Oscars to add stunt design award for its 100th ceremony
The Academy will consider films released in 2027 for the inaugural award at the 100th awards ceremony in 2028.
After many years of impassioned calls for an Oscar recognising the art of the stunt, the Academy has decided to give it an official award.
An achievement in stunt design prize will be added to the line-up, starting with the 100th Academy Awards, which will recognise films released in 2027, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said on Thursday.
“Since the early days of cinema, stunt design has been an integral part of filmmaking,” Academy chief executive Bill Kramer and Academy president Janet Yang said in a joint statement.
“We are proud to honour the innovative work of these technical and creative artists, and we congratulate them for their commitment and dedication in reaching this momentous occasion.”
David Leitch, who directed The Fall Guy, which was itself an ode to stunt performers, helped to lead the charge for the new prize.
Leitch began his career as a stuntman for stars such as Brad Pitt before transitioning to making stunt-heavy films like John Wick.
He and stunt co-ordinator and designer Chris O’Hara of Stunts Unlimited made presentations to the Academy advocating for the addition of a new award.
Stunt designer is a relatively new designation, for his work on The Fall Guy, O’Hara was the first person to be credited as such.
“To be seen by the film community as stunt designers hopefully brings more light to what we really do,” O’Hara told The Associated Press in 2024.
“Back in the day, stunt guys were the cowboys. Now we are creative. We create amazing things, just like a production designer does or a costume designer does.”
The Oscars paid tribute to the stunt community with a video montage at the 2024 ceremony, looking back at more than 100 years of Hollywood stunts from Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton all the way to Mission: Impossible and The Matrix.
However, other awards shows have been ahead of the curve in celebrating stunts. The Emmys honours stunt co-ordination and stunt performance, while the Screen Actors Guild Awards recognise stunt ensembles in television and film.
The film academy’s production and technology branch has more than 100 stunt performers among its ranks.
The Oscars also recently added a prize for achievement in casting, starting with films released in 2025. As with the casting award, it remains unclear whether it will be added to the live Oscars broadcast.
