Was Hollywood’s latest progressive fantasy masquerading as a Vatican drama a prizewinner? Even Oscar voters had their doubts.

“Conclave” won best picture at the BAFTAs in London last month as well as best British film. Straughan’s pre-Oscars awards haul was particularly significant, having won best adapted screenplay at the BAFTAs, Critics Choice Awards and Golden Globes.

Conclave,” based on the 2016 novel of the same name by Robert Harris, nabbed the award for best adapted screenplay. The novel follows the complicated, sometimes underhanded twists and turns of a papal conclave created to elect a new pope after the previous one dies.

On the heels of BAFTA, Golden Globe and Critics Choice award wins, Peter Straughan has now won the Oscar for best adapted screenplay for Conclave. This is Straughan’s second Oscar nomination and first win.

Focus Features' Conclave officially became an Oscar-winner Sunday with the honor of Best Adapted Screenplay for writer Peter Straughan, who turned the bestselling Robert Harris novel of the same name into an acclaimed shooting script.