Will Packer, the Emmy-nominated producer behind films such as “Girls Trip,” “Straight Outta Compton” and “Ride Along,” will produce the 2022 Oscars ceremony, Academy president David Rubin announced Tuesday.
This will be Packer’s first involvement with the Oscars, and he’ll lead the 94th Oscars show that will air on ABC on Sunday, March 27, 2022.
He takes over for a producing team that last year included Steven Soderbergh for a COVID-safe, slimmed down and more cinematic version of the Oscars ceremony than audiences were used to. But next year’s show will be back in the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland where it’s traditionally been held.
Shayla Cowan, chief of staff of Will Packer Productions and Will Packer Media, will serve as co-producer alongside Packer for the Oscars ceremony. Cowan manages and oversees all the operational activities of both companies, advises on marketing, communications and business strategies and provides support on the development and production of the company’s films, television and digital programming.
“Will is a powerhouse producer who has enjoyed success across all movie genres. He’s already bringing a boundless energy and a focus on innovation to this year’s Oscars to entertain the widest spectrum of fans. Many wonderful surprises ahead,” Rubin and Academy CEO Dawn Hudson said in a statement.
“The power, the beauty, the romance of the imagery in movies has always attracted me. I’m fully embracing the challenge of bringing an ode to one of the most iconic mediums in the world to life. What an honor,” Packer said.
“There is no one better than Will Packer to celebrate our collective love for cinema,” Craig Erwich, president, Hulu Originals and ABC Entertainment, said in a statement. “Will is a world-class hitmaker and the ideal producer to capture the prestige of ‘The Oscars’ and deliver a powerful and moving event.”
Packer has produced or executive produced films such as “The Photograph,” “Little,” “What Men Want,” “Night School,” “Breaking In,” “Girls Trip,” “Ride Along 2,” “Straight Outta Compton,” “No Good Deed,” “Think Like a Man Too,” “Ride Along,” “Think Like a Man,” “Takers,” “Obsessed” and “Stomp the Yard.” His television credits include “That Girl Lay Lay,” “Blackballed,” “Ambitions,” “Bigger,” “Being Mary Jane,” “Uncle Buck” and the remake of “Roots,” for which he received an Emmy nomination. He is the founder and CEO of film production company Will Packer Productions and Will Packer Media, a television, digital and branded content company.
