Quick News: Oscars, Anime, Boys, Last, West

Oscars
It was expected, but now it’s official – Conan O’Brien will return to host the 98th Oscars telecast on March 15th 2026. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the news today and comes off rave reviews for O’Brien’s stint in the role along with a five-year ratings high for the telecast in both total viewers (19.69 million) and adults 18-49 (4.54 rating). [Source: THR]

Anime
Aniplex Inc. and Crunchyroll, LLC have revealed the establishment of Hayate Inc. which will plan, develop and produce premium anime content for Crunchyroll worldwide. The two companies previously collaborated on “Solo Leveling” and “Demon Slayer”. [Source: Variety]

The Boys
Actor Jared Padalecki says even though he’s set to appear on the currently filming fifth and final season of “The Boys,” he “don’t know a whole lot about” his role – something he finds “terrifying” he tells Business Insider.

All he does know is he will be seen alongside his former “Supernatural” co-star Jensen Ackles and when it’ll happen: “They’re still trying to write and figure out who’s gonna be there. But it’ll be the end of this month.”

Last Breath
Disney has announced a March 18th digital and April 29th disc release date for the recent “Last Breath” film starring Woody Harrelson, Simu Liu and Finn Cole. The Alex Parkinson-directed film about deep-sea divers. opened on February 27th last year – meaning its jumping to digital is around twenty days after its theatrical opening.[Source: Screen Rant]

Journey to the West
Stars Collective Film Entertainment Group has announced plans for an ambitious animated film trilogy based on iconic 16th century Chinese story “Journey to the West”. The trilogy – comprising “Bajie,” “Monkey King” and “Nezha” – aims to expand Eastern mythology to global audiences.

The trilogy is set to commence production in 2026 and will use AI-generated animation and motion capture to create a hyper-realistic mythological world. The property has been adapted many times before from classic TV shows like “Monkey” to video games like “Enslaved”. [Source: Variety]

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