LOS ANGELES — The Oscars are aiming to be more like a movie than a television show and enlisting A-list stars like Harrison Ford, Brad Pitt, Halle Berry and Reese Witherspoon to help hand out statuettes.
They’ll be joined by the likes of Don Cheadle, Renee Zellweger, Regina King, Joaquin Phoenix, Rita Moreno, Laura Dern, Zendaya, Angela Bassett, Bryan Cranston, Marlee Matlin and last year’s best director winner Bong Joon Ho, the show’s producers said Monday.
“In keeping with our awards-show-as-a-movie approach, we’ve assembled a truly stellar cast of stars,” said producers Jesse Collins, Stacey Sher and Steven Soderbergh in a statement. “There’s so much wattage here, sunglasses may be required.”
After delaying two months due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Oscars are forging ahead with an in-person show at Los Angeles’ Union Station. It’ll be a scaled-back affair, with only presenters, nominees and their guests in attendance, but the producers are working to make it a must-see event amid critically low ratings for other awards shows during the pandemic. More talent will be announced in the coming weeks.
The 93rd Oscars will be broadcast live on ABC on April 25 at 8 p.m. Eastern.