Academy Awards to add category for casting directors, so let’s get one for stunt performers next
The Academy is clearly willing to add new categories, so let's add even more
The Academy Of Motion Picture Arts And Sciences has generally showed some willingness to change with the times, like when it expanded the number of Best Picture nominees from five to 10 after The Dark Knight failed to secure a nomination despite being The Big Movie that year, or like last year when it decided that streaming movies have to actually play in theaters outside of New York and Los Angeles. And today, the Motion Picture Academy has decided to grow a little by adding a long-demanded category for casting directors—the first new category since Best Animated Feature Film was added more than 20 years ago.
Variety says that this change will take effect with the 98th Academy Awards, which is happening in 2026 and will apply to movies from 2025. People in Hollywood have been fighting for this to happen since the ‘90s, but Variety says there wasn’t “widespread support” for a casting Oscar at the time. That has evidently changed now (to quote a common refrain from this year’s Oscar critics, Barbie didn’t cast itself), and this move is very welcome, long overdue, and what seems like an easy decision.