What is the story about?
It’s been an eventful 2025, and Hollywood has experienced its share of ups and downs. The year began with the devastating California fires, several Hollywood stars
and filmmakers died, and legendary studio Warner Bros. Discovery is about to be bought over by another studio. Ahead of the 98th Academy Awards on March 15, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is going all out with special moments planned throughout the broadcast. From reunions between film casts, performances from nominated films such as Sinners and tributes to fallen stars, the awards ceremony is set to be packed with returning host Conan O’Brien.
Best Original Song performances
Only two nominated films will have the chance to showcase their songs to a live audience at the Dolby Theatre on March 15. The 98th edition will feature two onstage musical performances for Best Original Song from the films KPop Demon Hunters and Sinners.
The singing voices of KPop Demon Hunters’ HUNTR/X are EJAE, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami. After the BAFTAs, the trio who sing for Rumi, Mira and Zoey will be taking to the Oscar stage with a “fusion of traditional Korean instrumentalists and dance, celebrating the folklore and cultural inspiration” of the chart-busting song Golden from the Netflix animated feature.
Meanwhile, Sinners actor Miles Caton will join songwriter Raphael Saadiq for a rendition of I Lied to You from the Ryan Coogler film. Ballet dancer Misty Copeland, along with musicians Eric Gales, Shaboozey, Brittany Howard, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, Bobby Rush, Alice Smith and Caton’s Sinners’ co-stars Buddy Guy, Jayme Lawson and Li Jun Li will accompany the duo onstage.
Movie cast reunion
Oscar producers Raj Kapoor and Katy Mullan have revealed that there will be a reunion of Marvel superheroes with some superstars and an extraterrestrial taking to the stage. The next Avengers sequel, Doomsday, is releasing in December. The comedy Bridesmaids, which turns 15 this year, will also be having a reunion as Oscar nominee Rose Byrne, Maya Rudolph, Kristen Wiig, Ellie Kemper, and Melissa McCarthy are likely to take to the stage together. Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, and Emily Blunt are also rumoured to be reuniting for a special The Devil Wears Prada segment. 20 years after its release, the sequel is releasing on May 1 with most of the cast returning.
Tributes to Hollywood legends
Even though Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal already had a surprise reunion at the Oscars last year for When Harry Met Sally, the co-stars are reportedly returning to honour Rob Reiner. The late filmmaker and actor and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, were killed in their home last year. Crystal and Ryan will appear onstage during the In Memoriam segment. Furthermore, multi-hyphenate Barbra Streisand is in talks to sing during the In Memoriam segment to pay tribute to her The Way We Were co-star Robert Redford. The In Memoriam segment will be slightly longer this year to include several Hollywood icons passed away in 2025.
