The 91st Academy Awards could be its biggest yet, if the committee behind the ceremony is able to execute on their plans. According to reliable reports (The Hollywood Reporter), in the wake of the snafu involving host Kevin Hart and his subsequent departure, the Academy is hoping to get stars of the Marvel Cinematic Universe to collectively host the Oscars. Essentially, the ceremony will be going host-less with the said stars called out during key moments to hand over certain awards.
This would be a repeat of a similar stunt pulled of in the aftermath of the huge success of 2012’s The Avengers. Back then, the Academy managed to assemble Robert Downey Jr. (Tony Stark / Iron Man), Chris Evans (Steve Rogers / Captain America), Mark Ruffalo (Bruce Banner / Hulk), Jeremy Renner (Clint Barton, Hawkeye) and Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury / Nick Fury) on stage at once. The franchise itself has expanded since then to include multiple movies and many more actors, giving the Oscars a solid chance at rejuvenating their declining ratings while also giving telecasting ABC a viewership boost along with the opportunity to promote its parent company Disney’s movies (Disney owns ABC).
If the above plans unfold successfully, it would turn out to be a great marketing stint for the upcoming Avengers: Endgame without having to reveal a single frame of footage. Of course the final list of actors have not yet been finalized, with the fate of several in Avengers: Infinity War further complicating factors but THR reports that several of them were asked to refrain from presenting at the Golden Globes in order to keep their appearances fresh. No names were taken in the report although the original Avengers lineup and the likes of Brie Larson should be a given at this point.
This’ll be an interesting landmark for the MCU as a whole. Between being able to attend Golden Globes for the Best Picture nomination secured by Black Panther and having part of its roster hosting the Oscars, the MCU is certainly going places. And it’ll be an even bittersweet moment if Black Panther is nominated for Best Picture at the 91st Academy Awards, and ends up winning it.
The 91st Academy Awards (popularly known as Oscars) should be broadcast in late February / early March 2019, with the nominations coming out later this month on January 22.
