The Oscars Might Look a Lot Different in 2021

Sonic the Hedgehog for best picture?

COVID-19 has changed just about everything lately, and now Deadline is reporting that on Tuesday morning the board of Governors is meeting to discuss rules changes for the Academy Awards. 

The obvious change to expect is the eligibility of straight to VOD titles. Simply too many movies have no choice but to premiere that way. Unless, as we joke, the Academy Awards want only to celebrate films released in the early part of 2020. 

There is still plenty of time for things to change, and for some major Oscar-bait to hit theaters. Most of the types of releases that end up in contention get a fall or winter release. 

That said, it's not exactly fair to the films released earlier in the 2020 year that didn't get a theatrical run due to the Coronavirus. Nor is it clear how and when movie theaters will be safe and open for business. 

It's all interesting when you consider that in recent years a kind of war was waged between the streaming giants like Netflix and the old guard headlined by people like Steven Speilberg, who preferred that eligibility for Oscars remained tied to a theatrical release. 

Hands have been forced. Pushes have come to shoves. Fate has intervened. 

All that remains now is the certainty that an Oscar show must go on, and there must be enough movies eligible for that show to run long. 

Up next

If you want to look back on the Oscar films from 2019, there were many great filmmakers and great lessons covered in our round-up. We also spoke to three filmmakers nominated in the 'shorts' category about their experiences, and challenges.