Gladiator II receives nine nods in BAFTAs 2025 longlist with Denzel Washington also up – but star Paul Mescal is SNUBBED for Leading Actor award

His performance in Gladiator II helped to propel the movie to box office success, but Paul Mescal has been snubbed for an award at this year’s BAFTAs.

The Ridley Scott movie, which grossed over £350m worldwide, has been nominated in the BAFTA longlists nine times including in the Best Supporting Actor category for Denzel Washington, 70, who played slave trader Macrinus.

But its leading man Paul, 28, who played Lucius Aurelius, the exiled Prince of Rome who becomes a prisoner of war and fights as a gladiator, failed to secure any nods – just weeks after he was also overlooked for the Golden Globes shortlists.

It will be a bitter blow for the Irishman who just two years ago was nominated for the Best Actor Oscar for his role in Aftersun.

Gladiator II was also longlisted in the Outstanding British Film, Cinematography, Costume Design, Editing, Original Score, Production Design, Special Visual Effects and Sound categories.

There was much success for British actors in the Leading Actor category with Hugh Grant, Jude Law, Ralph Fiennes, Dev Patel, Daniel Craig and Kingsley Ben Adir all making the cut.

His performance in Gladiator II helped to propel the movie to box office success, but Paul Mescal has been snubbed for an award at this year’s Baftas

Lleading man Paul, 28, who played Lucius Aurelius, the exiled Prince of Rome who becomes a prisoner of war and fights as a gladiator, failed to secure any nods 

The rest of the list was made up of American stars, with Adrien Brophy, Colman Domingo, Sebastian Stan and Timothée Chalamet all getting a nod.

Among the productions being considered by BAFTA members for Best Film are Donald Trump movie The Apprentice, Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown, Robert Harris’s papal thriller Conclave, Sci-fi epic Dune: Part Two, Northern Irish comedy Kneecap, Demi Moore’s The Substance, and musical Wicked.

The EE BAFTA Film Awards encompass 25 competitive categories which are decided by BAFTA members. BAFTA continues to represent the UK’s largest film industry voting body with 8,100 creative practitioners from all corners of the UK and global film industry. 

Round one of voting for the 2025 Film Awards opened on Friday December 6. The longlists for the 2025 EE BAFTA Film Awards categories were unveiled on Friday, and the official nominations will be revealed via live stream on Wednesday, January 15.

It comes after it was announced that David Tennant would host the ceremony for a second year in a row. 

The actor, 53, first hosted the awards show last year, taking over from Richard E Grant.

The Mary Queen of Scots star, will present the ceremony from the Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall in central London, and it will be broadcast on BBC One and iPlayer, Britbox in the US and Australia.

The EE BAFTA Film Awards offers audiences around the world an unmissable night of entertainment, celebrating the year’s best films and the creative talent who bring them to life.

The Ridley Scott movie, which grossed over £350m worldwide, has been nominated in the BAFTA longlists nine times including best supporting actor for Denzel Washington, 70, who played slave trader Macrinus

It will be a bitter blow for the Irishman who just two years ago was nominated for the best actor Oscar for his role in Aftersun (Pictured)

Gladiator II was also longlisted in the Outstanding British Film, Cinematography, Costume Design, Editing, Original Score, Production Design, Special Visual Effects and Sound categories 

There was much success for British actors in the leading actor category with Hugh Grant (Left in Heretic), Jude Law, Ralph Fiennes, Dev Patel (Right in Monkey Man) and Kingsley Ben Adir all making the cut

James Bond star Daniel Craig is also nominated on BAFTAs longlist for his role in Queer 

Viewers will be looking forward to the Rivals star following his performance last year. 

David will no doubt be bringing his charisma and humour following a widely acclaimed debut that was watched by over 3.8m viewers at home.

More than 20 million views were clocked up through fans catching up on ceremony highlights on social media.

The star, who has appeared in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Good Omens, Broadchurch, and Doctor Who,  Most recently, he has captivated audiences in the television drama Rivals. 

His acclaimed theatre work includes Much Ado About Nothing, Richard II, Hamlet, and his recent portrayal of the titular role in Macbeth.

In an exclusive clip, shared on BAFTA’s socials, David announces he is back to host on Sunday 16th February.

Jane Millichip, CEO of BAFTA, said: ‘We couldn’t be happier that David Tennant is returning to host the EE BAFTA Film Awards in 2025. He is an absolute pleasure to work with, and his performance this year was simply outstanding – warm, witty, whip-smart, and with a delightful touch of mischief. 

‘It is a privilege to share Britain’s biggest celebration of film with TV audiences worldwide, and to recognise the extraordinary creativity of those who power the British and global film industry.’

It comes after it was announced that David Tennant would host the ceremony for a second year in a row 

The Mary Queen of Scots star, will present the ceremony from the Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall in central London and fans will be hoping he puts on as good a performance as last year’s (pictured) 

The EE Rising Star Award, the only category voted for by the public, will announce its nominees on Tuesday January 7. 2025 will mark the 20th anniversary of the EE Rising Star Award.

And the show will feature some exciting new updates including a new Children’s & Family Film category which will celebrate the very best films appealing to inter-generational audiences.

The new category is the first to be featured in five years marking the first new EE BAFTA Film Award in five years. 

Another new feature will see an updated voting process has been introduced to the Outstanding British Film category.

The minimum number of theatrical screenings has also been significantly increased to ensure British cinema audiences have ample access to Best Film contenders on the big screen.

Last year’s ceremony saw fans treated to a hilarious Staged-style sketch with David’s co-star Michael Sheen and his dog. 

Viewers were also no doubt chuckling after David pitched a new TV show to Loki star Tom Hiddleston and many viewers took to social media to praise the star for making last year’s show the best they had seen for a while.