Colin Farrell has made the way to the top of Variety’s predictions for the winner of the Best Actor category at the 2023 Oscars, which are set to be held on March 12, 2023.

Variety’s Oscars predictions, written by the publication’s senior awards editor Clayton Davis, sees Farrell edge out Brendan Frasier (“The Whale”) and Austin Butler (“Elvis”) to win next year’s big award.

Davis writes: “Colin Farrell is working his way up the rankings, taking the top spot for the first time on the prediction charts for his work in 'The Banshees of Inisherin.'

“With the Volpi Cup out of Venice and now the New York Film Critics Circle, which was a shared prize with his other work in 'After Yang,' he’s beaten frontrunner Brendan Fraser for 'The Whale,' on two occasions."

Davis, who acknowledges that it's "plenty early" and "anything can still happen," also has Farrell ranked again further down the list for his turn in "After Yang."

The Dublin actor isn’t the only Irish man in the Variety prediction pool for Best Actor. Co Kildare native Paul Mescal has climbed to ninth place in Davis’s rankings for his role in “Aftersun,” right between Will Smith (“Emancipation”) and Gabriel LaBelle (“The Fabelmans.”)

Elsewhere, Farrell's "Banshees" co-stars Brendan Gleeson and Barry Keoghan are both ranked among the contenders in Variety's predictions for Best Supporting Actor, with Gleeson currently in second place and Keoghan in third.

Fellow "Banshees" co-star Kerry Condon is currently ranked third on Variety's predictions for Best Supporting Actress. She's right ahead of fellow Irish actress Jessie Buckley ("Women Talking.")

With lofty predictions for the film's cast, it's no surprise then that "Banshees of Inisherin" is currently Variety's favorite to claim both the Best Picture and the Best Original Screenplay awards.

The distinctly Irish film's director, Martin McDonagh, is currently just behind Steven Spielberg ("The Fabelmans") in Variety's predictions for Best Director.

"The Banshees of Inisherin," set on a remote island off the west coast of Ireland, follows lifelong friends Padraic (Farrell) and Colm (Gleeson), who find themselves at an impasse when Colm unexpectedly puts an end to their friendship.

A stunned Padraic, aided by his sister Siobhan (Condon) and troubled young islander Dominic (Keoghan), endeavours to repair the relationship, refusing to take no for an answer.

But Padraic's repeated efforts only strengthen his former friend’s resolve and when Colm delivers a desperate ultimatum, events swiftly escalate, with shocking consequences.

You can watch the trailer for "The Banshees of Inisherin" here: