After record-low viewership for the 2021 Oscars, the Academy is changing things up for 2022. THR reports that the presentation for eight award categories will be prerecorded at the Dolby Theatre and edited into the live broadcast.

The categories that will be prerecorded are as follows:

• Documentary (Short Subject)
• Film Editing
• Makeup and Hairstyling
• Music (Original Score)
• Production Design
• Short Film (Animated)
• Short Film (Live Action)
• Sound

In a letter sent to the Academy's members, Academy President David Rubin said this decision was made with the television audience in mind. After last year's low viewership, Rubin wrote that the Academy needs to, "increase viewer engagement and keep the show vital, kinetic, and relevant."

Still, all awards categories and acceptance speeches will be featured on the live broadcast. It's likely that the prerecorded awards will be trimmed down to save time, as the purpose of the move is to adhere to a tighter schedule for the broadcast, with the goal of hitting the Best Picture announcement right at the three-hour mark. The Academy tried a similar model in 2018 that it immediately abandoned.

The Academy Awards is also introducing a new level of fan participation for this year's event. The Oscars will host a new fan poll allowing Twitter users to vote for their favorite movie of 2021. The movie fans vote for doesn't have to be a nominee at the Academy Awards, meaning any movie can take home the title. Maybe Spider-Man: No Way Home will take this award, and Kevin Smith won't have to complain about the snub any longer.

Regina Hall, Amy Schumer and Wanda Sykes are set to host the 94th Academy Awards on March 27, 2022, at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles. The ceremony will be broadcast live on ABC at 5 p.m. PT/8 p.m. ET.

For more, check out the Oscars 2022 nominations, where The Power of the Dog leads the way with recognition in 12 categories. And, check out our picks for the biggest Oscars snubs.

Logan Plant is a freelance writer for IGN. You can find him on Twitter @LoganJPlant.

After record-low viewership for the 2021 Oscars, the Academy is changing things up for 2022. THR reports that the presentation for eight award categories will be prerecorded at the Dolby Theatre and edited into the live broadcast.

The categories that will be prerecorded are as follows:

• Documentary (Short Subject)
• Film Editing
• Makeup and Hairstyling
• Music (Original Score)
• Production Design
• Short Film (Animated)
• Short Film (Live Action)
• Sound

In a letter sent to the Academy's members, Academy President David Rubin said this decision was made with the television audience in mind. After last year's low viewership, Rubin wrote that the Academy needs to, "increase viewer engagement and keep the show vital, kinetic, and relevant."

Still, all awards categories and acceptance speeches will be featured on the live broadcast. It's likely that the prerecorded awards will be trimmed down to save time, as the purpose of the move is to adhere to a tighter schedule for the broadcast, with the goal of hitting the Best Picture announcement right at the three-hour mark. The Academy tried a similar model in 2018 that it immediately abandoned.

The Academy Awards is also introducing a new level of fan participation for this year's event. The Oscars will host a new fan poll allowing Twitter users to vote for their favorite movie of 2021. The movie fans vote for doesn't have to be a nominee at the Academy Awards, meaning any movie can take home the title. Maybe Spider-Man: No Way Home will take this award, and Kevin Smith won't have to complain about the snub any longer.

Regina Hall, Amy Schumer and Wanda Sykes are set to host the 94th Academy Awards on March 27, 2022, at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles. The ceremony will be broadcast live on ABC at 5 p.m. PT/8 p.m. ET.

For more, check out the Oscars 2022 nominations, where The Power of the Dog leads the way with recognition in 12 categories. And, check out our picks for the biggest Oscars snubs.

Logan Plant is a freelance writer for IGN. You can find him on Twitter @LoganJPlant.

Denis Villeneuve is one of sci-fi’s preeminent visualists, but one opening scene idea was scrapped due to its immense budget.

In an interview with IndieWire, Dune screenwriter Eric Roth was asked about how he joined the project and what early ideas he had for his version of Frank Herbert’s sci-fi opus. According to Roth, he appreciated the source material but wasn’t a “fanboy” which gave him some distance to approach the work.

“That gave me an objective view of it. I grew up in that era, which ‘Dune’ was part and parcel of — psychedelics and all the things that I lived through… And so I said, ‘What the hell, I’ll try it. What have I got to lose?”’

Working with Villeneuve was another reason Roth joined the project. However, an early draft of Roth’s script began with a biblical “Genesis” of the desert planet Arrakis, where Dune is set.

“Because I’m adventurous, I started the movie with what would seem to be Genesis — “and God created’ — and you think you’re seeing the formation of the Earth. And it’s ‘Dune,’ with wild animals, things you’ve never seen.

However, this idea never made it to film because according to Villeneuve, while he loved the idea, if done the director claims the team “can’t afford the rest of the movie.”

Roth says he’s unsure if this was Villeneuve's polite way to pass on the idea, but given Dune’s other visual effects and massive budget, any additional scenes may have stretched the cost too much.

The idea of genesis has been done on film before, notably by Darren Aronofsky in his 2014 biblical movie Noah. But certainly, an entire cold open dedicated to visually representing the creation of an entire planet could add months of production to a movie already split into two parts.

Safe to say Dune still succeeded without this early idea as we considered it one of the best movies of 2021. Check out IGN’s review for Dune here for our take on, what I’d consider, successful adaptation of the unfilmable sci-fi novel.

Matt T.M. Kim is IGN's News Editor. You can reach him @lawoftd.

Denis Villeneuve is one of sci-fi’s preeminent visualists, but one opening scene idea was scrapped due to its immense budget.

In an interview with IndieWire, Dune screenwriter Eric Roth was asked about how he joined the project and what early ideas he had for his version of Frank Herbert’s sci-fi opus. According to Roth, he appreciated the source material but wasn’t a “fanboy” which gave him some distance to approach the work.

“That gave me an objective view of it. I grew up in that era, which ‘Dune’ was part and parcel of — psychedelics and all the things that I lived through… And so I said, ‘What the hell, I’ll try it. What have I got to lose?”’

Working with Villeneuve was another reason Roth joined the project. However, an early draft of Roth’s script began with a biblical “Genesis” of the desert planet Arrakis, where Dune is set.

“Because I’m adventurous, I started the movie with what would seem to be Genesis — “and God created’ — and you think you’re seeing the formation of the Earth. And it’s ‘Dune,’ with wild animals, things you’ve never seen.

However, this idea never made it to film because according to Villeneuve, while he loved the idea, if done the director claims the team “can’t afford the rest of the movie.”

Roth says he’s unsure if this was Villeneuve's polite way to pass on the idea, but given Dune’s other visual effects and massive budget, any additional scenes may have stretched the cost too much.

The idea of genesis has been done on film before, notably by Darren Aronofsky in his 2014 biblical movie Noah. But certainly, an entire cold open dedicated to visually representing the creation of an entire planet could add months of production to a movie already split into two parts.

Safe to say Dune still succeeded without this early idea as we considered it one of the best movies of 2021. Check out IGN’s review for Dune here for our take on, what I’d consider, successful adaptation of the unfilmable sci-fi novel.

Matt T.M. Kim is IGN's News Editor. You can reach him @lawoftd.

Update: Activision has reached out to IGN with a statement on the report that 2023's Call of Duty release was being delayed to 2024.

“We have an exciting slate of premium and free-to-play Call of Duty experiences for this year, next year and beyond. Reports of anything otherwise are incorrect. We look forward to sharing more details when the time is right."

IGN has followed up with Activision to ask if this was a direct denial of the claims in the Bloomberg piece that specifically the typical major November Call of Duty release in 2023 would be delayed to 2024, and will update this story accordingly.

Original story:

The typical annual Call of Duty release planned for 2023 has reportedly been delayed into 2024.

According to Bloomberg, sources familiar with the situation, executives in charge of the franchise have made the decision early after "a recent entry in the series failed to meet expectations," leading them to believe that Call of Duty's current annual cadence of releases was too rapid. The decision is reportedly unrelated to the recent Microsoft purchase of the publisher, and the 2022 Call of Duty release is still on track.

The "recent entry" is most likely Call of Duty: Vanguard, which faced release competition with Battlefield 2042 this past holiday season, as well as the free-to-play Call of Duty: Warzone. A previous report noted that Vanguard's sales had also been suffering due to players feeling fatigued at Call of Duty's constant release cadence, making them less interested in buying a new entry every year.

The annual Call of Duty release has traditionally been one of gaming's biggest moneymakers, typically topping sales charts in the US at launch and remaining in the top ten year-round. With a massive sales gap now looming, Activision is reportedly working on other projects to fill in the gap such as ongoing content for 2022's Call of Duty release and a separate new, free-to-play online game that's as yet unannounced.

One interesting note is that this could mean Call of Duty players on PlayStation are able to stick with the series on their console of choice for a bit longer, as Microsoft has reportedly said it wants to release the next three games (Call of Duty 2022, 2024, and Warzone 2) on all platforms post-acquisition.

Rebekah Valentine is a news reporter for IGN. You can find her on Twitter @duckvalentine.

The typical annual Call of Duty release planned for 2023 has reportedly been delayed into 2024.

According to Bloomberg, sources familiar with the situation, executives in charge of the franchise have made the decision early after "a recent entry in the series failed to meet expectations," leading them to believe that Call of Duty's current annual cadence of releases was too rapid. The decision is reportedly unrelated to the recent Microsoft purchase of the publisher, and the 2022 Call of Duty release is still on track.

The "recent entry" is most likely Call of Duty: Vanguard, which faced release competition with Battlefield 2042 this past holiday season, as well as the free-to-play Call of Duty: Warzone. A previous report noted that Vanguard's sales had also been suffering due to players feeling fatigued at Call of Duty's constant release cadence, making them less interested in buying a new entry every year.

The annual Call of Duty release has traditionally been one of gaming's biggest moneymakers, typically topping sales charts in the US at launch and remaining in the top ten year-round. With a massive sales gap now looming, Activision is reportedly working on other projects to fill in the gap such as ongoing content for 2022's Call of Duty release and a separate new, free-to-play online game that's as yet unannounced.

One interesting note is that this could mean Call of Duty players on PlayStation are able to stick with the series on their console of choice for a bit longer, as Microsoft has reportedly said it wants to release the next three games (Call of Duty 2022, 2024, and Warzone 2) on all platforms post-acquisition.

Rebekah Valentine is a news reporter for IGN. You can find her on Twitter @duckvalentine.

Warner Bros. Animation has announced today that Constantine: The House of Mystery will be available digitally and on Blu-Ray beginning May 3 of this year.

Constantine: The House of Mystery is an animated short featuring John Constantine. The animated short will have the titular character waking up in an "eerie House of Mystery with no recollection" of how he ended up in the house. Matt Ryan, who previously voiced/portrayed the antihero in several DC films and TV shows, including the short-lived TV series Constantine, is confirmed to be voicing the character once again.

Alongside a new Constantine animated short, the company also confirmed today that three additional short films would be bundled into an anthology of sorts: Kamandi: The Last Boy on Earth, The Losers, and Blue Beetle are all included, Warner Bros. confirmed. The press release also notes that a special featurette titled "DC Showcase: One Story at a Time" will also be included.

IGN exclusively revealed a new trailer for the upcoming anthology this past weekend. Yet we knew that the new Constantine short was coming after Warner Bros. teased it as part of DC Fandome 2021.

Taylor is the Associate Tech Editor at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.

Warner Bros. Animation has announced today that Constantine: The House of Mystery will be available digitally and on Blu-Ray beginning May 3 of this year.

Constantine: The House of Mystery is an animated short featuring John Constantine. The animated short will have the titular character waking up in an "eerie House of Mystery with no recollection" of how he ended up in the house. Matt Ryan, who previously voiced/portrayed the antihero in several DC films and TV shows, including the short-lived TV series Constantine, is confirmed to be voicing the character once again.

Alongside a new Constantine animated short, the company also confirmed today that three additional short films would be bundled into an anthology of sorts: Kamandi: The Last Boy on Earth, The Losers, and Blue Beetle are all included, Warner Bros. confirmed. The press release also notes that a special featurette titled "DC Showcase: One Story at a Time" will also be included.

IGN exclusively revealed a new trailer for the upcoming anthology this past weekend. Yet we knew that the new Constantine short was coming after Warner Bros. teased it as part of DC Fandome 2021.

Taylor is the Associate Tech Editor at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.

Here's your first (official) look at Daniel Radcliffe as Weird Al Yankovic. The actor is set to play the legendary parody musician and polka fiend in The Roku Channel's upcoming biopic.

Originally reported by People, the image shows Radcliffe as a relatively younger version of Yankovic (presumably the 80's, judging from the clothing and hair) performing on an accordion.

"Wearing the Hawaiian shirt is a huge responsibility that I don't take lightly, and I'm honored to finally share with the world the absolutely 100 percent unassailably true story of Weird Al's depraved and scandalous life," Radcliffe said in a statement.

WEIRD: The Weird Al Yankovic Story will follow Yankovic's life from early hits like "Eat It" to his rise to Grammy-winning status. Yankovic shared the photo of Radcliffe on his official Twitter, jokingly claiming that Radcliffe was a rabid superfan who had snuck onto set.

“When my last movie UHF came out in 1989, I made a solemn vow to my fans that I would release a major motion picture every 33 years, like clockwork. I’m very happy to say we’re on schedule,” Yankovic joked in a statement when the film was first announced. “And I am absolutely thrilled that Daniel Radcliffe will be portraying me in the film. I have no doubt whatsoever that this is the role future generations will remember him for.”

The biopic is being written by Yankovic and Eric Appel, who directed Son of Zorn and the Funny or Die mini-doc about the life of Yankovic. The film is being produced by Funny or Die.

Joseph Knoop is a writer/producer/polka king for IGN.

Here's your first (official) look at Daniel Radcliffe as Weird Al Yankovic. The actor is set to play the legendary parody musician and polka fiend in The Roku Channel's upcoming biopic.

Originally reported by People, the image shows Radcliffe as a relatively younger version of Yankovic (presumably the 80's, judging from the clothing and hair) performing on an accordion.

"Wearing the Hawaiian shirt is a huge responsibility that I don't take lightly, and I'm honored to finally share with the world the absolutely 100 percent unassailably true story of Weird Al's depraved and scandalous life," Radcliffe said in a statement.

WEIRD: The Weird Al Yankovic Story will follow Yankovic's life from early hits like "Eat It" to his rise to Grammy-winning status. Yankovic shared the photo of Radcliffe on his official Twitter, jokingly claiming that Radcliffe was a rabid superfan who had snuck onto set.

“When my last movie UHF came out in 1989, I made a solemn vow to my fans that I would release a major motion picture every 33 years, like clockwork. I’m very happy to say we’re on schedule,” Yankovic joked in a statement when the film was first announced. “And I am absolutely thrilled that Daniel Radcliffe will be portraying me in the film. I have no doubt whatsoever that this is the role future generations will remember him for.”

The biopic is being written by Yankovic and Eric Appel, who directed Son of Zorn and the Funny or Die mini-doc about the life of Yankovic. The film is being produced by Funny or Die.

Joseph Knoop is a writer/producer/polka king for IGN.