Fresh off of the telecast’s first Emmy win for Outstanding Variety Special (Live), the Oscars will once again be helmed by executive producers Raj Kapoor and Katy Mullan, with the former also returning as showrunner, and Hamish Hamilton back as the director of the 2025 Academy Awards.
The award-winning producers will have several members of their 2024 team back with them for the 2025 broadcast, including production designers Misty Buckley and Alana Billingsley, who also won Emmys for their work on the 96th Oscars, and red carpet show executive producer David Chamberlin. They will all be joined by Michael Bearden in his first time serving as music director of the Oscars.
Notably missing is the head writer of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” Molly McNearney, who told IndieWire in August that she and partner Jimmy Kimmel pulled away from being executive producers of the Oscars again in order to focus on covering the 2024 election on their late night show.
The news was announced on Monday, October 28 by Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ CEO Bill Kramer and President Janet Yang, who said via statement “We are delighted to announce the return of our incredibly dynamic and creative Oscars team, Raj, Katy, Hamish, Misty, Alana and Dave. And we are thrilled to announce the addition of the brilliant Michael Bearden.” The pair added, “Their love for cinema, their collective creative vision and their unparalleled expertise in live television make them the perfect team to create an exceptional show for our global audience on the film industry’s biggest night.”
For their part, Kapoor and Mullan said “We are thrilled to lead the brilliant Oscars production team again and work alongside the Academy and Disney/ABC to help create an unforgettable night of television for movie lovers worldwide,” as part of the announcement. “We hope to continue to inspire and connect new generations to share our love for the art of filmmaking and celebrate all the incredible artists who are Oscar-nominated this year.”
Lastly, Rob Mills, executive vice president, Unscripted and Alternative Entertainment, Walt Disney Television, reacted to the news by saying, “Last year’s show was a tremendous success in no small part to the creative vision of Raj, Katy, Hamish and their teams. We are excited to have them back and can’t wait for what’s in store for the 97th telecast.”
The 97th Oscars will air live on ABC and broadcast outlets worldwide on Sunday, March 2, 2025, at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT, with the official live red carpet show airing at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT.
