Sam Mendes is the odds-on favorite to win Best Director at the 2020 Oscars for his WWI epic 1917. It’s been just over twenty years since Mendes made his big screen directorial debut on 1999’s satirical dramedy American Beauty, snagging an Oscar for his direction (with the movie itself winning Best Picture). He’s since called the shots on seven more films, including a pair of Daniel Craig James Bond sequels - Skyfall and Spectre - in the 2010s. However, 1917 marks the first time Mendes has found himself back in the heat of the Oscar race since his feature debut all those years ago.
Loosely inspired by a story Mendes heard from his grandfather about his time during the first World War, 1917 (naturally) takes place during the titular year and follows two British soldiers fighting in WWI as they race against the clock to prevent a battalion of 1,600 fellow Brits (one of their brothers included) from walking straight into a trap laid by the Germans. The film was designed to look like it was captured in a single take and has already landed Mendes a Golden Globe for his efforts behind the camera. No surprise, he’s also the current front-runner to take home the gold at next month’s Oscars ceremony.
Ahead of the 2020 Oscar nominations being announced next week, Vegas is offering odds on which movie will win Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, and so forth. According to Sports Betting Dime, the oddsmakers have Sam Mendes at 4/3 to win Best Director for 1917, followed by Bong Joon-ho at 3/1 for Parasite, Quentin Tarantino at 5/1 for Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Greta Gerwig at 60/1 for Little Women, and Taika Waititi at 90/1 for Jojo Rabbit.
These odds more or less reflect how things have played out in the ongoing awards season so far. Mendes, Joon-ho, and Tarantino have been recognized one way or another by just about every major awards-giving body out there, and are pretty much guaranteed to be nominated for Best Director at the Oscars. Mendes had the advantage for now, though, if only because of his victory at the Globes. Gerwig, meanwhile, doesn’t have much momentum after the Globes and BAFTAs both failed to nominate any women for Best Director, but there’s a good chance the Oscars will avoid that misstep by granting her a nod (having nominated her once before for Lady Bird). As for Jojo Rabbit: the WWII comedy-drama has proven far too divisive to really catch on during this awards season and both Martin Scorsese (for The Irishman) and Todd Phillips (for Joker) have a much better shot at securing the fifth and final Best Director spot over Waititi (assuming Gerwig is, in fact, included, anyway).
Interestingly, 1917 and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood won Globes for Best Drama and Musical or Comedy, respectively, yet Tarantino’s film is the Best Picture favorite at the Oscars. Still, it makes sense enough. 1917 is the more apparent work of cinematic showmanship, and even those less taken with the film will admit it’s an impressive technical accomplishment for Mendes as a director. However, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is the Academy’s favorite kind of film (namely, one that’s about making films and, well, Hollywood), which gives its an edge for Best Picture. All shall be revealed for certain when the Oscars 2020 take place next month on Sunday, February 9.
Source: Sports Betting Dime
