ABC/Eric McCandless, AMPAS(LOS ANGELES) — If you just started to adjust to the virtual concerts and award ceremonies, the 2021 Academy Awards are looking to buck the trend.
Variety reports that a representative from the Academy confirms, “The Oscars in-person telecast will happen.”
The ceremony, slated for April 25, 2021, has already been pushed back due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. However, it appears the Academy is hopeful that theaters will return to normal capacity by then, which would afford more movie premieres and, thus, more Oscar contenders.
However, should movie theaters remain closed, the Academy is still planning on an in-person ceremony at LA’s 3,400-seat Dolby Theater and, with that, is making adjustments to abide by CDC guidelines.
“The Academy has done a walkthrough of the Dolby recently to see all the multiple options,” an awards publicist tells Variety.
The Academy, much like the rest of the world, is also remaining optimistic about next year due to promising news from the vaccine front.
Two vaccine candidates — from Pfizer and Moderna, respectively — are seeking emergency authorization from the Food and Drug Administration.
Pfizer’s hearing is set for December 10 and, should the FDA grant approval, Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar tells ABC News says plans are in motion to have the vaccine ready for delivery within 24 hours.
Moderna’s hearing is set a week later.
But, even with a vaccine in circulation, however, it is still unknown what 2021’s awards landscape will look like.
Show-runners of the SAG Awards and the Critics Choice Awards, both of which will be held in March, are still weighing their options.
Representatives for both tell Variety that current options include an all-virtual show, an in-person show or possibly a hybrid ceremony as seen with the Emmys in September.
By Megan Stone
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