Oppenheimer looks set to sweep the board at the 2024 BAFTAs after receiving 13 nominations.
Christopher Nolan’s epic biopic about atomic bomb creator J Robert Oppenheimer dominated the main categories when nominations were announced on Thursday, with nods for Best Film and for Nolan in Best Director.
In comparison, Oppenheimer’s box office rival Barbie received just five nominations and was notably snubbed in the Best Film category.
Cillian Murphy, 47, received his first ever BAFTA nomination for his portrayal of titular character Oppenheimer and will go head-to-head with fellow Irishman Barry Keoghan, 31, for Saltburn in the Best Actor category.
They will battle it out with Bradley Cooper for Maestro, Colman Domingo for Rustin, Paul Giamatti for The Holdovers and Teo Yoo for Past Lives.
Murphy’s co-stars Emily Blunt and Robert Downey Jr are also nominated for supporting actor prizes.
Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer leads this year’s BAFTA nominations with 13 nods, including a first time nomination for star Cillian Murphy, who will go head-to-head for Best Actorwith fellow Irishman Barry Keoghan, 31, (right) for Saltburn
Oppenheimer’s box office rival Barbie received just five nominations and was notably snubbed in the Best Film category
Oppenheimer, which was a box office juggernaut when it was released in cinemas last year on the same day as Barbie – sparking the Barbenheimer phenomenon – could be a career-changing film for British filmmaker Nolan, who has never won the Directing BAFTA.
He will face competition from All Of Us Strangers director Andrew Haigh, Anatomy Of A Fall’s Justine Triet, The Holdovers’ Alexander Payne, Maestro’s Cooper and Jonathan Glazer for The Zone Of Interest.
For Best Film, Oppenheimer will compete against Yorgos Lanthimos’s gothic fairytale Poor Things, which scored 11 nods.
Also in the running is French courtroom drama Anatomy Of A Fall, Martin Scorsese’s western crime thriller Killers Of The Flower Moon and The Holdovers, about a cranky prep school teacher forced to remain on campus over the holidays with a troubled student.
Notably absent from the category is Barbie, which was the highest-grossing film of 2023, with director Greta Gerwig also absent from the directing category.
Gerwig is, however, recognised in the original screenplay alongside her husband and co-writer Noah Baumbach.
Barbie star Margot Robbie is up for Best Actress and will compete against Poor Things’ Emma Stone, Maestro’s Carey Mulligan, Anatomy Of A Fall’s Sandra Huller, The Colour Purple’s Fantasia Barrino and Rye Lane’s Vivian Oparah.
German actress Huller is also nominated in a second category, and will battle it out for Supporting Actress for The Zone Of Interest, alongside Oppenheimer’s Blunt, Saltburn’s Rosamund Pike, The Holdovers’ Da’Vine Joy Randolph, The Colour Purple’s Danielle Brooks and All Of Us Strangers’ Claire Foy.
Downey Jr, who has already won a Golden Globe and a Critics Choice award for his performance as Lewis Strauss, the chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission in Oppenheimer, will compete against Robert De Niro for Killers Of The Flower Moon, Jacob Elordi for Saltburn, Ryan Gosling for Barbie, Paul Mescal for All Of Us Strangers and Dominic Sessa for The Holdovers for the supporting actor prize.
The contenders for outstanding British film are All Of Us Strangers, How To Have Sex, Napoleon, The Old Oak, Poor Things, Rye Lane, Saltburn, Scrapper, Wonka and The Zone Of Interest.
The EE Bafta film awards will be hosted by David Tennant at the Royal Festival Hall on February 18 and will air on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
The 2024 BAFTA nominations were announced by former EE Rising Star nominees: Naomi Ackie and Kingsley Ben-Adir from the arts charity’s headquarters at 195 Piccadilly, London on Thursday.
David Tennant is set to host the awards ceremony next month.
The Doctor Who star, 52, takes over the coveted spot from last year’s hosts Alison Hammond and Richard E Grant.
While David is no stranger to the ceremony, having previously presented an award at the BAFTA Television Awards in May, this will be his hosting debut.
Speaking about his hosting stint, the Good Omens star said: ‘I am delighted to have been asked to host the EE BAFTA Film Awards and help celebrate the very best of this year’s films and the many brilliant people who bring them to life.’
BAFTA CEO Jane Millichip added that the academy was ‘over the moon’ that David would be hosting the Film Awards.
She said: ‘He is deservedly beloved by British and international audiences, alike.
‘His warmth, charm and mischievous wit will make it a must-watch show next month for our guests at the Royal Festival Hall and the millions of people watching at home.’
Last year, acting veteran Richard graced the stage as the BAFTAs host, and during his opening monologue referenced the notorious 2022 Academy Awards moment when movie star Will Smith, 54, slapped presenter Chris Rock across the face after he jested about Will’s wife Jada Pinkett Smith.
Richard told the star-studded crowd: ‘Nobody on my watch gets slapped tonight – except on the back.’
In 2022, Pitch Perfect and Bridesmaids actress Rebel Wilson made risque jokes about the royal family, Vladimir Putin, the gender pay gap, her flop film Cats and her recent weight loss.
Richard added: ‘So I was surprised…and I thought because I was so unashamedly enthusiastic during the awards circuit four years ago, when I was nominated for (a BAFTA).
‘(BAFTA organisers) must know that I’m going to be a celebratory person rather than somebody who’s there to roast other actors so hopefully, that’s (going to) work out, I don’t know yet.’
David Tennant is set to host the 2024 British Academy Film Awards, which will take place at London’s Royal Festival Hall on February 18
