- The Academy Awards will recognize stunt design with an Oscar. The new category will be a part of the show beginning in 2028. Stunt performers have previously not been acknowledged by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
Action movies would be pretty boring without stunt workers, but while the films and lead actors have always been contenders for an Academy Award, stunt workers have not. That's about to change.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced last week that beginning in 2028, it will hand out an Oscar for achievement in stunt design.
The award will be presented during the Academy Awards broadcast, rather than handed out at a separate ceremony days prior.
“Since the early days of cinema, stunt design has been an integral part of filmmaking,” Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy president Janet Yang said in a statement to Variety. “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.”
The launch of the new category will coincide with the 100th anniversary of the Academy Awards. Rules will be announced in 2027, and films from 2027 will be eligible for the first stunts Oscar. Among the films currently scheduled to release that year are Avengers: Secret Wars, the sequel to Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, the untitled sequel to The Batman, and an untitled Star Wars film.
Director and producer (and former stuntman) David Leitch, who led the stuntman-focused film The Fall Guy, was in charge of the push to recognize stunt performers.
“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,” he told Variety.
