James Ransone’s ‘Sinister’ and ‘Black Phone’ Director Says the ‘Oscars In Memoriam Ignored Him but I Cannot’ After Late Actor Excluded: ‘He Is Dearly Missed’

By Zack Sharf

Zack Sharf

Digital News Director

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“Sinister” and “The Black Phone” director Scott Derrickson called out the Oscars on X for excluding his frequent collaborator James Ransone from this year’s televised In Memoriam section. Ransone died by suicide in December at 46 years old. The actor starred in both of Derrickson’s aforementioned horror movies and their sequels, plus projects such as “It: Chapter Two,” “Tangerine” and the HBO miniseries “Generation Kill.”

“The Oscars In Memoriam ignored him but I cannot,” wrote Derrickson, who also helmed Marvel’s first “Doctor Strange” movie. “He was my friend. I put him in five films. In early January I buried James ‘PJ’ Ransone after he committed suicide… He was a complex, funny, talented, and undeniably reckless person. He was wildly alive and deeply loved. I know he said some infuriating things online, but the last time I saw him, he cried with regret for all of that. ‘I didn’t mean to hurt anyone’s feelings,’ he said. Please don’t trash him here. He is dearly missed.”

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