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On Monday, June 15, the board of governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will meet via Zoom and discuss the future of the 2021 Oscars. The famous awards show is expected to be delayed up to 8 weeks.
The 93rd Oscars were originally scheduled for February 28, 2021. However, COVID-19 and the precautions that came with it have upset the film industry. Movie theaters were shut down, ongoing film shoots were cancelled and release dates were pushed back. It’s been chaos for Hollywood. The governors are meeting to determine the future of the Oscars amidst the pandemic.
If the Oscars are delayed, it’s most likely because of the lack of films that released this year. COVID-19 cancelled or set back a lot of release dates for big movies, including Wonder Woman 1984, Last Night In Soho and Pixar’s Soul. This means that if the Oscars kept its original February premiere, there wouldn’t be many movies to give awards to.
The Oscars have only been delayed three other times: In 1938, it was due to flooding in L.A. In 1961, it was due to the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. In 1981, it was due to the attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan.
The board of governors will also decide on other Oscars-related matters, including the eligibility window and the annual Governors Awards. Proposed solutions include extending the film eligibility to go beyond December 31 and presenting the Governors Awards trophies during the Oscars.
