After many years of impassioned calls for an Oscar recognizing the art of the stunt, the film academy has decided to give it an official award.
An achievement in stunt design prize will be added starting with the 100th which will recognize films released in 2027, the film academy said Thursday.
鈥淪ince the early days of cinema, stunt design has been an integral part of filmmaking,鈥� Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy President Janet Yang said in a joint statement. 鈥淲e 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.鈥�
The film academy鈥檚 production and technology branch has more than 100 stunt performers among its ranks.
, who directed 鈥淭he Fall Guy,鈥� which was itself an ode to stunt performers, helped lead the charge for the new prize. Leitch began his career as a stuntman for stars like Brad Pitt before transitioning to making stunt-heavy films like 鈥淛ohn Wick." He and stunt coordinator and designer Chris O鈥橦ara of Stunts Unlimited made presentations to the academy advocating for the addition of a new award.
鈥淪tunts are essential to every genre of film and rooted deep in our industry鈥檚 history 鈥� from the groundbreaking work of early pioneers like Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd, and Charlie Chaplin, to the inspiring artistry of today鈥檚 stunt designers, coordinators, performers, and choreographers," Leitch said in a statement Thursday. 鈥淐hris O鈥橦ara and I have spent years working to bring this moment to life, standing on the shoulders of the stunt professionals who鈥檝e fought tirelessly for recognition over the decades. We are incredibly grateful.鈥�
Stunt designer is a relatively new designation. For his work on 鈥淭he Fall Guy鈥� O鈥橦ara was the first person to be credited as such.
鈥淭o be seen by the film community as stunt designers hopefully brings more light to what we really do,鈥� O鈥橦ara . 鈥淏ack 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.鈥�
The Oscars paid tribute to the stunt community with a video montage at the 2024 ceremony, looking back at over 100 years of Hollywood stunts from Chaplin and Keaton all the way to 鈥淢ission: Impossible鈥� and 鈥淭he Matrix.鈥�
Other awards shows were ahead of the curve in celebrating stunts: The Emmys honors stunt coordination and stunt performance, while the Screen Actors Guild Awards recognize stunt ensembles in television and film.
The Oscars also recently starting with films released in 2025. As with the casting award, it remains unclear whether it will be added to the live Oscars broadcast.
Chad Stahelski, who co-directed 鈥淛ohn Wick鈥� and did stunts for Keanu Reeves, told the AP Thursday that there's still work to be done.
鈥淭he idea of giving an Academy Award for stunt design is awesome 鈥� don鈥檛 get me wrong,鈥� he said. 鈥淣ow I would like to know who鈥檚 going to decide who gets it, and who actually gets the award? It鈥檚 not like it was 100 years ago when there was one person designing it. It鈥檚 a collaborative effort.鈥�
Stahelski added: "Stunts is such a collaborative and complicated department, how are we going to determine who this goes to? We鈥檝e spent 100 years getting the award, let鈥檚 just make sure it goes to the right people.鈥�
鈥�-
AP Film Writer Jake Coyle contributed from New York.
Lindsey Bahr, The Associated Press
