The Envelope’s Pete Hammond today wonders who will produce the Oscars and has some suggestions in that regard.
With Bill Condon and Laurence Mark bowing out after last year, new Academy president Tom Sherak is likely weighing his options. A year ago today it was announced that Condon and Mark would produce, so official news could be coming any minute.
Condon told Hammond he thinks the ideal should be to hire a two-person team each year that can come in with their own ideas and perhaps build on some winning ideas from previous shows.
So how about this suggestion: Steven Spielberg and his longtime producing colleague, Kathleen Kennedy?
Kennedy is a real Academy insider, just elected as a vice president, notes Hammond. And Spielberg reportedly exhibited a keen interest in just how the last Oscar show was produced, calling in every two weeks or so asking pointed questions and checking on how it was all going.
Spielberg, of course, is a bit busy with his film projects so there would clearly be a question of super multi-tasking in this scenario.
Among other possibilities that Hammond floats are Bruce Cohen and Dan Jinks. Cohen is producing the Academy’s non-televised inaugural Governors Dinner honoring Lauren Bacall, Gordon Willis, Roger Corman and John Calley on Nov. 14.
Another team that would be a natural would be Chicago and Hairspray executive producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron.
Other ideas: Joel Silver? Joe Roth? Laura Ziskin?
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