New Oscars Hosts Confirmed
The 94th Academy Awards has announced a trio of hosts for this year’s ceremony, due to be held on 27th March at Hollywood’s Dolby Theatre.
Regina Hall, Amy Schumer and Wanda Sykes will share responsibility for the evening’s proceedings, ending a three year period where the ceremony has not had any official overall hosts.
In a joint statement released on the official Oscar website the comedic trio insisted they wanted people to ‘have a good time’ because ‘it’s been a while’.
The move to have a trio of hosts for the first time since 1987 and opting for an all-female line up is seen as part of a wider attempt to refurbish and rehabilitate the iconic awards event. Largely in response to ever dwindling audience numbers awards organisers are fighting to rebrand the lavish ceremony as more inclusive and relevant.
Next month’s ceremony will include a new prize in a freshly created ‘fan favourite’ category. Unlike other Oscar awards, this honour for the ‘most popular’ film will be determined by online public voting. It also won’t come with an actual Oscar statue but will instead be treated as a distinct standalone prize.
It remains to be seen if the new throng of hostesses and obvious efforts to ‘engage the public more’ with the event and voting is actually able to attract viewers once more. Both this and the actual winners will be revealed on 27th March…
Paramount Confirms New Star Trek Film
Paramount have finally confirmed that a forth film in the rebooted Star Trek film franchise will boldly go into production, ending a worryingly long big screen hiatus for the iconic starfleet crew.
Chris Pine, Zachary Pinto, Simon Pegg, John Cho, Karl Urban and Zoe Saldana are all set to return for the sequel, six years after their last outing in 2016’s Star Trek Beyond.
Confirming the news during Paramount’s Big Investor’s Day JJ Abrams said
“We are thrilled to say that we are hard at work on a new Star Trek film that will be shooting by the end of the year that will be featuring our original cast and some new characters that I think are going to be really fun and exciting and help take Star Trek into areas that you’ve just never seen before. We’re thrilled about this film, we have a bunch of other stories that we’re talking about that we think will be really exciting, so can’t wait for you to see what we’re cooking up. But until then, live long and prosper.”
The news will be welcomed by many fans though does leave several obvious question unanswered.
It remains to be seen how the ongoing franchise will handle the absence of star Anton Yelchin after his tragic death shortly before the release of Star Trek Beyond.
Likewise the news of Paramount finally heading back into production with this new sequel almost certainly means previously announced plans to develop other Star Trek film projects with Noah Hawley and Quentin Tarantino will either be further delayed or entirely abandoned.
Paramount’s renewed confidence in audience appetites for more adventures with the rebooted crew led by Pine and Quinto will almost certainly make them more hesitant about experimenting with expanded universe spin offs. At least until this new sequel hit cinemas in 2023 or early 2024.
Cate Blanchett Joins The New Boy
Cate Blanchett has been confirmed to star in new Australian drama The New Boy. The film set in 1940s Australia follows a 9 year old Aboriginal orphan who arrives at a monastery before being taken by a ‘renegade nun’.
Acclaimed acting icon Blanchett will apparently be playing that so described ‘renegade nun’, with Warwick Thornton directing proceedings.
Speaking of the news Blanchett herself said
“What a joy to finally be collaborating with Warwick — a filmmaker whose warmth, wit and humanity we have admired for so very long. We can’t wait to be on the ground with him and the wonderful Kath Shelper to realise this startling story.”
Warwick Thornton previously helmed Sam Neill starring Sweet Country and admits this new film has been long gestating passion project for him.
He described himself as ‘beyond excited’ to be working with Blanchett and her production company Dirty Films to finally make The New Boy a big screen reality.
Blanchett is currently wowing audiences in Guillermo Del Toro’s Nightmare Alley and will then be in Eli Roth’s Borderlands movie adaptation before The New Boy eventually hits screens.
Ghostbusters Director Ivan Reitman Dies At 75
Iconic comedic director, writer and producer Ivan Reitman has sadly passed away at the age of 75.
Arguably best known for co-creating and helming the Ghostbusters franchise, Reitman was also responsible behind the camera for directing or producing countless popular comedies and big screen classics.
His enviably cv includes responsibility for Twins, Kindergarten Cop, Junior, Beethoven, Old School, Up In The Air, Evolution, Draft Day, Heavy Metal, Stripes, Meatballs and Animal House.
Most recently Reitman produced Ghostbuster’s Afterlife with his son Jason Reitman directing the new franchise instalment that finally gave fans the long awaited big screen return of the surviving Ghostbusters cast.
Reitman is survived by his wife Genevieve and three children. His astonishing legacy of cinematic work also ensures generations of fans will continue to enjoy his comedic genius in perpetuity.
New Jurassic World Dominion Trailer
Jurassic World Dominion has released a new trailer that unites new franchise stars Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard with the iconic cast of the original film.
Sam Neill, Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum all untie for a dramatic big screen return nearly 30 years after the box office breaking first Jurassic Park adventure.
The reunion of the main stars of the original film adds another level of excitement for Colin Trevorrow’s final chapter in the Jurassic World trilogy.
The new trailer confirms that the original cast will be a very significant and action packed presence in the new instalment which sees dinosaurs for the first time seemingly ruling present day earth once again.
The film will roar into cinemas in the UK later this summer on 10th June.