Months after reports first stated that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is considering postponing Oscars 2021, it has not been confirmed that there is no smoke without fire. In a report on Hollywood Reporter, it has been confirmed that the 93rd Academy Awards ceremony will be delayed and the eligibility window has been extended beyond December 31, 2020.
This deviation from the usual February date comes after the entertainment industry was brought to a standstill following a shuffle of release dates of major movies amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Although highly unusual, these moves by the Academy are not unprecedented, states the report. The Oscars has been delayed three times before — due to LA flooding in 1938; following the assassination of Dr Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1968; and after the attempted assassination of Pres. Ronald Reagan in 1981.
Early this year, the Academy Of Motion Picture Arts And Sciences announced a change in rules and eligibility requirements for the 2021 Oscars, making movies of streaming services eligible to vie for the golden statuettes.
The Academy tweaked its Oscar eligibility rules in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. The change is not permanent and will apply to films released this year. The Academy also shared that it will eliminate an Oscar category. The sound mixing and sound editing categories will be combined into one award, reducing the total number of categories presented on the show to 23.
At that time, Academy president David Rubin said that it was too soon to know how the pandemic would affect the Oscar telecast.
Amid the ongoing worldwide shut down due to the virus crisis, several movies have been pushed back as cinemas remain shut. Biggies that have been pushed back include the upcoming James Bond film ‘No Time To Die’, ‘ Tenet’, ‘Wonder Woman’, ‘Top Gun: Maverick’, ‘Mulan’ and Marvel’s ‘Black Widow’.Independent
