Oscars 2022: Odds slashed on Coda to win Best Picture

Uplifting drama has emerged as a surprise rival to ‘The Power of the Dog’

The 2022 Oscar race could be heating up, with a surprise contender emerging to challenge The Power of the Dog for Best Picture.

Jane Campion’s psychosexual western has long been the frontrunner for the Academy’s top prize, but the last week has seen odds slashed on the Apple TV+ drama Coda.

Coda stars Emilia Jones as a child of deaf adults, who struggles to help her family with their fishing business while pursuing her own musical aspirations as a singer.

When the Oscar nominations were announced earlier this year, Coda’s Best Picture nod was considered something of a surprise inclusion.

However, recent wins at the Screen Actors Guild awards, the Hollywood Critics Association film awards, and last weekend at the Writers Guild Awards, have seen its stock rise among many Oscar pundits.

It also took home top prize at the Producers Guild of America awards – which is significant because the PGAs utilise the same “preferential ballot” voting structure as the Oscars.

The Power of the Dog remains the favourite to win Best Picture, but with Coda’s odds now cut, in some places to as low as 11/10, it’s all very much up in the air.

Troy Kotsur, left, and Marlee Matlin in a scene from ‘Coda' (AP)

The Oscars are set to take place on Sunday 27 March, with the event beginning at 8pm ET, or 1am (on 28 March) in the UK.

Among those in the running for awards at this year’s Academy Awards are Will Smith, Jessica Chastain, and Jane Campion.

You can find a full list of the nominees here.