The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences invited 134 artists, executives and members of the film community to become a part of its ranks on Tuesday.
A maximum of 166 slots could have been filled, but branch committees did not endorse all the candidates proposed to them.
Hugh Jackman, who hosted the most recent Oscar show, was one of those invited to join. Other actors included recent acting nominees such as Anne Hathaway, Melissa Leo, Viola Davis and Taraji P. Henson. A number of comedic stars like James Franco, Seth Rogen, Paul Rudd and Michael Cera were also invited.
A number of "Slumdog Millionaire" winners were also invited -- including Danny Boyle, who won the directing Oscar last season, and fellow collaborators like producer Christian Colson, cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle, composer A.R. Rahman and editor Chris Dickens.
Other invitees include Tom Cruise's longtime producing partner Paula Wagner, "Milk" screenplay Oscar winner Dustin Lance Black and directors Tyler Perry and Rod Lurie.
The new members will be welcomed into the Academy at a reception at the Academy's Fairbanks Center for Motion Picture Study in Beverly Hills in September.
The voting membership has remained at about 6,000 since 2003.
"These filmmakers have, over the course of their careers, captured the imagination of audiences around the world," Academy president Sid Ganis said in a statement. "It's this kind of talent and creativity that make up the Academy, and I welcome each of them to our ranks."
The 2009 invitees are:
Casey Affleck ("The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford," "Gone Baby Gone")
Emily Blunt ("Sunshine Cleaning," "The Devil Wears Prada")
Michael Cera ("Juno," "Superbad")
Viola Davis ("Doubt," "State of Play")
James Franco ("Milk," "Spider-Man")
Brendan Gleeson ("In Bruges," "Mission: Impossible II")
Anne Hathaway ("Rachel Getting Married," "The Princess Diaries")
Taraji P. Henson ("The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," "Hustle & Flow")
Emile Hirsch ("Into the Wild," "Lords of Dogtown")
Hugh Jackman ("X-Men Origins: Wolverine," "The Prestige")
Melissa Leo ("Frozen River," "21 Grams")
Jane Lynch ("Role Models," "The 40 Year-Old Virgin")
Eddie Marsan ("Happy-Go-Lucky," "The Illusionist")
James McAvoy ("Atonement," "The Last King of Scotland")
Seth Rogen ("Monsters vs. Aliens," "Knocked Up")
Paul Rudd ("I Love You, Man," "Knocked Up")
Amy Ryan ("Changeling," "Gone Baby Gone")
Michael Shannon ("Revolutionary Road," "Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead")
Michelle Williams ("Wendy and Lucy," "Brokeback Mountain")
Jeffrey Wright ("Quantum of Solace," "W.")
ANIMATORS
J.J. Blumenkranz ("Monster House," "The Polar Express")
Konstantin Bronzit ("Lavatory-Lovestory," "The Cat and the Fox")
Kendal Cronkhite ("Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa," "Antz")
Rodolphe Guenoden ("Kung Fu Panda," "Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas")
Byron Howard ("Bolt," "Lilo & Stitch")
Kunio Kato ("La Maison en Petits Cubes")
Doug Sweetland ("Presto," "The Incredibles")
Chris Williams ("Bolt," "Chicken Little")
Andrew Ackland-Snow ("Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," "Notting Hill")
AT-LARGE
Matthew D. Loeb
Redmond Morris
CASTING DIRECTORS
John Papsidera ("The Dark Knight," "Agent Cody Banks")
Bernie Telsey ("Sex and the City," "Across the Universe")
CINEMATOGRAPHERS
Russ T.
