Paul Thomas Anderson’s comedy thriller, One Battle After Another, starring Oscar-winning actor Leonardo DiCaprio, has emerged as the frontrunner for the 2026 Bafta Film Awards, securing an impressive 16 mentions on the longlist.
The film, which sees DiCaprio’s character embark on a desperate search for his missing daughter as an old adversary resurfaces, features prominently across all major categories.
These include nods for Best Film, Adapted Screenplay, Cinematography, and Director. DiCaprio, 51, who previously won a Bafta a decade ago for his role in the epic western The Revenant, is listed in the leading actor category.
Benicio Del Toro and Sean Penn are both recognised in the supporting actor longlist, while Chase Infiniti, who portrays DiCaprio’s daughter, is mentioned for leading actress, and Teyana Taylor for supporting actress.
Hot on its heels with 14 mentions is Chloe Zhao’s Hamnet, an adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell’s novel. The film offers an imagined insight into the life of William Shakespeare and his wife Anne, referred to as Agnes in the movie, following the tragic death of one of their children.
Hamnet has been longlisted for Best Film, Outstanding British Film, Director, Adapted Screenplay, and Casting. Its main stars, Irish actors Paul Mescal and Jessie Buckley, who play Shakespeare and Agnes respectively, are both in contention for the Leading Actor categories. Buckley’s recent win at the Critics’ Choice Awards suggests she could be a strong contender for the coveted Bafta prize, as well as an Oscar, with Academy Award nominations yet to be unveiled.
Also garnering 14 mentions is Sinners, a US period vampire horror set against the backdrop of Jim Crow laws, while Josh Safdie’s Marty Supreme received 13.
Hollywood actor Timothée Chalamet, who portrays ping-pong champion Marty Mauser in Marty Supreme, recently secured the leading actor gong at the Critics’ Choice Awards, having also been honoured with the spotlight award at The Palm Springs International Film Awards.
Chalamet joins a formidable list of leading actor hopefuls, including DiCaprio, Sinners actor Michael B Jordan, Harry Melling for Pillion, Cillian Murphy for Steve, Russell Crowe for Nuremberg, and Ethan Hawke for Blue Moon.
Yorgos Lanthimos’s new macabre comedy Bugonia, starring Emma Stone, has earned 12 mentions, a figure matched by Guillermo del Toro’s adaptation of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. The latter features Jacob Elordi, a potential supporting actor contender who also picked up a prize at the Critics’ Choice Awards.
Among the notable omissions from major categories are Wicked: For Good, the biopic Christy starring Hollywood star Sydney Sweeney, and Anemone, which marked Academy Award-winner Sir Daniel Day-Lewis’s return to the big screen.
While stars of the movie musical Wicked, Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, are mentioned in the supporting actress categories, the film itself is notably absent from Best Film and Casting. The first instalment of the two-part film, directed by Jon M Chu, had featured in these categories when the 2025 longlist was announced.
The official nominations for this year’s film awards, set to take place at the Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall in central London, will be announced on Tuesday, 27 January.
Emily Stillman, Bafta film committee chairwoman, commented: “Today’s 82 longlisted films reflect a year of outstanding filmmaking told through bold, complex and original storytelling and exceptional craftsmanship. The presence of the British film industry across this global list is felt strongly – from our world-class talent, locations and infrastructure to scripts rooted in a distinctly British perspective. In a standout year for film, our 8,300 Bafta voting members face a formidable task ahead. We are delighted Bafta’s Film Awards longlists have become such an important part of awards season, giving the spotlight to a vast range of films, and we hope the public will enjoy watching and discussing them as much as we have.”
The winners will be revealed at the Bafta film ceremony, hosted by Scottish actor Alan Cumming, on Sunday, 22 February.
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