March 11, 2026, 7:47 p.m. ET
Marvel movie stars will assemble at the 98th Academy Awards on March 15, along with the stars of “Bridesmaids.”
Producers of Sunday’s Oscars show (ABC and Hulu, 7 ET/4 PT), hosted by Conan O’Brien, revealed the onstage return of the movie casts during a news conference on March 11.
“There’s going to be a huge reunion,” executive producer Raj Kapoor said of the 2011 comedy “Bridesmaids,” starring Rose Byrne, Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph and Melissa McCarthy. “There have been rumors. We’re excited to announce there’s going to be a ‘Bridesmaids’ reunion that’s going to be very special.”
Executive producer Katy Mullan announced that there will be “a Marvel reunion for superhero fans.”
“So there will be superstars and superheroes,” Mullan added, but didn’t specify which superheroes would respond to the call for Oscars action.
On the topic of Oscar appearances, Mullan said somewhat cryptically that there would be an “extraterrestrial on stage” without confirming whether it would be the alien star of “E.T.”
“But you can figure that out,” Mullan added.
Will the Oscars get political in the monologue?
Obviously, there will be overt political statements made from the podium and on the red carpet during and before the Oscars. But O’Brien, who was affected by and acknowledged the Los Angeles fires as 2025 host, said he would walk a careful line.
“What’s happening in the world will be reflected in the show,” he said. “My job as host is to walk this thin line between entertaining people and also acknowledging some of the realities. So it’s a dance that goes on until the show begins.”
O’Brien showed his whimsical side on the Oscars red carpet before the news conference, reclining comically on the rolled-up carpet. In rapidly changing political times, O’Brien says he and his team of writers have to move fast.
“It’s still evolving,” O’Brien said of the monologue. “Jokes from two months ago are irrelevant now. And there might be things that happen this week that will find their way into the show.”
‘Sinners’ will have a musical tribute, along with ‘KPop Demon Hunters’
The Ryan Coogler-directed film “Sinners,” the most-nominated film in Oscars history with 16 (including best picture), will have a mega-sized musical tribute during the show. The expanded performance of the nominated song “I Lied to You,” performed by Miles Caton and Raphael Saadiq, will feature costumes, choreographer Aakomon Jones, the “Sinners” cast and ballet dancer Misty Copeland.
“We’ve kind of blown it up, with the lovely Misty Copeland making an appearance,” said Kapoor. “It’s the most-nominated film and has a beautiful music story.”
The animated movie “KPop Demon Hunters,” and the HUNTR/X performance by Rei Ami, EJAE and Audrey Nuna of the Oscar-nominated song “Golden,” will allow for a celebration of Korean culture during the show.
“There will be authentic Korean drummers and singers and choreography,” said Kapoor. “We’re telling global stories with global impact and doing things in a really different way.”
The “Golden” song performance has been arranged by Mandy Moore, who choreographed the Taylor Swift Eras Tour. Moore promised a performance aided by an array of gold flags.
“I kept having this visual of these beautiful gold flags … that should rise as (the singers) hit the stage,” said Moore. “My job is to create this visual. We’re going to see how it all goes on camera.”
Look out for trees on the Oscars stage
The 2026 Oscars set will feature actual trees, production designer Misty Buckley promised, “which is really exciting.”
“We’re really leaning into that human and nature theme with big, beautiful, bold modern forms as well,” Buckley said.
Kapoor said the overall theme of the show will be “humanity. Everything you see in the show is inspired by human touch and creativity.”