Robert Pattinson has emerged as a surprise frontrunner to win the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for The Odyssey, according to The Ankler — even though most awards pundits are not yet predicting him to be nominated at all. The claim, published on November 6, makes Pattinson one of the most intriguing stories of this awards season.
The Ankler argues Pattinson is the runaway frontrunner to win for his role as Antinous in Christopher Nolan’s epic, despite only 21 percent of its Ankler Pundits predicting even a nomination. By contrast, 93 percent of the same pundits predict a nomination for his co-star John Leguizamo. The gap between the two numbers is the point: the piece argues the industry is underestimating Pattinson’s performance.
Universal’s campaign
Universal’s awards campaign for The Odyssey puts Matt Damon forward as the sole lead, for Best Actor as Odysseus, with Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson and John Leguizamo all submitted for Best Supporting Actor. Anne Hathaway and Samantha Morton are submitted for Best Supporting Actress, and the studio is campaigning in 16 categories in total, according to trade coverage citing Forbes and Gold Derby.
Hathaway is the campaign’s safest bet: 96 percent of Ankler Pundits predict a nomination for her, with a majority putting her first. The Odyssey is the highest-grossing of her 2026 films and is widely seen as a Best Picture frontrunner.
A busy year for Pattinson
Pattinson is also in the hunt for Best Actor for Primetime, and he led the spring hit The Drama with Zendaya. He will reunite with her in Dune: Part Three. Campaign events ramp up in the week of November 9, ahead of the Governors Awards on November 15. Oscar nominations are due on January 21, 2027, with the ceremony on March 14, 2027.
The wider awards race
Pattinson is not the only surprise contender in this year’s supporting races. John Malkovich won the Volpi Cup for Best Actor at the Venice International Film Festival in September for Wild Horse Nine, which opened in cinemas this week, and his performance is already generating early Oscars talk of its own. The Ankler’s case for Pattinson sits alongside that buzz: a season in which the supporting categories are wide open, and in which a single performance can change the race overnight.
Hathaway remains the campaign’s safest bet, with 96 percent of Ankler Pundits predicting a nomination, and The Odyssey itself is widely seen as a Best Picture frontrunner. Whether the Ankler’s case holds up will be decided over the coming months — but for now, the actor once known best for Twilight is being talked about as an Oscar winner.
Related: The Odyssey Locks Oscar Submissions as Matt Damon Leads Push | Wild Horse Nine Opens Today as Malkovich Earns Oscar Buzz
Sources: The Ankler, 6 Nov 2026; Comic Basics / Fiction Horizon, citing Forbes / Gold Derby.
