Last year, the Academy started making inquiries about the possible addition of a Stunts category. President Janet Yang said “stay tuned” for more details in the coming year.
Nine months later, it's become a reality. Best Achievement in Stunt Design will officially be added to the Oscars for films released in 2027, beginning with the 100th Academy Awards.
Is this how Tom Cruise wins his first Oscar?
This must be a great day for filmmaker Chad Stahelski, a former stuntman, who has been pushing for this category since 2017. Over the years, Stahelski has had an innumerable amount or meetings with the Academy to figure out a way to add this category.
The people who were against an Oscar stunt category claimed that awarding life risking scenarios would be bad for the industry and that serious injuries and even deaths would rise amongst the profession. You’re just tempting adrenaline junkies with a prestigious award, they claim.
Of course, nobody wants to incentivize dangerous, potentially life threatening stunts, and I’m sure the Academy has figured out a way around this with strict eligibility rules.
Stunt professionals have to be meticulously smart about what they’re doing. They’re the ones dealing with math and physics so as to not be hurt. There’s a ton of preparation that goes into pulling off death-defying feats. An Oscar category is the least the Academy can do for these professional warriors.
“Since the early days of cinema, stunt design has been an integral part of filmmaking” — Academy CEO Bill Kramer and President Janet Yang
Edward Berger seems to have settled on what comes next. His Lance Armstrong biopic, starring Austin Butler, is now holding casting calls, with production eyed for January.