Wanda Sykes, Amy Schumer, Regina Hall to host Oscars 2022

By PTI

LOS ANGELES: Wanda Sykes, Amy Schumer and Regina Hall will host the 94th edition of the Academy Awards.

The Oscars are returning to an emcee format for the first time since 2018, reported Deadline. The news is expected to be announced officially Tuesday on ABC’s “Good Morning America”.

ABC is the broadcast partner for the awards ceremony, which will be held on March 27.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, who is the organiser of the annual honours, declined comment on the host news.

The 2022 Oscars are being produced by Will Packer, whose long list of hit TV and film successes includes “Girls Trip”, which starred Hall among its ensemble.

With the addition of comedy veterans Sykes and Schumer, it seems the producers are hoping to add some humour to the show. It is currently unclear how the duties will be distributed among the trio.

Last year’s telecast ceremony was the lowest-rated ever, hampered by pandemic constraints and held with reduced capacity at Los Angeles’ Union Station instead of its normal home at the Dolby Theatre.

This time Oscars return to full capacity at the Dolby as the latest Omicron variant continues to subside.

Last week, it was confirmed that the Academy will not be requiring shots, just a recent negative test, to attend.

Jane Campion’s Western “The Power of the Dog”, a psychological drama set in the director’s native New Zealand, is leading the race to the 2022 Oscars with 12 nominations, followed by Denis Villeneuve’s adaptation of “Dune” with 10.