Producers Michael De Luca and Jennifer Todd have signed the deal to produce the 89th Oscar awards, which will air on ABC on February 26.
Jimmy Kimmel, whose name has been floated as a potential host, is said to be out of the running.
De Luca and Todd currently serve as co-chairs of the PGA Awards — and De Luca had previously told The New York Times that the PGA commitment would keep him and Todd from boarding the Oscars telecast if they were asked to do so. De Luca is a colorful film biz veteran whose recent hits include “Fifty Shades of Grey” and “Captain Phillips.” He was a top exec at New Line Cinema and DreamWorks before shifting into producing. From late 2013 through early 2015, he was president of production for Sony Pictures before moving on to a producer deal at “Fifty Shades” studio Universal.
Todd is a film and TV vet who worked closely with De Luca during the New Line Cinema days on such pics as the “Austin Powers” franchise. Todd and her sister, Suzanne Todd, ran the Team Todd production banner. More recently Jennifer Todd has been a producer on “Alice in Wonderland” and “Alice Through the Looking Glass.” Todd, who is also an exec producer on the new Syfy drama “Incorporated,” is president of Matt Damon and Ben Affleck production company Pearl Street Films.
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“We are deeply honored to produce the Academy Awards,” said De Luca and Todd in a statement. “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.”
Said Academy CEO Dawn Hudson, “We are thrilled to be working with Mike and Jennifer, 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.”
