The 93rd Oscars in 2021 will be held at 8 p.m. ET on April 25. It was much later than it was held on February 9 last year and February 24 in 2019. In retrospect, however, the first awards ceremony was held on May 16, 1929, and for some reason, except for the three to five events held in November, it was held the most in March, and the 24th and 18th in April and February, respectively.
The first round of presenters announced Monday are, in alphabetical order.
Angela Bassett, Halle Berry, Bong Joon Ho, Don Cheadle, Bryan Cranston, Laura Dern, Harrison Ford, Regina King, Marlee Matlin, Rita Moreno, Joaquin Phoenix, Brad Pitt, Reese Witherspoon, Renée Zellweger, and Zendaya.
“In keeping with our awards-show-as-a-movie approach, we’ve assembled a truly stellar cast of stars,” show producers Jesse Collins, Stacey Sher and Steven Soderbergh said Monday in a news release. “There’s so much wattage here, sunglasses may be required.”
Six films, all of them also up for best picture, score six nods.
“Judas and the Black Messiah,” “Nomadland,” “Minari,” “Sound of Metal,” “The Trial of the Chicago 7” and “The Father.” Also nominated for best picture was Emerald Fennell’s “Promising Young Woman.”
Additional presenter announcements are expected in the coming weeks.
David Fincher’s “Mank,” a black-and-white, period drama about “Citizen Kane” screenwriter Herman Mankiewicz, topped nominations for the 93rd Oscars with 10 nominations, including best picture, best director, acting nods for Gary Oldman and Amanda Seyfried, and a host of others for its lavish craft.