Kobe Bryant has been denied entry to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Bryant made Dear Basketball with animator Glen Keane, which won best animated short at The Oscars. The future hall-of-famer was recommended for entry by the executive committee, but his name made it through the first stage before being removed by a second group — who felt that Bryant didn’t have a big enough body of work for entry.
The Hollywood Reporter notes that it’s not unusual for new filmmakers to be denied entry despite Oscar nominations or wins. Another winner, Marc Sondheimer who made Piper also wasn’t invited in 2015. Kobe Bryant has already announced that his company Kobe Inc. is working on its next film.
In related news, Lucasfilm will postpone all Star Wars films until Episode IX.