The 2018 Baftas are less than a month away and it’s once again set to be one of the biggest nights on the film industry’s calendar. A-listers from both sides of the pond will pack out London’s Royal Albert Hall for the second year running on Sunday, February the 18th with Joanna Lumley taking over the hosting duties from Stephen Fry who stepped down as host after a 12 year run. There are plenty of awards up for grabs and people already have their favourites but could there be any surprise results on the night?
You could say that the Best Actor category is probably already decided. This sentiment is reinforced by popular betting site brands like Unibet having Oldman priced as the 1/20 odds-on favourite. Gary Oldman’s performance in Darkest Hour was truly magnificent and even though Timothee Chalamet (Call Me By Your Name), Daniel Day-Lewis (Phantom Thread) and Daniel Kaluuya (Get Out) all impressed, you just can’t look past a shock in this category.
The Best Actress category is pretty similar as there still seems to be one front-runner, this time in the form of Frances McDormand for her role in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. However, she isn’t as strongly fancied as Gary Oldman in the Best Actor category and there is the potential for Saoirse Ronan for her performance in Lady Bird to win the award as the outsider. Others said to be in the mix are Sally Hawkins (The Shape Of Water) and Margot Robbie (I, Tonya) but it would be enough of a surprise if Ronan beat McDormand to the award.
Now the next couple of awards are where it gets really interesting and where the surprises could come on the night. First of all, Guilermo del Toro is seen as the odds-on favourite by many to take home the Best Director award. However, Christopher Nolan could cause a shock on the night, beating del Toro to the prestigious Bafta for his work on Dunkirk. It’s between the two, but many are fancying del Toro as things stand. However, Nolan has the real potential to upset the odds here.
The same can be said about the Best Film category too. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri is being tipped by everyone as the winner of the award. It’s no surprise as it’s a great film and is involved in other awards on the night too. The Shape Of Water though was hugely impressive and even as the rank outsider, it could have a real chance on the night of being declared the best film. It’s a category to keep an eye on for sure.
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri is expected to be a multiple award winner on the night and one category where it should be named as the winner is for the Outstanding British Film award. It’s odds-on favourite and pundits and predictors can’t see past it winning here, even though it’s up against a great film in Darkest Hour. However, on the night, anything could happen.