The 95th Academy Awards will take place at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles on March 12.
The Best Director category features a combination of established names and exciting up-and-comers representing some of the most ambitious and enthralling films of 2022.
Here are our Best Director odds for the Academy Awards.
Best Director odds
Director | Movie | Odds |
Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert | Everything Everywhere All at Once | -155 |
Steven Spielberg | The Fabelmans | +125 |
Martin McDonagh | The Banshees of Inisherin | +900 |
Todd Field | Tar | +1,700 |
Ruben Ostlund | The Triangle of Sadness | +4,000 |
Odds as of 1:05 p.m. on 02/02/2023.
(-155) – Bet here
Kwan and Scheinert’s place at the top of this board is well-earned as Everything Everywhere All at Once is heavily favoured to win Best Picture (-265).
That’s important because the director of the Best Picture winner has won Best Director 66 times in the previous 94 Academy Awards.
The pair would be just the third duo to share Best Director honours if they get this award, and they would be deserving winners for their work blending a mind-bending, multi-dimensional adventure with an intimate family story.
(+125) – Bet here
This is Spielberg’s ninth nomination for Best Director, which would theoretically put him in the voter-fatigue zone, but that doesn’t seem to be the case this time.
The legendary director hasn’t brought home this honour since he won for Saving Private Ryan in 1999, and he just took home a Golden Globe for The Fabelmans.
Spielberg’s semi-autobiographical passion project is a legitimate Best Picture candidate that just won at the Golden Globes in the drama category.
Voters may feel like it’s his time after his last 10 Oscar nominations in the Best Director and Best Picture categories have gone unrewarded.
(+900) – Bet here
McDonagh seems likely to win this award at some point, but it will be tough to break through this year.
He came into this award season with four Oscar nominations and one win, but it was his screenplay writing that had received the most attention. The Banshees of Inisherin is more of a directorial tour de force that has a shot to win Best Picture (+250).
A McDonagh win would likely require both a surprising Best Picture loss from Everything Everywhere All at Once in favour of his film and a decision by voters to pass over Spielberg once again despite his decision to opt for a more personal and critic-friendly film instead of a blockbuster.
That feels like a parlay built on a couple of shaky legs.
Best Director long shots
(+1,700) – Bet here
While Tar has garnered plenty of attention during awards season, most of it has focussed on Cate Blanchett, who’s the favourite to win Best Actress.
While Field can take some credit for the quality of her performance, it’s unlikely he’ll win this award if the general consensus is that Blanchett elevated Tar.
The movie didn’t receive a Best Picture nomination and Field failed to snag a Best Director nomination at the Golden Globes, putting him firmly in the long shot category.
(+2,500) – Bet here
Ostlund is probably more of a long shot for this award than these odds indicate. Triangle of Sadness got an uneven reception from critics and audiences alike with a score of 72% from both on Rotten Tomatoes.
It also failed to receive a Best Picture nomination, although it did get one in the musical/comedy category at the Golden Globes.
Ostlund has a couple of critically acclaimed films under his belt — most notably Force Majeure in 2014 — but his profile isn’t big enough to get a significant boost off his reputation.
Disclaimer This content was produced as part of a partnership and therefore it may not meet the standards of impartial or independent journalism.
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