Bill Mechanic and Adam Shankman will produce next year’s Oscars ceremony, it was revealed today.
Mechanic, the former Fox chairman who backed the likes of Titanic and Fight Club, and who has produced Coraline and The New World since leaving the big chair, and Shankman – the director of Hairspray and **Bedtime Stories **– will replace the outgoing team of Laurence Mark and Bill Condon.
Mark and Condon’s sole attempt at producing the Oscars was this year’s Hugh Jackman-hosted event, which was widely acclaimed as one of the most innovative ceremonies in recent years. It was also one of the more widely-viewed, with figures up on previous years.
Mark and Condon, though, chose not to return, citing other commitments, but with just over five months until the 82nd annual ceremony, Academy president Tom Sherak moved quickly to fill the gap with another pairing that may seem unusual on paper but, like many a hero’s desperate eleventh hour plan, it might just work, dammit!
"I've known Bill for many years, so it's like putting Oscar in the care of a dear friend,” explained Sherak in a statement. “Bill has a tremendous love and respect of film and will draw from his vast experience as a producer, a studio executive and a film historian to help make this year's Oscar telecast a memorable one. And Adam's experience in producing, directing and especially choreography will be a huge asset to the production.”
So there you go. The duo will first have to select a host, so let the speculation begin here. People we’d like to see: Craig Ferguson, Stephen Colbert, Tina Fey. People we wouldn’t: Justin Lee Collins.
The Oscars will be held on March 7 at Hollywood’s Kodak Theatre