Sir Ridley Scott will be forced to miss this year’s Governors Awards in Los Angeles after a “minor medical procedure” left him unable to travel.
The 88-year-old filmmaker, whose credits include Gladiator and Alien, was due to receive an honorary Oscar at the November 15 ceremony in recognition of his contribution to cinema.
However, Sir Ridley has been advised not to fly from his home in London following the procedure, his representative confirmed to People magazine.
The director’s wife, Giannina Facio, is expected to attend the ceremony along with his children and grandchildren, while Scott will pre-record an acceptance speech to be played at the event.
“Sir Ridley Scott is a true visionary whose decades-long legacy has left an immeasurable impact on global cinema and culture,” said Academy President Lynette Howell Taylor in a statement in June.
Other honourees at the ceremony will include actor Glenn Close, animator Floyd Norman, and producers Christine Vachon and Pamela Koffler.
It comes after Sir Ridley previously declared it’s too “late” for him to win an Oscar and said he’d decided his health is “far more important.”
The Blade Runner director has yet to take home a coveted Academy Award despite spending more than 30 years in the movie industry.
He has received three Best Director Oscar nominations — for Thelma & Louise (1991), Gladiator (2000) and Black Hawk Down (2001) — while The Martian (2015) also earned him a Best Picture nomination.
However, Sir Ridley is adamant there are more important things in life to worry about.
He previously told The Sunday Times: “Well it’s a bit late for me [to win an Oscar]. I care more about being well enough to cope with what I’m doing, so my health is far more important than a f***ing gong.”
The director then added: “I did get a knighthood though.”
When asked if he worries about his own mortality, Scott replied: “No, I don’t think about it. I get up in the morning and say: “Ah great! Another day of stress.’”
Sir Ridley’s last film — 2024 epic Gladiator II — was nominated for the Best Costume Design Oscar, but it lost out to movie-musical Wicked.
He will reportedly next direct an adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island, due in November 2027.
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