Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow and more to present at this year’s Oscars
Robert Downey Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow attend the ‘Iron Man 3’ photocall at The Dorchester on April 17, 2013, in London, England. (Mike Marsland/Getty Images)
Even more stars have been announced as presenters at the 98th Oscars.
Will Arnett, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Robert Downey Jr., Anne Hathaway, Paul Mescal and Gwyneth Paltrow will take to the Oscars stage to present awards at this year’s ceremony, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Thursday.
They join the previously announced presenters Javier Bardem, Chris Evans, Chase Infiniti, Demi Moore, Kumail Nanjiani and Maya Rudolph.
Also presenting are Adrien Brody, Kieran Culkin, Mikey Madison and Zoe Saldaña, who will all return to the awards ceremony after winning Oscars last year.
The producers for the Oscars will continue announcing the talent who will present at the show throughout the coming week, they announced.
Conan O’Brien will host the awards ceremony for the second time, while Raj Kapoor serves as executive producer and showrunner and Katy Mullan executive produces.
The Oscars will take place on March 15 at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood. The show will air live on ABC and will also stream live on Hulu.
Woody (Tom Hanks) and Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) in ‘Toy Story 5.’ (Walt Disney Studios)
2026 is shaping up to be a year filled with blockbusters and other big cinematic events. With sequels, animated family films and superhero movies looking to make an impact, here’s a look at some of the most-anticipated films of the upcoming year.
The summer starts off with the debut of Toy Story 5 on June 19. Woody, Buzz and the rest of the gang of toys return for the fifth film in the Pixar animated film franchise. This time around, the toys are facing what could be their biggest obstacle yet — a modern technology takeover. Greta Lee voices the new character, Lilypad, a smart tablet that is taking over playtime. Finding Nemo director Andrew Stanton helms the film from a script he wrote.
Also making a splash this summer is Christopher Nolan‘s epic The Odyssey. Releasing on July 17, the film is Nolan’s first since his Oscar-winning blockbuster Oppenheimer. Matt Damon stars as Odysseus in this movie adaptation of Homer‘s epic poem. Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland and Robert Pattinson also star.
Swinging in to theaters on July 31 is Spider-Man: Brand New Day. This movie brings Tom Holland back in his fourth stand-alone film as the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, also known as Peter Parker. It is the continuation of his story after the wildly successful 2021 film Spider-Man: No Way Home, which found all of Peter’s friends and family forgetting who he is. Zendaya and Jacob Batalon return as MJ and Ned, while SadieSink joins the franchise in a mystery role.
Audiences will return to Panem with the release of The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping on Nov. 20. The backstory of Haymitch Abernathy, who mentored Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark, will be told in this adaptation of Suzanne Collins‘ bestselling prequel novel. Francis Lawrence returns to the franchise to direct the film that stars Joseph Zada, Whitney Peak, Mckenna Grace, Jesse Plemons and Elle Fanning, and is set to have Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson return as Katniss and Peeta.
Will the next Barbenheimer be Avengers: Dunesday? Two major films are set to release on Dec. 18 — Avengers: Doomsday and Dune: Part Three. The former finds brothers Anthony Russo and Joe Russo back at the helm of the Marvel Cinematic Universe as they direct the next Avengers film, which stars Robert Downey Jr. in the role of Dr. Doom. The latter stars Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides in the third part of DenisVilleneuve‘s space opera based on Frank Herbert‘s Dune Messiah.
Sadie Sink as Max Mayfield in ‘Stranger Things’ season 5. (Netflix)
(SPOILER ALERT)Sadie Sink has shared her take on what happens to Eleven in the series finale of StrangerThings.
The actress, who played Max Mayfield in the popular Netflix sci-fi series, was asked while guesting on The Tonight Show if she believes that Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) dies in the finale.
Eleven’s fate was purposely left ambiguous. She sacrifices herself as the Upside Down is blown up, but at the end of the episode, Mike (Finn Wolfhard) theorizes that she may still be alive.
“What do I think? I think she’s dead. I don’t know,” Sink said.
This caused the audience to groan in response. Sink then added, “Is that a hot take or something?”
Sink also said she isn’t sure about Mike’s theory that Eleven is still alive and exploring the world.
“I think Mike’s story is just one last story and then they say goodbye to childhood, but that’s just one final tale,” she said. “And that’s it. I think it’s just a coping thing.”
The actress said she believes that Eleven dying is a “stronger” ending than the idea of her somehow still being alive. Host Jimmy Fallon agreed with her.
“I feel like it put an end to it. But I guess it’s up to your interpretation,” Fallon said.
Sink responded, saying, “That’s my interpretation. I’m sorry.”
Academy Award nominee Delroy Lindo on “Good Morning America” on Jan. 23, 2026. (ABC News)
Acclaimed actor Delroy Lindo is opening up about receiving his first Oscar nomination at the age of 73.
“It feels terrific,” Lindo said on Good Morning America Friday. “I’m still processing, if I’m really honest, but it’s wonderful. And part of my response has to do with how positive everybody else’s response has been. A lot of support, a lot of love. It feels really good.”
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences nominated Lindo on Thursday for best supporting actor for his role as blues musician Delta Slim in the Ryan Coogler horror film Sinners.
Although Lindo has been acting for over five decades, he said playing Delta Slim didn’t come easy for him.
“The musical aspect — the piano, the keyboard and the harmonica — it’s a different side of the brain,” Lindo said about playing the musician. “So I would be at the keyboard practicing, and I had some incredible musicians who helped me, but I was aware — sometimes the mind and the fingers, they don’t line up well.”
Ahead of the Oscar nominations this week, Lindo said the buzz was hard to ignore but he tried to do so anyway.
“I was trying to maintain a certain distance, because I was not sure of what would happen,” Lindo said. “It’s difficult to not have it on your mind. But I was trying as much as I could to just let it be what it was going to be.”
Sinners received a record-breaking 16 nominations on Thursday, the most in Oscars history. Lindo said he “had no idea” the movie would resonate with audiences so much.
He added that he was in bed when he found out he had been nominated.
“My son called me. I was in bed,” Lindo recounted. “I was kind of halfway between being asleep and waking, and the phone rang, and I picked it up, and my son was on the other line, and it’s perfect that I got the news from him.”
“Ryan and I had a long talk, and in true Ryan fashion, he just wanted to talk about me,” Lindo said.
Coogler is nominated for several awards, including best director and best original screenplay, for Sinners.
Coogler, his wife, ZinziCoogler, and frequent collaborator Sev Ohanian are also up for the best picture Oscar.
Lindo expressed his excitement for the director.
“I don’t have the words to articulate how thrilled I am for [Coogler], because from the very first time I read the script, I saw what he was trying to do, and it’s extraordinary that audiences have embraced it and embraced his vision,” he said.
Sinners was released in April 2025 and returned to theaters in the fall for Halloween. The movie is coming back to theaters again amid awards season, returning to select IMAX 70mm locations the weekend of Jan. 30, according to an IMAX spokesperson.
The 98th Academy Awards will be held March 15 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. The awards will be televised live on ABC and streamed live on Hulu beginning at 7 p.m. ET.
