The Oscar nominations announcement has been delayed for a second time as wildfires continue to ravage Los Angeles, and the nominations voting period has been extended until Friday.
The nominations announcement is now slated to take place Jan. 23 at 5:30 a.m. PT. It will be a virtual event without in-person media coverage, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Monday.
The Academy said it still plans to hold the Oscars ceremony on March 2 at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.
The wildfires, fueled by exceptionally dry conditions and strong Santa Ana winds, have killed at least 24 people and swept through 40,000 acres in the Greater Los Angeles area. This weekend, evacuation orders for the largest blaze, the Palisades Fire, expanded. It was 14% contained as of Monday morning and threatens Brentwood, Encino and Westwood.
“We are all devastated by the impact of the fires and the profound losses experienced by so many in our community,” Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy president Janet Yang said in a statement. “The Academy has always been a unifying force within the film industry, and we are committed to standing together in the face of hardship.”
As part of the scheduling changes, the Academy also said the annual Oscars Nominees Luncheon, which was scheduled for Feb. 10, will not be held this year.
The Scientific and Technical Awards, initially scheduled for Feb. 18, “will be rescheduled to a later date yet to be determined.”
“Our members always share how important it is for us to come together as a community, and we are determined to use this opportunity to celebrate our resilient and compassionate industry,” Kramer and Yang said. “We also look forward to honoring our frontline workers who have aided with the fires, recognizing those impacted, and encouraging people to join the Academy in supporting the relief efforts. We will get through this together and bring a sense of healing to our global film community.”
As the fires continue to displace people and disrupt day-to-day life in Los Angeles, many industry events, including those surrounding awards shows, continue to be canceled.
Some companies pushed back the launch of high-profile projects, such as Meghan Markle’s new Netflix series “With Love, Meghan,” which was moved to a March release date. Production on some projects was also temporarily paused.
Austin Mullen contributed.