Oscars to add stunt design award for its 100th ceremony

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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 Academy Awards, which will recognize films released in 2027, the film academy said Thursday.

“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 joint statement. “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 film academy’s production and technology branch has more than 100 stunt performers among its ranks.

David Leitch, who directed “The Fall Guy,” 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 “John Wick.” He and stunt coordinator and designer Chris O’Hara of Stunts Unlimited made presentations to the academy advocating for the addition of a new award.

“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,” Leitch said in a statement Thursday. “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.”

Stunt designer is a relatively new designation. For his work on “The Fall Guy” O’Hara was the first person to be credited as such.

“To be seen by the film community as stunt designers hopefully brings more light to what we really do,” O’Hara told The Associated Press in 2024. “Back 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.”

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 “Mission: Impossible” and “The Matrix.”

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 added a prize for achievement in casting, 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 “John Wick” and did stunts for Keanu Reeves, told the AP Thursday that there’s still work to be done.

“The idea of giving an Academy Award for stunt design is awesome – don’t get me wrong,” he said. “Now I would like to know who’s going to decide who gets it, and who actually gets the award? It’s not like it was 100 years ago when there was one person designing it. It’s a collaborative effort.”

Stahelski added: “Stunts is such a collaborative and complicated department, how are we going to determine who this goes to? We’ve spent 100 years getting the award, let’s just make sure it goes to the right people.”

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AP Film Writer Jake Coyle contributed from New York.