The very affable and goofy Conan O’Brien will host the Oscars next March 2nd.
Conan is a great choice, and what the next Academy Awards need considering it’s a big year for indie films.
He’ll be dealing with a mixed pack of Best Picture nominees. Possible big studio candidates include “Gladiator II,” “Wicked,” and “Dune Part Two.”
But nothing is guaranteed. Right now, a pack of indie and streaming films are what will make up the bulk of nominations. They include “A Real Pain,” “The Brutalist,” “Conclave,” “Emilia Perez,” “Maria,” “A Complete Unknown,” and so on.
Conan will have to develop some material and producers will have to think up out of the box ideas to bring in audiences since a lot of these films haven’t had wide distribution or haven’t attracted huge audiences to theaters.
“Wicked,” especially, will have to be a Barbenheimer type sensation for this all to work. “Gladiator II,” ditto.
The Academy will have to pull out all the stops, especially after the Critics Choice and Golden Globes will precede them.
