Filmmaker Brett Ratner has quite a list of hits under his belt, like the Rush Hour films, X-Men: The Last Stand, The Family Man, and the Prison Break series. Well, add one more to that as the flourishing director has now been chosen to produce the 84th Annual Academy Awards this coming February.

Ratner will be working alongside TV producer/director Don Mischer to develop the next Oscars – the first time that Ratner will have been involved in the iconic awards show. He has described the incredible opportunity as “a dream come true” and comments, “This wasn’t even in my dreams, it’s so far out. This is something I never could have imagined.”

The announcement was made on Thursday, August 4 by Academy president Tom Sherak and, so far,  it looks like Ratner does not want to waste a second in getting to his preparations. “Work begins now,” he said. “We’re going to hang up the phone and get to work.”

Although the work is still in its very early stages, the news has caught quite the buzz, although Ratner and Mischer are both remaining tight-lipped about their plans. They do say, however, that they are looking to improve upon last year’s production. Mischer commented, “Everything is open at this point. We’re just at the starting gate.”

The 84th Annual Academy Awards will be airing live from the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles on February 26, 2012. The host for the upcoming show has not yet been announced.

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