won a TV equivalent for Patrick Melrose two years ago.
His lead performance in The Power of the Dog is drawing considerable praise and as one of three Britons on the shortlist, he may well be the ultimate choice of the voting committee.
Paddy Power were offering odds of 4/6 on Cumberbatch winning Best Actor on Saturday. His stiffest competition comes from Will Smith, who is nominated for his outstanding portrayal of Richard Williams – the father of tennis sensations Venus and Serena – in King Richard.
He is valued at 7/4 and given he is being touted by many for Oscar success (after two previous nominations), he might well be a decent outside bet.
In addition to Liverpool’s Stephen Graham (Boiling Point), previous winners Leonardo DiCaprio (Don’t Look Up) and Mahershala Ali (Swan Song) are also in the reckoning. They are highly-respected performers, but odds for all three are ranging from 20/1 to 25/1.
The London-born Adeel Akhtar is also nominated for Ali & Ava, but is rated him at 33/1, so he is unlikely to come away with the gong.
Lady Gaga Slight Favourite In A Tough Best Actress Field
It is expected to be a much tighter race for the Best Actress award, with five of the six nominees viewed as viable candidates for this top honour. A Bafta winner in the Original Music category for A Star Is Born three years ago, Lady Gaga was nominated for her acting performance in the same film.
She is up for consideration again for her lead role in House of Gucci and with odds of 6/4 on Betfair, it could be second time lucky for the multi-talented Italian-American.
Another singer in Alana Haim is nominated for Licorice Pizza and is available at odds of 14/1 with UK bookmakers. Perhaps best known for her role in TV’s The Thick of It, the English-born and Welsh-raised Joanna Scanlan is at 10/3 to come away with the Best Actress prize for her part in British drama After Love.
For their films The Worst Person in the World and CODA respectively, Renate Reinsve and Emilia Jones are rated 7/2 and 6/1 respectively in the running for this category.
Despite having a high profile thanks to her roles in Creed and Creed II – as well as her appearances in no fewer than three Marvel films – Tessa Thompson is only valued at 33/1 for Rebecca Hall’s directorial debut Passing.
Campion Clear Of The Field In Directing Category
Even though Hall isn’t shortlisted herself, three of the six nominees for Best Director are female. The aforementioned Campion is the runaway favourite for The Power of the Dog with odds of 1/5 available on Ladbrokes for the Kiwi to win.
You can get a price of 18/1 on Audrey Diwan being honoured for the French drama Happening and her fellow compatriot Julia Ducournau is valued at 20/1 for Titane, but the sense is that it is Campion’s to lose on Sunday.
With an approval rating of 96%, After Love is one of the most revered pictures in this awards season and the film’s director Aleem Khan can be found at 14/1.
Japan’s Ryusuke Hamaguchi has also made the shortlist for the Oriental drama Drive My Car and while it seems a long shot, he can be found at 16/1 as a possible winner.
Finally, the much-feted Paul Thomas Anderson earned a previous nomination in this category for There Will Be Blood, but with the best odds around for him being 14/1, his search for a first win is set to continue.