The 2021 Academy Awards Are Likely to Be Postponed

The 93rd Academy Awards are currently set for Feb. 28, 2021 on ABC, but according to a new report from Variety, they will likely be postponed thanks to the worldwide pandemic. 

The president of the Academy, David Rubin admits that he's not sure what form the celebration will take. “It’s impossible to know what the landscape will be. We know we want to celebrate film but we do not know exactly what form it will take,” said Rubin.

There has been a ton of speculation that the date of the Oscars could go to April, giving studios a few extra months to release new work for the competition. But I wonder how many marquee movies will want to come out in the dreaded January/February spot, even to get their films seen and ready to compete. 

Under the normal rules, a film must have a 7-day theatrical release in Los Angeles County to qualify for Oscar eligibility. This year, those rules were changed so films released digitally can qualify if the studio had originally planned a theatrical release. “I think everyone is sympathetic to the filmmakers’ plight and we’re here to support our members and the film community,” Rubin said. “It makes sense when we don’t really know what’s to come in terms of the availability of theatrical exhibition...We need to make allowances for this year only and during this time when theaters are not open so great film work can be seen and celebrated.”

My gut tells me moving the date backward and expanding the months for submission seems like the most logical and best bet, but it's so hard to tell when theaters will be open and safe for attendees. 

I know it's drastic, but I feel like this year is a wash and they should carry over the titles released now until they can stage the competition officially in 2022. But that hiatus would not be attractive to lots of people. 

All ideas now are hypothetical, but how would you change the Oscars this year? Let us know in the comments.