Oscars Exploring the "Possibility" of Adding Stunt Category to Ceremony

CEO Bill Kramer says The Academy is "talking to members of the stunt community" about the Oscars.

By Jamie Jirak

Earlier this year, it was announced that the Academy Awards would be adding a new category. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences confirmed an award for Achievement in Casting will be added to the roster starting in 2026. When the news was announced, many film fans took to social media to celebrate the addition, but some also pointed out that there's another group of unsung heroes that deserve recognition for their work in film: stuntpeople. Folks have been calling for a stunt category at the Oscars for years, and many thought an announcement would be made at this year's ceremony when The Fall Guy stars Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt introduced a tribute to stunt men and women. Now, it looks like the long-awaited category might finally become a reality. According to Empire, the Academy is considering adding a stunt category at the Oscars. 

"We're talking to members of the stunt community who are Academy members about the possibility of that," Bill Kramer, Academy CEO, shared with Empire at Cannes. "We added a new award that will launch in two years for Casting Directors ... so we're always open to those discussions."

"The Academy is like a living, breathing organism," Academy President Janet Yang added. "We listen to our members, and if there's really strong support and there's whole mechanisms for how to advance the cause, and they're interested... That's what happened with Casting. We've created new branches over the decades. So it does evolve, and it evolves with the changing industry." 

 Chad Stahelski Calls For Stunt Category at Oscars:

 Chad Stahelski, the stuntman who went on to direct all four John Wick films, had a chat with Deadline about John Wick: Chapter 4 last year, and opened up about why the Academy should include a stunts category. 

"There's not a single arguable reason not to have stunts in the Academy Awards," Stahelski explained. "No one's gonna deny that we are at least equal to every other department. We're part of every film, as much part of Hollywood lore as music, costumes, technical achievements, directing, or cinematography. And none of the people in those departments will deny that. I just think we haven't had the talk. I think there's some challenges in it. The stunt department works very differently. Cinematographer is one person, same with costume designer and director. Stunts?"

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"Say we win the Oscar for Best Stunt. Which of the nine people who should get it? And what are you given the Oscar for? There is the great staircase fall for John Wick, and a couple great car hits. There's a great high fall out the window. But the effect of John Wick is the overall action of the movie. So are you giving the award for Best Stunt or Best Stunt Sequence, or Best Stunt Constant? The stunt guys don't know the answer. And I guarantee you the Academy doesn't either. But I have faith that if all the smart people at the Academy and all our smart people sit down at a table, we can figure it out and make it happen." So I'm asking you to throw down the gauntlet to help make it happen. I am happy to be a representative for the stunt community among other great people in it, to sit down with the academy and go, okay, we're all on the same page. How do we do this? Let's figure it out together." 

Stay tuned for more updates about the future of the Academy Awards. 

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