THE Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on Friday named two first-timers as producers of next year’s Academy Awards show, the first step in getting the ceremony’s planning under way and choosing a host.

    Hollywood movie and television producers Michael De Luca and Jennifer Todd will produce the Feb. 26, 2017 show that will be broadcast around the world, the academy said in a statement.

    It will be the first time that De Luca, a producer on movies including “The Social Network” and “Fifty Shades of Grey,” and Todd, whose credits include the “Austin Powers” comedy spy franchise, have produced the Oscars ceremony, where the highest honors in the film industry are handed out.

    The academy has yet to announce a host for the 2017 event.

    Last year black comedian Chris Rock hosted the awards amid a controversy over the all-white acting nominee lineup and the wider lack of diversity in the industry. The show drew the lowest U.S. TV audience in eight years with just 34 million viewers. (SD-Agencies)