The American Film Institute confirmed today that its 49th annual AFI Life Achievement Award: A Tribute to Nicole Kidman is being postponed due to Hollywood’s ongoing writers strike. The event was scheduled for June 10.
“For nearly half a century, the AFI Life Achievement Award has convened artists and audiences in celebration of excellence in the art form,” the AFI said in a statement. “Due to the division in our community at this time, AFI has decided to postpone this year’s event with the goal to offer a celebratory environment worthy of our recipient.”
There’s no word yet on a new date. That may take some time as some expect the strike to last for weeks and perhaps months. The last writers strike, which began in 2007, lasted 100 days. The current strike has already affected movie and TV show production and led to a number of cancellations, postponements and reformatting for live events during what is typically a busy events season with Emmy FYC gatherings, TV and film premieres and other industry events.
Kidman was set to become the first Australian actor to receive the AFI honor. The Oscar-winning actress and producer, 55, has a career that dates back to the early 1980s, and she’s built a reputation as a versatile performer who has long gravitated toward working for visionary auteurs like Jane Campion, Sofia Coppola, Baz Luhrmann, Anthony Minghella, Sydney Pollack, Lars von Trier and Stanley Kubrick.
Once the event gets back on the calendar and Kidman receives the tribute, she’ll join a long list of AFI Life Achievement Award recipients that includes Bette Davis, Alfred Hitchcock, James Stewart, Gene Kelly, Kirk Douglas, Sidney Poitier, Elizabeth Taylor, Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, Harrison Ford, Barbra Streisand, Tom Hanks, Meryl Streep, Al Pacino, Morgan Freeman, Jane Fonda, Steve Martin, Diane Keaton, George Clooney, Denzel Washington and Julie Andrews, among many more.
Kidman’s upcoming projects include Expats, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, Lioness and Holland, Michigan.
