The hunt for Oscar hosts is on, and among the contenders are… Deadpool and Wolverine?
That news comes via a Deadline article today, which reports that Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman are in the mix to serve as hosts for the next Oscars ceremony. But there’s a twist: Deadline says that the plan would be to “include them as part of a star ensemble of rotating hosts, each — or in pairs — doing a portion of the show, per a plan to shake things up.” The article adds that there are currently “mixed signals” as to whether or not the two A-listers are willing to commit to participating.
Other names apparently in the mix include Will Ferrell, Amy Poehler, and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, with Deadline noting that Johnson’s name comes up every year anyway, “but he has for various reasons resisted.” And of course, Poehler’s hosting talents were solified by her long-running gig MCing the Golden Globes with Tina Fey.
Hosting the Oscars is, notoriously, a pretty tough job, and it’s something the Academy has been experimenting its approach to for some time. There were no hosts for the 2019-2021 Oscars, instead having various presenters anchor the ceremony. Regina Hall, Amy Schumer, and Wanda Sykes hosted the 2022 Oscars, and it returned to something of a traditional format for the two most recent ceremonies with Jimmy Kimmel coming back as the sole host.
The Academy has also been working to fight its sagging ratings for the past several years, reaching an all-time low in 2021 with 10.4 million viewers. With that in mind, Reynolds and Jackman would make a lot of sense: they have the second-highest-grossing movie of the year, as Deadpool & Wolverine grossed $1.3 billion worldwide, and the 97th Academy Awards will air on the Disney-owned ABC. There have also been reports of Disney conducting an Oscar campaign for Deadpool & Wolverine, including pushing for recognition of Reynolds and Jackman’s performances.
Regardless of who hosts it, the next Academy Awards are set to take place on March 2. For more in the meantime, check out the full list of winners from the 96th Oscars.
Alex Stedman is a Senior News Editor with IGN, overseeing entertainment reporting. When she’s not writing or editing, you can find her reading fantasy novels or playing Dungeons & Dragons.
