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New Film Academy Members Include Danielle Deadwyler, Ariana Grande, Jason Momoa, Conan O’Brien

Ariana Grande. (Getty Images/AFP)
Ariana Grande. (Getty Images/AFP)
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New Film Academy Members Include Danielle Deadwyler, Ariana Grande, Jason Momoa, Conan O’Brien

Ariana Grande. (Getty Images/AFP)
Ariana Grande. (Getty Images/AFP)

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences invited 534 new members to its organization on Thursday, adding recent Oscar nominees and many more to Hollywood's most exclusive club.

The newest class of Oscar voters includes a number of stars like Dave Bautista, Jason Momoa, Aubrey Plaza, Danielle Deadwyler and Andrew Scott. They, along with filmmakers, below-the-line professionals and executives will bring the film academy's membership total to 11,120, with voting members numbering 10,143.

That's the largest membership ever for the academy. Since the #OscarsSoWhite backlash, the film academy has added thousands of members to swell its ranks and diversify its voting body. This year's class is 41% female, 45% from underrepresented communities and 55% from outside the US.

Those new members will make the entire academy 35% women, 22% from underrepresented communities and 21% international.

"We are thrilled to invite this esteemed class of artists, technologists, and professionals to join the Academy," said academy chief executive Bill Kramer and president Janet Yang in a statement. "Through their commitment to filmmaking and to the greater movie industry, these exceptionally talented individuals have made indelible contributions to our global filmmaking community."

Invitations went out to 91 Oscar nominees and 26 winners, including best actress winner Mikey Madison ("Anora") and best supporting actor winner Kieran Culkin ("A Real Pain"). Recent nominees who were invited include Ariana Grande, Jeremy Strong, Sebastian Stan and Monica Barbara. Gints Zilbalodis, the director of best animated film winner "Flow" will join the animation branch.

Other filmmakers set to join the academy include Mike Flanagan ("Doctor Sleep"), Azazel Jacobs ("His Three Daughters"), Brady Corbet ("The Brutalist"), Coraline Fargeat ("The Substance") Jane Schoenbrun ("I Saw the TV Glow"), Halina Reijn ("Babygirl") and Gia Coppola ("The Last Showgirl").

Payal Kapadia ("All We Imagine As Light"), Lena Waithe ("Queen & Slim") and Greg Kwedar and Clint Bentley of "Sing Sing" were all invited in the writers branch. In the music branch, new members include Brandi Carlile ("Elton John: Never Too Late"), Branford Marsalis ("Rustin") and Youssou N’Dour ("Youssou N’Dour: I Bring What I Love").

The last two emcees to host the Oscars — Jimmy Kimmel and Conan O'Brien — were also invited as members. After a well-reviewed broadcast that drew 19.7 million viewers, O'Brien is returning to host the 2026 Academy Awards on March 15.

A few new rules will await the 2025 academy members.

For the first time, members will be required to watch all nominated films in each category to be eligible to vote in the final road of Oscar voting. This year, a new award category for casting will be voted on for the upcoming Oscars. The academy has also established a new Oscar for stunt design, but that won't be given out until 2028.

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Entertainment

Police Investigate Deaths of Filmmaker Rob Reiner and Wife as Apparent Homicide 

02 May 2016, US, New York: American Writer-director Rob Reiner poses for a portrait in New York. (dpa)
02 May 2016, US, New York: American Writer-director Rob Reiner poses for a portrait in New York. (dpa)
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Police Investigate Deaths of Filmmaker Rob Reiner and Wife as Apparent Homicide 

02 May 2016, US, New York: American Writer-director Rob Reiner poses for a portrait in New York. (dpa)
02 May 2016, US, New York: American Writer-director Rob Reiner poses for a portrait in New York. (dpa)

Actor-director and political activist Rob Reiner and his wife were found dead in their Los Angeles home on Sunday, and police are investigating the circumstances as an apparent homicide, authorities said.

While police declined to publicly identify the two people found deceased, Mayor Karen Bass and California Governor Gavin Newsom each released statements confirming that Reiner, 78, and his wife, Michele, 68, had died.

"This is a devastating loss for our city and our country. Rob Reiner's contributions reverberate throughout American culture and society, and he has improved countless lives through his creative work and advocacy fighting for social and economic justice," the mayor wrote.

The Los Angeles Police Department issued a statement on social media calling the case an "apparent homicide." Police had not detained anyone for questioning nor identified a suspect as of Sunday night, Deputy Chief Alan Hamilton told a press conference.

LAPD patrol officers dispatched to the home late Sunday afternoon discovered two bodies inside the residence. Emergency personnel had first responded to a call for medical aid, a city fire department official said earlier.

Detectives of the LAPD's robbery-homicide unit were waiting for a search warrant before entering the home to conduct a thorough search and full-fledged investigation of the premises, Hamilton said, adding that a cause of death will be made public by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's Office.

FROM 'MEATHEAD' TO 'SPINAL TAP'

As an actor, Reiner was best remembered for his role on the 1970s CBS television comedy hit "All in the Family" as Mike "Meathead" Stivic, the son-in-law and liberal foil of the lead character, working-class bigot Archie Bunker, played by Carroll O'Connor.

The role garnered Reiner two Emmy awards for outstanding supporting actor.

Reiner went on to have a prolific Hollywood career as a director, starting with "This is Spinal Tap," a 1984 mockumentary following the trials and tribulations of a fictional hard rock band on tour. The satiric film became a cult classic, known for its mostly improvised script, with Reiner playing the faux documentary filmmaker Marty DiBergi.

The movie worked, Reiner later said, because of the cast's love for rock 'n' roll.

"That was the trick - to make fun of it and at the same time, honor it," Reiner told CBS News show "60 Minutes" in an interview marking the launch of this year's sequel, "Spinal Tap II: The End Continues," which he also directed and appeared in.

Reiner directed nearly two dozen films in all, including classics such as "Stand by Me," a 1986 coming-of-age drama about four boys who set out to find the body of a missing youth, as well as 1989's "When Harry Met Sally ...," starring Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan.

Versatile across a range of genres, Reiner directorial credits also included the 1987 fairy tale adventure "The Princess Bride," the 1990 psychological thriller "Misery," an adaptation of a Stephen King novel starring Kathy Bates and James Caan, and the 1992 military courtroom drama "A Few Good Men," starring Jack Nicholson, Tom Cruise and Demi Moore.

PROGRESSIVE CAUSES

Reiner's wife, Michele, was at one time a photographer who captured the image of Donald Trump that appears on the cover of his book "Trump: The Art of the Deal."

Rob Reiner, a native of New York City and the son of the late comedy writer and actor Carl Reiner, was also well known as a Democratic Party activist and advocate of various liberal social causes.

In the 2004 presidential election, he backed Democratic candidate John Kerry and featured in advertisements taking aim at incumbent President George W. Bush. Reiner also supported Democratic presidential hopefuls Al Gore and Hillary Clinton.

He campaigned against California Proposition 8, a 2008 ballot measure that amended the state constitution to ban same-sex marriages. Prop 8 was later overturned by the courts and formally repealed by another voter initiative.

He led a separate campaign to pass Proposition 10, a state ballot initiative that created an early childhood development services program.

Reiner was first married to Penny Marshall, who played Laverne in the TV sitcom "Laverne & Shirley," and was also a producer and director. He was an adoptive father to Marshall's daughter and had three children with Michele Singer.

Entertainment

'Zootopia 2' Retakes No. 1 at Box Office, Crosses $1 Billion Worldwide

Statues of main characters of 'Zootopia 2' are seen at a gift store in Beijing, China, 11 December 2025. EPA/WU HAO
Statues of main characters of 'Zootopia 2' are seen at a gift store in Beijing, China, 11 December 2025. EPA/WU HAO
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'Zootopia 2' Retakes No. 1 at Box Office, Crosses $1 Billion Worldwide

Statues of main characters of 'Zootopia 2' are seen at a gift store in Beijing, China, 11 December 2025. EPA/WU HAO
Statues of main characters of 'Zootopia 2' are seen at a gift store in Beijing, China, 11 December 2025. EPA/WU HAO

“Zootopia 2” regained the No. 1 spot at the domestic box office with $26.3 million in its third weekend of release, according to studio estimates Sunday, as The Walt Disney Co. animated sequel became the year’s second film to gross $1 billion worldwide.

With “Avatar: Fire and Ash” arriving Friday, it was a relatively quiet weekend in theaters. There were no major new releases, leaving holdovers “Zootopia 2” and “Five Nights at Freddy’s 2” to duke it out for the top spot.

The edge went to “Zootopia 2,” which has quickly amassed $1.14 billion in global ticket sales thanks significantly to its enormous success in China, The Associated Press reported. There, it’s grossed $502.4 million, making “Zootopia 2” the biggest Hollywood hit in the country in years.

The only other 2025 Hollywood title to surpass $1 billion worldwide was Disney’s “Lilo & Stitch” ($1.04 billion). The highest grossing movie of the year, though, is the Chinese blockbuster “Ne Zha 2,” which collected nearly $2 billion just in China.

In its second weekend of release, the Universal Pictures and Blumhouse Productions sequel “Five Nights at Freddy’s 2” collected $15.4 million, a brutal drop of 70% from its above-expectations debut. Still, with a domestic total of $95.5 million, the $36 million production is a big win for Blumhouse, adding another horror franchise to its portfolio.

The weekend’s most notable new release was James L. Brook’s “Ella McCay,” his first directed film in 15 years. “Ella McCay” earned a scant $2.1 million from 2,500 locations, making it one of the year’s worst wide releases.

But box-office expectations weren’t high coming in from “Ella McCay,” a comic drama about a 34-year-old woman (newcomer Emma Mackey) who becomes governor of her home state. Reviews (22% “fresh” on Rotten Tomatoes) were poor, and the kind of award-winning comic dramas movies that Brooks (“Terms of Endearment,” “Broadcast News”) has long specialized in today seldom find large audiences in theaters. “Ella McCay,” featuring a supporting cast including Jamie Lee Curtis, Ayo Edebiri and Woody Harrelson, cost $35 million to make.

With overall ticket sales on the year running close to even with last year's disappointing grosses, according to Comscore data, Hollywood will be hoping the coming holiday corridor, traditionally the busiest moviegoing period of the year, ends 2025 on a high note. Movies on tap include “Avatar: Fire and Ash,” “The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants,” “Marty Supreme,” “Anaconda” and “Song Sung Blue.”

Entertainment

Affable Comedy Acting Legend Dick Van Dyke Turns 100 Years Old

Dick Van Dyke accepts the award for outstanding guest performance in a daytime drama series for "Days of our Lives" during the 51st Daytime Emmy Awards on Friday, June 7, 2024, at the Westin Bonaventure in Los Angeles. (AP)
Dick Van Dyke accepts the award for outstanding guest performance in a daytime drama series for "Days of our Lives" during the 51st Daytime Emmy Awards on Friday, June 7, 2024, at the Westin Bonaventure in Los Angeles. (AP)
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Affable Comedy Acting Legend Dick Van Dyke Turns 100 Years Old

Dick Van Dyke accepts the award for outstanding guest performance in a daytime drama series for "Days of our Lives" during the 51st Daytime Emmy Awards on Friday, June 7, 2024, at the Westin Bonaventure in Los Angeles. (AP)
Dick Van Dyke accepts the award for outstanding guest performance in a daytime drama series for "Days of our Lives" during the 51st Daytime Emmy Awards on Friday, June 7, 2024, at the Westin Bonaventure in Los Angeles. (AP)

Comedy icon Dick Van Dyke celebrated his 100th birthday on Saturday, hitting the century mark some six decades after he sang and danced with Julie Andrews in "Mary Poppins" and starred in his self-titled sitcom.

"The funniest thing is, it’s not enough," Van Dyke said in an interview with ABC News at his Malibu, California home. "A hundred years is not enough. You want to live more, which I plan to."

As part of the celebration of Van Dyke's birthday this weekend, theaters around the country are showing a new documentary about his life, "Dick Van Dyke: 100th Celebration."

Van Dyke became one of the biggest actors of his era with "The Dick Van Dyke Show," which ran from 1961-66 on CBS; appeared with Andrews as a chimney sweep with a Cockney accent in the 1964 Disney classic "Mary Poppins" and, in his 70s, played a physician-sleuth on "Diagnosis: Murder."

Also a Broadway star, Van Dyke won a Tony Award for "Bye Bye Birdie" to go with a Grammy and four Primetime Emmys. In 1963, he starred in the film version of "Bye Bye Birdie."

Just last year, he became the oldest winner of a Daytime Emmy, for a guest role on the soap "Days of Our Lives."

In the 1970s, he found sobriety after battling alcoholism, and spoke out about it at a time when that was uncommon to do.

Now that he has hit triple digits, Van Dyke said he's gotten some perspective on how he used to play older characters.

"You know, I played old men a lot, and I always played them as angry and cantankerous," he told ABC News. "It's not really that way. I don't know any other 100-year-olds, but I can speak for myself."

He recently imparted wisdom about reaching the century mark in his book, "100 Rules for Living to 100: An Optimist’s Guide to a Happy Life." He credited his wife, 54-year-old makeup artist and producer Arlene Silver, with keeping him young.

"She gives me energy. She gives me humor, and all kinds of support," he told ABC News.

Van Dyke was born in West Plains, Missouri, in 1925, and grew up "the class clown" in Danville, Illinois, while admiring and imitating the silent film comedians.

He told ABC News he started acting when he was about 4 or 5 years old in a Christmas pageant.

"I made some kind of crack, I don't know what I said, but it broke the congregation up," he said. "And I liked the sound of that laughter."

And what's hard about being 100?

"I miss movement," he told ABC News. "I've got one game leg from I don't know what."

"I still try to dance," he said with a laugh.