The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences have invited 322 members of the entertainment industry to join, including several young actors in a clear effort to get younger. Should they accept the invitation, they will get to vote for the Academy Awards.
In total, 25 actors were invited to join the largest branch in the Academy. This includes Oscar nominees Benedict Cumberbatch, Felicity Jones, Rosamund Pike and Emma Stone and winners J.K. Simmons and Eddie Redmayne.
The other actors invited are Elizabeth Banks, Choi Min-sik, Martin Freeman, Heather Graham, Tom Hardy, Kevin Hart, Stephen Lang, Jodie Long, John Carroll Lynch, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Denis O’Hare, Michael O’Neill, David Oyelowo, Dev Patel, Chris Pine, Daniel Radcliffe, Jason Segel, Sonny Skyhawk and Song Kang-ho.
The directors who were invited include Guardians of the Galaxy’s James Gunn, Fast & Furious 6’s Justin Lin, Laggies’ Lynn Shelton, Whiplash’s Damien Chazelle, The Imitation Game’s Morten Tyldum, Edgar Wright and Joe Wright.
Five years after winning for their score for The Social Network, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross were finally invited to the Music Branch. Simon Kinberg, who wrote X-Men: Days of Future Past, was invited to the writers branch, as was adapted screenplay winner Graham Moore (The Imitation Game).
You can check out the full list of invitees right here.
Earlier this week, the Academy also set the rules for the 2016 Oscars ceremony. The headline from the Board of Governors meeting was their decision not to cut the number of Best Picture nominees. The 88th Academy Awards will take place on Feb. 28.
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