The pandemic has upended the Oscars. Good, producers say
FILE - In this Feb. 24, 2016, file photo, an Oscar statue is pictured underneath the entrance to the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. When the Oscars broadcast begins April 25 on ABC, there won’t be an audience. The base of the show won’t be the Academy Awards’ usual home, the Dolby Theatre (though the Dolby will still be involved), but Union Station, the airy, Art Deco-Mission Revival railway hub in downtown Los Angeles. For the producers, the challenges of COVID are an opportunity to, finally, rethink the Oscars. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, File)

FILE - In this Feb. 24, 2016, file photo, an Oscar statue is pictured underneath the entrance to the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. When the Oscars broadcast begins April 25 on ABC, there won’t be an audience. The base of the show won’t be the Academy Awards’ usual home, the Dolby Theatre (though the Dolby will still be involved), but Union Station, the airy, Art Deco-Mission Revival railway hub in downtown Los Angeles. For the producers, the challenges of COVID are an opportunity to, finally, rethink the Oscars. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, File)

Apr. 15, 2021 08:12 PM EDT
Union Station is pictured, Tuesday, March 23, 2021, in Los Angeles. When the Oscars broadcast begins April 25 on ABC, there won’t be an audience. The base of the show won’t be the Academy Awards’ usual home, but will be held at Union Station, the airy, Art Deco-Mission Revival railway hub in downtown Los Angeles. For the producers, the challenges of COVID are an opportunity to, finally, rethink the Oscars. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Union Station is pictured, Tuesday, March 23, 2021, in Los Angeles. When the Oscars broadcast begins April 25 on ABC, there won’t be an audience. The base of the show won’t be the Academy Awards’ usual home, but will be held at Union Station, the airy, Art Deco-Mission Revival railway hub in downtown Los Angeles. For the producers, the challenges of COVID are an opportunity to, finally, rethink the Oscars. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Apr. 15, 2021 08:10 PM EDT
FILE - This combination file photo shows producers Steven Soderbergh, from left, Stacey Sher and Jesse Collins. Soderbergh’s concept for the 93rd Academy Awards show on ABC, Sunday, April 25, 2021, which he’s producing with Sher and Collins, is to treat the telecast not like a TV show but a movie. The base of the show won’t be at the Academy Awards’ usual home, but held at Union Station, the airy, Art Deco-Mission Revival railway hub in downtown Los Angeles. (AP Photo, File)

FILE - This combination file photo shows producers Steven Soderbergh, from left, Stacey Sher and Jesse Collins. Soderbergh’s concept for the 93rd Academy Awards show on ABC, Sunday, April 25, 2021, which he’s producing with Sher and Collins, is to treat the telecast not like a TV show but a movie. The base of the show won’t be at the Academy Awards’ usual home, but held at Union Station, the airy, Art Deco-Mission Revival railway hub in downtown Los Angeles. (AP Photo, File)

Apr. 15, 2021 08:29 PM EDT
A fake Oscar statue is pictured in the window of a gift shop on Hollywood Blvd., Thursday, April 15, 2021, in Los Angeles. The 93rd Academy Awards will be held in various locations including the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on Sunday, April 25. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

A fake Oscar statue is pictured in the window of a gift shop on Hollywood Blvd., Thursday, April 15, 2021, in Los Angeles. The 93rd Academy Awards will be held in various locations including the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on Sunday, April 25. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Apr. 15, 2021 06:14 PM EDT
Union Station is pictured, Tuesday, March 23, 2021, in Los Angeles. When the Oscars broadcast begins April 25 on ABC, there won’t be an audience. The base of the show won’t be the Academy Awards’ usual home, but will be held at Union Station, the airy, Art Deco-Mission Revival railway hub in downtown Los Angeles. For the producers, the challenges of COVID are an opportunity to, finally, rethink the Oscars. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Union Station is pictured, Tuesday, March 23, 2021, in Los Angeles. When the Oscars broadcast begins April 25 on ABC, there won’t be an audience. The base of the show won’t be the Academy Awards’ usual home, but will be held at Union Station, the airy, Art Deco-Mission Revival railway hub in downtown Los Angeles. For the producers, the challenges of COVID are an opportunity to, finally, rethink the Oscars. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Apr. 15, 2021 08:10 PM EDT
A sign advertising this year's Oscars ceremony is pictured near the Dolby Theatre, Thursday, April 15, 2021, in Los Angeles. The Dolby Theatre is one of the locations being used for the 93rd Academy Awards on Sunday, April 25. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

A sign advertising this year's Oscars ceremony is pictured near the Dolby Theatre, Thursday, April 15, 2021, in Los Angeles. The Dolby Theatre is one of the locations being used for the 93rd Academy Awards on Sunday, April 25. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Apr. 15, 2021 06:13 PM EDT
A souvenir Oscar is pictured in the window of a gift shop on Hollywood Blvd., Thursday, April 15, 2021, in Los Angeles. The 93rd Academy Awards will be held in various locations including the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on Sunday, April 25. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

A souvenir Oscar is pictured in the window of a gift shop on Hollywood Blvd., Thursday, April 15, 2021, in Los Angeles. The 93rd Academy Awards will be held in various locations including the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on Sunday, April 25. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Apr. 15, 2021 06:12 PM EDT