Here is the rewritten article: Yes, it’s that time again. The Oscar host hunt is on, and reliable sources tell Deadline that Ryan Reynolds and Hugh
Here is the rewritten article:
Yes, it’s that time again. The Oscar host hunt is on, and reliable sources tell Deadline that Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman are in the mix.
The plan we hear would be to include them as part of a star ensemble of rotating hosts, each – or in pairs – doing a portion of the show, per a plan to shake things up.
In this regard, Deadline also has heard from sources that such stars as Will Ferrell, Amy Poehler, and Dwayne Johnson have been approached – not really surprising, since Johnson’s name is floated every year, but he has for various reasons resisted, and we have heard Poehler’s name on the Academy wish list ever since she successfully hosted the Golden Globes with Tina Fey.
Having Reynolds and Jackman prominently on the show would make perfect sense, of course. The pair are the title stars of Deadpool & Wolverine, a summertime smash and the No. 2 movie of 2024 globally with $1.33 billion worldwide, just behind Inside Out ($1.69 billion). The threequel comes from Disney, which also owns ABC, the network airing the 97th Annual Academy Awards on March 2. Jackman hosted the universally praised 2009 show produced by Bill Condon and Larry Mark, and Reynolds is the kind of personality who seems tailor-made for the gig. It is a no-brainer. Plus, they successfully co-hosted ex-Oscar host Jimmy Kimmel’s ABC talk show one night this summer when Kimmel was on vacation.
But would they do it? Reliable sources tell Deadline the outreach is real, but there are mixed signals as to whether the stars are willing to participate. I would guess there is also the question of Disney’s and Marvel’s actual planned Oscar campaign for Deadpool & Wolverine, where I have heard Reynolds will be campaigned for Lead Actor and Jackman for Supporting.
Getty Images
The Golden Globes with Nikki Glaser and the Critics Choice Awards with Chelsea Handler have given their smartly chosen hosts plenty of time to do that before those January ceremonies. That might be why there is pressure now to get someone in place.
I doubt the Academy is willing to wait as long as the Primetime Emmys did this year in announcing a host. The Television Academy named Eugene Levy and Dan Levy as hosts on August 16, just one month before the show after a long search. Expect to hear something sooner rather than later, no matter who gets the gig or what form it will take.
Getty Images
It is just not as easy as it once was to settle the matter of who will host the Oscars. The list was short depending on the era. Bob Hope did it 19 times (14 times solo). Johnny Carson did it five times consecutively, all solo. Billy Crystal came closest to Hope, doing it nine times solo, and Whoopi Goldberg — another ABC star — did it four times, just like Kimmel. Now, in the age of social media and instant criticism, stars are more anxious about taking it on. Just look what happened to Hart. David Letterman’s lambasted “Uma… Opr…
rial” hosting in 1995 turned out to be his last, so even for someone of his stature, it can be a dicey proposition. Making the hosting chores part of a team effort with rotating stars obviously is an easier sell for most.
AUTHOR: The World Screen
COMMENTS