The annual Awards Show for the film industry The Oscars is as of this writing currently set to take place on April 25, 2021.With the current landscape of the film industry possibly carrying over into 2021 and film studios such as Warner Bros. Pictures, Universal Pictures, and Walt Disney Pictures already making their some, most, or even all of their films for 2020 & 2021 available digitally either via VOD or their in-house streaming platforms the chances of their even being an Oscars ceremony for 2021 comes into much doubt. The Oscars having previously had contention with the digital film market (at least for platforms such as Netflix & Hulu), they’ve only just recently began recognizing the secondary film experience which has quickly become mainstream as having a place within the ceremony. Now it seems that more than half of the films slated for 2021 may be forced to go the streaming path due to the ongoing threat of the COVID-19/coronavirus pandemic of 2020. Which has heavily effected the the production process of the entertainment industry from filming, film editing, and beyond. Pretty much the whole ordeal has been impacted for the worst.

While the 2021 ceremony for the 93rd annual Oscars will go as planned as of this writing, current reports suggest that their may not even be a host for next year’s event. Should this change, the reported frontrunners for hosting the Oscars appear to be Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson,  Sacha Baron Cohen, Tiffany Haddish, Dave Chappelle, and Maya Rudolph as the top five choices. Funnily enough according to Johnson himself he was apparently the first choice for last year’s event, but due to scheduling the role was ultimately given to then co-star Kevin Hart. In another twist of irony Hart himself would have to turn the role down due to his own schedule and the duo’s film Jumanji (2019) which had been filming at the time. As a follower of pro wrestling for over twenty years if you had told me The Rock was tapped as an Oscar host I’d have laughed, not due to a lack of confidence for his ability as a host, but due to the surreal nature of the possibility. Now as he’s one of Hollywood’s fastest rising talents that impossibility may have indeed become a reality if we are indeed to have a host for next year’s show.