Three is better than one! Amy Schumer, Regina Hall and Wanda Sykes are set to host the 94th Academy Awards next month, marking the first time anyone has hosted the ceremony in three years.
The trio of stars got the gig after “weeks” of meetings about Hollywood’s biggest night, according to a report from Variety published on Monday, February 14. This year’s Oscars broadcast is being produced by Will Packer, who coproduced 2017’s Girls Trip starring Hall, 51.
The 2022 edition of the awards show is set to air live on ABC Sunday, March 27. The event has not had a host since 2018 when Jimmy Kimmel helmed the broadcast. Last year, producers dramatically scaled back the event because of the coronavirus pandemic. Only presenters and nominees were allowed to attend the gala, and the Best Original Song nominees were performed in prerecorded segments that aired before the main ceremony.
Reports about who might host the 2022 Oscars have been circulating for weeks, with names including Pete Davidson and Jon Hamm in contention. At one point, rumors surfaced that producers were considering a trio made up of the Only Murders in the Building cast: Selena Gomez, Martin Short and Steve Martin.
The Academy announced this year’s nominees earlier this month. The Power of the Dog led the pack with 12 total nominations, followed by Dune with 10 nods and Belfast and West Side Story with seven each.
Jane Campion, who directed The Power of the Dog, is the first woman to ever be nominated for Best Director twice. Only two women have ever won the trophy: Kathryn Bigelow in 2010 for The Hurt Locker and Chloé Zhao in 2021 for Nomadland.
The Bright Star director is also the first woman to be nominated twice in the screenplay categories, earning her first nod — and win — in 1994 for her original screenplay for The Piano. This year, she is nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay, as The Power of the Dog is based on Thomas Savage’s novel of the same name.
“It really did bring a tear to me,” Campion told The Los Angeles Times earlier this month of her latest film’s many nominations. “I felt really emotional and a sort of gratitude, actually, that the Academy [has] so widely embraced so many of our team for this film. I think it’s a kind of complex film, so it meant a lot that they graced us with so many nominations. Absolutely a thrill for everybody.”
The 94th Academy Awards will air on ABC Sunday, March 27, at 8 p.m. ET.