Los Angeles, March 2
Hollywood superstar Harrison Ford is said to have taken an exit from the Oscars presentation as he will no longer be presenting at Sunday night’s Academy Awards.
His last minute exit was due to a shingles diagnosis received on Friday, reports 'Variety'.
The Mayo Clinic describes shingles as a non-life threatening incurable viral infection that causes “a painful rash†which looks like “a single stripe of blisters that wraps around the left side or the right side of your torso".
The news comes across as a heartbreak for the fans of the 'Indiana Jones' star.
Entertainment Weekly was the first to report Ford’s exit.
As per 'Variety', presenters still slated to walk the stage at Los Angeles’ Dolby Theater on Sunday night for the 97th Academy Awards include Halle Berry, Penélope Cruz, Elle Fanning, Whoopi Goldberg, Scarlett Johansson, John Lithgow, Amy Poehler, June Squibb, Bowen Yang, Emma Stone, Cillian Murphy, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Robert Downey Jr., Dave Bautista, Gal Gadot, Andrew Garfield, Samuel L. Jackson, Margaret Qualley, Alba Rohrwacher, Zoe Saldana and Rachel Zegler. Miles Teller and Miley Cyrus are the latest to join the ranks as presenters, as confirmed by the Academy on Friday.
Conan O’Brien serves as host for this year’s Academy Awards, which kick off March 4 at 4 p.m. PT and 7 p.m. ET. Movie fans can watch the show live on ABC or stream it on Hulu, an additional viewing option added for the first time this year.
The Academy Awards are executive produced by showrunner Raj Kapoor, Katy Mullan and Rob Pain. Producers include Sarah Levine Hall, Taryn Hurd, Jeff Ross and Mike Sweeney. Hamish Hamilton will serve as director.
- IANS