It's fair to say that the Oscars ceremony in 2021, even beyond the fact that it has been shifted to April, will be quite different. Whether that entails a more virtual ceremony remains to be seen but we do know who will produce it: Jesse Collins, Stacey Sher and Steven Soderbergh.
The awards show is scheduled to air on 25 April next year, and now the Emmy nominated Collins, Oscar nominated Sher and Oscar winner Soderbergh will be in charge of how it looks and what changes from usual shows.
"The upcoming Oscars is the perfect occasion for innovation and for re-envisioning the possibilities for the awards show. This is a dream team who will respond directly to these times," say Academy President David Rubin and Academy CEO Dawn Hudson in a statement. "The Academy is excited to work with them to deliver an event that reflects the worldwide love of movies and how they connect us and entertain us when we need them the most."
"We're thrilled and terrified in equal measure. Because of the extraordinary situation we're all in, there’s an opportunity to focus on the movies and the people who make them in a new way, and we hope to create a show that really FEELS like the movies we all love," say Collins, Sher and Soderbergh.
We'll find out what they have planned next April. Next to figure out? Who will host the event – Jimmy Kimmel, who oversaw the last two Oscars and hosted this year's virtual Emmys is a possibility, though he may be over hosting for now.