New film academy members include Danielle Deadwyler, Ariana Grande, Jason Momoa, Conan O'Brien
NEW YORK (AP) — The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences invited 534 new members to its organization on Thursday, adding recent Oscar nominees and many more to Hollywood's most exclusive club.
The newest class of Oscar voters includes a number of stars like Dave Bautista, Jason Momoa, Aubrey Plaza, Danielle Deadwyler and Andrew Scott. They, along with filmmakers, below-the-line professionals and executives will bring the film academy's membership total to 11,120, with voting members numbering 10,143.
That's the largest membership ever for the academy. Since the #OscarsSoWhite backlash, the film academy has added thousands of members to swell its ranks and diversify its voting body. This year's class is 41% female, 45% from underrepresented communities and 55% from outside the U.S.
Those new members will make the entire academy 35% women, 22% from underrepresented communities and 21% international.
'We are thrilled to invite this esteemed class of artists, technologists, and professionals to join the Academy,' said academy chief executive Bill Kramer and president Janet Yang in a statement. 'Through their commitment to filmmaking and to the greater movie industry, these exceptionally talented individuals have made indelible contributions to our global filmmaking community.'
Invitations went out to 91 Oscar nominees and 26 winners, including best actress winner Mikey Madison ('Anora') and best supporting actor winner Kieran Culkin ('A Real Pain'). Recent nominees who were invited include Ariana Grande, Jeremy Strong, Sebastian Stan and Monica Barbara. Gints Zilbalodis, the director of best animated film winner 'Flow' will join the animation branch.
Other filmmakers set to join the academy include Mike Flanagan ('Doctor Sleep'), Azazel Jacobs ('His Three Daughters'), Brady Corbet ('The Brutalist'), Coraline Fargeat ('The Substance') Jane Schoenbrun ('I Saw the TV Glow'), Halina Reijn ('Babygirl') and Gia Coppola ('The Last Showgirl').
Payal Kapadia ('All We Imagine As Light'), Lena Waithe ('Queen & Slim') and Greg Kwedar and Clint Bentley of 'Sing Sing' were all invited in the writers branch. In the music branch, new members include Brandi Carlile ('Elton John: Never Too Late'), Branford Marsalis ('Rustin') and Youssou N'Dour ('Youssou N'Dour: I Bring What I Love').
The last two emcees to host the Oscars — Jimmy Kimmel and Conan O'Brien — were also invited as members. After a well-reviewed broadcast that drew 19.7 million viewers, O'Brien is returning to host the 2026 Academy Awards on March 15.
A few new rules will await the 2025 academy members.
For the first time, members will be required to watch all nominated films in each category to be eligible to vote in the final road of Oscar voting. This year, a new award category for casting will be voted on for the upcoming Oscars. The academy has also established a new Oscar for stunt design, but that won't be given out until 2028.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Fast Company
an hour ago
- Fast Company
Is this Hollywood's moment of AI reckoning?
For some in Hollywood, as Silicon Valley's AI models have become impossible to ignore, it's better to have a seat at the table as these new technologies emerge, rather than sitting back and letting the tech titans take full control. This, at least, is the impetus behind Asteria, the generative AI studio cofounded by the filmmaking couple of Bryn Mooser and Natasha Lyonne, who promote their company as using 'ethical' AI. Lyonne has justified her embrace of the technology by explaining: 'It's better to get your hands dirty than pretend it's not happening.' The company has faced some backlash, both because Lyonne (tastelessly, her detractors would argue) claimed the late David Lynch had endorsed AI, and because its flagship model is proprietary—meaning we have no way to verify that it is indeed trained only on licensed material (as Lyonne and co. say it is). Meanwhile, James Cameron is on Stability AI's board, and has expressed his hope for using AI to make blockbuster filmmaking cheaper. Jason Blum's Blumhouse Productions has partnered with Meta for AI testing and chatbots. Lionsgate signed a deal with Runway, an AI startup valued at $3 billion, to let the company train its model on the studio's 20,000+ films and TV series; Runway also signed a deal with AMC. This embrace of AI, though, puts the James Camerons and Natasha Lyonnes of the world at odds with industry peers who are opting to push back on these would-be robot overlords before they take over.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Disney's stock has bagged an upgrade from Jeffries — here's why
Disney (DIS) is cruising for a higher stock price this summer, according to Jefferies analyst James Heaney. Heaney lifted his rating on Disney to Buy from Hold on Monday. His new price target of $144 assumes 18% upside ahead from the entertainment giant's current level of $124.84 per share. Yahoo Finance data shows Heaney is now one of the most bullish on the Street with respect to Disney. "We upgrade Disney to Buy for four primary reasons: 1) Now see limited risk of a second half parks slowdown from Epic Universe/Macro [economy]; 2) More positive on FY26 cruise [business] upside, Jefferies estimates $1 billion plus revenue uplift; 3) Continued direct-to-consumer margin expansion (0% FY24 to 13% plus by FY28 estimate); 4) View next six months content and sports slate favorably, including ESPN direct-to-consumer launch, Zootopia 2 and Avatar 3," Heaney wrote. Disney shares rose 2% in premarket trading on Monday. The stock is up 10% year to date, compared with a 4% advance for the Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI). "Disney has failed to grow operating income in FY16-FY24, but we believe this dynamic is set to change," Heaney added. His more bullish stance on Disney comes despite several headwinds facing the media giant. First, the media industry itself continues to face upheaval. Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) said this month it will split up amid a shift to streaming that has financially hammered its legacy TV assets. The company joins rival Comcast (CMCSA) in separating TV operations from streaming assets. Meanwhile, Paramount (PARA) is still trying to close its merger deal with Skydance. Disney has repeatedly said it has no desire to spin off its TV networks, such as ABC, despite the industry challenges that have weighed on sales and profits. "I think it's harder [to split up] than most people realize. And the interesting thing is, for the past five to 10 years, we have been putting them together — linear TV content creates the streaming content. Now all of that has changed," former BET CEO and current Warner Bros. Discovery board member Debra Lee told Yahoo Finance earlier in June. Meantime, Disney is still smack in the middle of appointing a CEO to succeed Bob Iger. There are reportedly four internal candidates being considered for the coveted position, which Iger held from 2005 to 2020 before returning in November 2022. Those four are entertainment division co-chiefs Dana Walden and Alan Bergman, parks division head Josh D'Amaro, and ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro. Walden and D'Amaro are rumored to be top contenders. The search process must be executed flawlessly, following a high-profile bungling last time, when former CEO Bob Chapek was fired in favor of bringing back Iger. Chapek's brusque management style famously clashed with the many creatives who keep the magic inside of Disney's content and theme parks. A CEO decision is widely expected by year end. "I think the biggest skillset you have to have is a gift of a real strategic business sense, because there's a bunch of assets at Disney that are globally deployed. It's multifaceted, from theme parks to consumer products to movies to film to TV to Disney+ to Hulu to ESPN. You got to manage a lot, and then you have to also decide, what assets do we keep? What assets do we add?" Candle Media CEO and former top Disney exex Kevin Mayer said on Yahoo Finance's Opening Bid podcast (watch above). Brian Sozzi is Yahoo Finance's Executive Editor and a member of Yahoo Finance's editorial leadership team. Follow Sozzi on X @BrianSozzi, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Tips on stories? Email Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Geek Tyrant
an hour ago
- Geek Tyrant
Sonic the Hedgehog Races Into the MAGIC: THE GATHERING Multiverse — GeekTyrant
Sonic is trading in Chaos Emeralds for mana crystals. Hasbro's Magic: The Gathering is speeding into a new crossover with SEGA's Sonic the Hedgehog , and the results are a nostalgic mashup that fans of both franchises didn't see coming, but will definitely want in their decks. This team-up is happening through Magic's 'Secret Lair' series, which offers limited-edition drops featuring reimagined cards and custom art, outside the usual card cycle. The new collaboration will be split into three different Secret Lair x Sonic the Hedgehog drops, starting with Friends & Foes, which showcases seven iconic characters from the Sonic universe. According to Wizards of the Coast, 'This drop features seven new designs that bring the amazing Sonic the Hedgehog characters to life. Wizards of the Coast paired the new card designs with original art, including some from fan-favorite Sonic artists doing their first-ever work for Magic: The Gathering cards.' The Friends & Foes set includes cards for Sonic himself, Super State Sonic, Shadow the Hedgehog, Miles 'Tails' Prower, Dr. Eggman, Amy Rose, and Knuckles the Echidna. Whether you're racing through Green Hill Zone or building the ultimate mana curve, there's a character to match your strategy (or your personality). Each card set will be available in two formats: standard ($29.99) and foil ($39.99). Fans can pick them up on starting July 14 at 9 a.m. PT. As always with Secret Lair, these are time-limited and won't be printed again, so collectors and players alike will want to act fast—just like Sonic. This isn't the first time Magic has blurred the lines between tabletop and video game worlds. The Sonic set follows closely behind their recent collaboration with Square Enix on a full card collection based on the Final Fantasy franchise. Magic: The Gathering continues to expand its multiverse in surprising ways, and this Sonic crossover feels like a fun, fast, and fitting next step. So whether you're tapping lands or charging through loops, Sonic is about to bring some serious speed—and style—to your next Magic match.
