Hollywood’s biggest night is getting a little extra muscle this year. Organisers behind the Academy Awards say security will be stepped up at the Dolby Theatre ahead of Sunday’s ceremony after reports suggested Iran may have considered retaliatory drone strikes targeting California.
Before anyone panics and starts imagining drones hovering over the red carpet, officials stress there’s no confirmed threat. Speaking at a press conference on March 11, executive producers Katy Mullan and Raj Kapoor said safety planning is already in overdrive.
Kapoor explained, “We have the support of the FBI and the LAPD and it’s a close collaboration. This show has to run like clockwork. But we want everybody that is coming to this show, that is witnessing the show, that is even a fan of the show when they’re standing outside the barricades, we want everybody to feel safe and protected and welcome, so it’s our job as a producing team to make sure that that translates.”
He added, “It’s something that we don’t take lightly and we take a lot of responsibility for. So we hold it very dear and close to our hearts.”
Authorities say around 1,000 private security officers will be deployed around the venue. The Los Angeles Police Department also plans a one-mile security perimeter, vehicle checks, surveillance cameras, drones, bomb-sniffing dogs and SWAT teams.
Meanwhile, the Federal Bureau of Investigation reportedly warned law enforcement that Iran had “allegedly aspired to conduct a surprise attack using unmanned aerial vehicles against unspecified targets in California.” But the alert also clarified officials have “no additional information on the timing, method, target or perpetrators.” Hollywood will still roll out the glam, just with a lot more security.