Michael De Luca and Jennifer Todd to Produce 2017 Oscars
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After the longest period before an announcement in recent history, it was confirmed this morning (after Variety reported negotiations yesterday) that Michael De Luca and Jennifer Todd have officially signed on to produce the 89th Academy Awards.
De Luca and Todd are co-chairs for the Producers Guild Awards and had earlier said the commitment to the PGA would not give them time to put on the biggest show of the year, the Oscars. But it looks like they’ve ironed out their schedules enough to make it happen.
Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs announced today, saying:
[box type=”shadow” align=”” class=”” width=””]”What a talented team,” said Boone Isaacs. “Mike and Jennifer have a great working relationship and a tremendous love and respect of film, and will surely draw from their vast experience to create an exceptional and unforgettable event for movie fans everywhere.”
“We are deeply honored to produce the Academy Awards,” said De Luca and Todd. “We both revere the Oscars and grew up watching them each year with our families. We are so humbled and grateful to be a part of this incredible legacy, and look forward to creating an exciting show that celebrates movies and the power they have to connect us all.”
“We are thrilled to be working with Mike and Jennifer,” said Academy CEO Dawn Hudson. “In our meetings, they shared an early vision for the show that is inspired and in keeping with the films they’ve produced: entertaining, unexpected and of the highest caliber.”
“Mike and Jennifer have an intimate knowledge of the art of filmmaking. Their celebrated successes in storytelling will enhance the Oscar ceremony and capture the magic that sets the medium apart from any other,” said Channing Dungey, President, ABC Entertainment.[/box]
De Luca began his Hollywood career as an executive producer of Oscar-nominated films like Boogie Nights, Wag the Dog and Magnolia before moving into producing and being Oscar-nominated himself for The Social Network, Moneyball and Captain Phillips.
Jennifer Todd is an Emmy-nominated producer (If These Walls Could Talk 2) and began her career with the hugely successful Austin Powers franchise (where she worked closely with De Luca during his New Line Cinema days) and Alice in Wonderland films. She is also a producer on a potential Oscar contender this year, Ben Affleck’s Live by Night.
The show is still currently without a host and word is that one named floated around, Jimmy Kimmel, is definitely out of the running. Last year, the announcement of Chris Rock as the host came on October 21st.
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He is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, accredited by the Cannes Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and more, is a member of the International Cinephile Society (ICS), The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics (GALECA), Hollywood Critics Association (HCA) and the International Press Academy. Among his many achieved goals with AwardsWatch, he has given a platform to underrepresented writers and critics and supplied them with access to film festivals and the industry and calls the Bay Area his home where he lives with his husband and son.
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