After a century of being sidelined, a long-awaited stunt design category is finally being added the Oscars.
The Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has today confirmed that an Academy Award for achievement in stunt design will officially begin being awarded from the 2028 Oscars. The news comes via The Academy’s social media, where the announcement was accompanied by images of 2022’s Everything Everywhere All at Once and RRR, and 2011’s Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol.
Unfortunately for that trio of films, the first movies eligible for this new award will be those released during 2027.
The 2028 Oscars will mark the 100th Academy Awards.
“Since the early days of cinema, stunt design has been an integral part of filmmaking,” said Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy President Janet Yang in a joint statement published in conjunction with this announcement. “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.”
Further specifics and the new category’s rules will be communicated in 2027.
The arrival of an Oscar for stunt design marks a significant victory in an extremely long and hard-fought battle for recognition for stunt work in film.
“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,” said director and producer David Leitch in a statement provided to IGN.
Leitch (John Wick, The Fall Guy, Bullet Train) has been championing the introduction of an Oscar for stunts for some time, making a host of previous presentations to the Academy with the assistance of stunt coordinator and designer Chris O’Hara of Stunts Unlimited, ahead of today's long-awaited approval.
“This has been a long journey for so many of us. Chris O’Hara and I have spent years working to bring this moment to life, standing on the shoulders of the stunt professionals who’ve fought tirelessly for recognition over the decades. We are incredibly grateful. Thank you, Academy.”
New categories for the Oscars are voted upon during just a single occasion annually. Previously, a category for stunt coordination was proposed every year from 1991 to 2012, but it was never successful.
The last new award category created for the Oscars was Achievement in Casting, which was approved last year and will commence with the 98th Academy Awards for films released in 2025.
Luke is a Senior Editor on the IGN reviews team. You can track him down on Bluesky @mrlukereilly to ask him things about stuff.
