Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson named among first group of Oscar presenters

Rory Fleming

The first group of presenters for the 2023 ceremony has been announced.

Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson is the standout name from the first wave of Oscar award presenters, who were announced on Thursday ahead of the March 12 ceremony in Los Angeles, California.

The former WWE wrestler is not the only famous celebrity host though, with acting royalty such as Oscar winners Riz Ahmed, Jennifer Connelly, Ariana DeBose and Troy Kotsur all set to present awards.

Oscar winner Riz Ahmed has also been announced as a host.

These former winners will be joined in hosting by other titans of the industry, with previous Oscar nominees Glenn Close, Samuel L. Jackson and Melissa McCarthy also set to take to the stage at the 95th annual ceremony.

With the release of Creed III in cinemas this week, franchise co-stars Michael B. Jordan and Jonathan Majors are set to present an award at the prestigious event, as are Emily Blunt, Janelle Monáe and Zoe Saldaña.

In an attempt to reflect the growing international presence in the Academy’s voting body, as well as the Oscars’ global influence and audience, it has also been announced that Hindi film star Deepika Padukone and Hong Kong actor, director and mixed martial artist Donnie Yen will also attend.

Jimmy Kimmel will host for the third time

Last November, it was announced that American comedian and chat show host Jimmy Kimmel would be the main host of the ceremony for the third time in his career.

After the controversy surrounding last year’s show, in which actor Will Smith infamously slapped host on the night Chris Rock, the Academy has opted for an experienced set of hands, who as Academy president Janet Yang put it “could definitely handle the show”.

There will be an increased Irish interest in this year’s ceremony too, with Martin McDonagh’s acclaimed The Banshees of Inisherin nominated for a record-breaking nine awards, including Colin Farrell’s first-ever nod for Best Actor and Barry Keoghan up for Best Supporting Actor.

The Banshees of Inisherin is tipped to do well on the night

The Irish involvement doesn’t stop there, with the Irish language film An Cailín Ciúinnominated for the prestigious Best International Feature Film award, and in doing so becomes the first Irish language film to ever receive an Academy Award nomination.

For those planning to watch the iconic event, it can be streamed live on Sky Cinema for €9.99 or alternatively, it has been aired on RTÉ the following evening for those wishing to not interrupt their sleep schedule.

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