After years of requests that the Oscars take a little time to acknowledge some of the most visually impressive, technically demanding, and potentially dangerous work that goes into the crafting of film, the Academy Of Motion Picture Arts And Sciences has finally announced that it’ll be adding a stunt design category to its list of awards. Per a press release from the Academy tonight, the new award will debut at the 100th Oscars, which will cover the films that were released in 2027, and thus officially arrive some time in 2028.
The statement from the Academy didn’t lay out exactly why it was going to take quite so long to get the award up and running, but did note that official rules for eligibility will be released with the rest of the annual Oscar rules some time in 2027. “Since the early days of cinema, stunt design has been an integral part of filmmaking,” CEO Bill Kramer and President Janet Yang said in a statement. “We are proud to honor the innovative work of these technical and creative artists, and we congratulate them for their commitment and dedication in reaching this momentous occasion.” As noted by Variety, the Academy already counts more than 100 stunt performers among its members, as part of its production and technology branch.
Calls for a stunt work Oscar of some kind have grown increasingly loud of late, including from stuntman-turned-director David Leitch, whose 2024 film The Fall Guy was an aggressive love letter to the artform and the people who create it. Leitch issued a statement tonight thanking the Academy, saying, “Stunts are essential to every genre of film and rooted deep in our industry’s history—from the groundbreaking work of early pioneers like Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd, and Charlie Chaplin, to the inspiring artistry of today’s stunt designers, coordinators, performers, and choreographers. This has been a long journey for so many of us.” John Wick director Chad Stahelski, who had a similar career path, offered his own statement of gratitude: “It’s humbling and we feel very honored to be honored where some of the best in the industry go. I think it’s much more of an achievement. You’re talking over 100 years of stunt performances. The department has been around since the very inception of films. It’s very nice to see that the Academy has really heard the voices of the stunt committee, and not only did they come back with an award, I think they did a really interesting thing with giving a Stunt Design Award, as opposed to an individual performer, because our department is one of the most collaborative and intricate of all the departments.”
