There's A New Academy President, and His Name is David Rubin

David Rubin

If there's nothing else to take away from The Academy Awards in 2018, it was that it was the season when things fell apart. While some would argue that Green Book is among the "worst winners ever," (I don't), many saw the road to Oscar night in 2019 all the rockier. Besides the inexplicable Bohemian Rhapsody love, it was the year of the "Best Popular Movie" category fiasco and the ceremony went without a host. All of this was criticism lobbied onto Academy president John Bailey. It makes sense then why there was a vote for a new one in place of Bailey stepping down. David Rubin was announced as the new president, and it looks like the start of a new era for a variety of reasons.

To some extent, the era of Bailey as Academy president is one that's going to be easy to scrutinize. On top of only lasting two years, he was constantly attacked for making poor decisions regarding the Oscar transitions put into place by former president Cheryl Boone Isaacs. In hindsight, Isaacs was someone who came along at the right time, helping to shape the 2010's version of what an Oscar winner should look like. Sure she had her faults (Oscars So White), but her ability to communicate with the public about those mistakes only bettered things. Bailey, for all of his good, didn't take it as well. Even if a hostless Oscars ended up being better, there's no denying that he was trying to make it commercial by sucking out the essence of things, whether it be trendy awards categories or cutting half of the Best Original Song nominees' live performances. He could've turned things around in 2019 with a far more regimented year, learning from past mistakes, but it makes sense that the title was moved onto somebody else.

So, who is David Rubin? He is a casting director who has worked on film and TV for almost 40 years. He has helped to shape the movies that we love, including Men in Black and My Cousin Vinny. In recent years, he has helped to shape TV series like Sharp Objects, Big Little Lies, and A Series of Unfortunate Events. While there's little known about what he plans to do with this year's upcoming voting block, it comes at a time of revision. If last year proved anything, it was a time of great change (Black Panther earning a Best Picture nomination) and hopefully, the change will continue to come. The question, however, is how much will come on the eve of next year's Oscar season? There will likely still be controversy, but will it be fueled by such mundane extravagances as "Best Popular Film"? Thankfully this summer has been quiet so far as to any hot button issues, but that doesn't mean that the time to come will be any different.

So, congratulations on the new Academy president. It will be exciting to see what he brings to the table. While this means that Bailey's legacy now ends on a whimper instead of triumph, it at least started the building blocks for a more commercial and modern Academy as well as one embracing of diversity. Will he be the fix that we need, serving a role that the public can interact with like Isaacs? It's hard to say, but a new era has started, and Rubin brings with him an understanding of what makes the film so popular. After all, he's a casting director. It's his job to socialize. Hopefully, he brings that magic to everything else as well.