Big time director/producer Brett Ratner is co-producing the 84th Annual Academy Awards come February 2012. The question is, after last year’s not so amazing double-host choice, who will they pick to wow us? “I have some ideas,” Ratner told Variety last week, with a chuckle over a tongue-in-cheek question regarding whether Franco might be invited back. “But we literally just got the job a couple of hours ago so haven’t real had a chance to talk about that.” Ratner, who has been close friends with hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons for many years, counts many other A-list stars in Hollywood as friends so it will be interesting to see who he comes up with.
Ratner, who just wrapped the upcoming NYC filmed “Tower Heist” starring Ben Stiller and Eddie Murphy, sat down with the Oscar producers for what should have been a 30 minute “pick Ratner’s brain for ideas meeting,” and it turned in to an offer for Ratner to co-produce the iconic show along with Don Mischer.
“I was so impressed with Brett when I met with him to discuss the Oscar show,” said Academy President Tom Sherak, who announced last Thursday that Ratner and Mischer would co-produce. “He has an incredible love of film and its history and is a true student of the business of movies.” Ratner who famously talked his way into NYU Film School counts producer Robert Evans as one of his mentors, Hal Ashby as one of his favorite directors and Martin Scorsese’s ‘Raging Bull’ as the pic that inspired him to become a filmmaker. Looking forward to see how Ratner adds his flair to the production.