The Academy Recruits Steven Soderbergh to Co-Produce the Oscars

Despite all the challenges and changes facing the American movie industry, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences still plan to move forward with the Oscars and today announced the trio of industry veterans who will be responsible for putting on the April event.

Stacey Sher, Jesse Collins and Steven Soderbergh seem to cover the essential criteria needed to put on the challenging event, whose format is still yet to be announced. Sher, a veteran producer who has been nominated twice for producing Best Picture nominees Django Unchained and Erin Brockovich, has the cred needed to gather all the pieces needed to put on the show. Oscar-winning director Soderbergh, who was also nominated for Erin Brockovich, but won for Traffic, will no doubt handle the creative input, while Collins, who has extensive experience with producing live events such as the Grammys, the BET Awards, and the Soul Train Awards, will likely assume the task of putting all the many pieces together and deliver a tight and on-time show, which always turns out to be the biggest challenge of all.

Collins will be able to provide valuable insight to his colleagues as to how to present a live event in this unpredictable and crazy time as he will also be executive producing the upcoming Grammys and the Super Bowl Halftime Show, both in early 2021. Since the Academy has yet to reveal the format the Oscars will use, Collins’s input as to what works and what doesn’t from those two events could prove invaluable. 

Soderbergh will also be bringing his unique set of skills to the event, as he is known as a respected auteur in the industry who has embraced the digital age and has experimented with innovation, which will likely be needed, as the 2021 Oscars will be breaking all new ground.  Academy President David Rubin and Academy CEO Dawn Hudson said in a statement: “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. 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.”

First point of business for Sher, Collins and Soderbergh will be deciding whether or not the Oscars will have a host, so stay tuned!

The Oscars air April 25 on ABC and will be jointly celebrated that week with the long-awaited and delayed opening of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on April 30.