The Academy Award for Achievement in Stunt Design is finally happening.
It’s been a long time coming, but stunt performers are finally being acknowledged by The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The Academy sent out a press release today revealing that the Award for Achievement in Stunt Design will be inaugurated at the 2027 ceremony – the 100th Academy Awards, in fact.
In a joint statement, Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy President Janet Yang said, “Since the early days of cinema, stunt design has been an integral part of filmmaking. 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 statement went on to note that over 100 stunt performers were already Academy members in the Production and Technology Branch. The exact rules for eligibility and voting have yet to be finalised, and will be announced in 2027 with the complete 100th Academy Awards Rules.
Well, for one thing: hooray! And for another, goddamn, it took you long enough. Stunt and fight choreography professionals have been agitating for Academy acknowledgement for ages, along with action fans of all stripes. Jason Statham groused about it to Vanity Fair back in 2013, while Ryan Reynolds did much the same in August last year.
Reynolds took to Instagram alongside his Deadpool and Wolverine stunt double, Alex Kyshkovych, saying, “Stunt work doesn’t have a category at The Oscars and I hope that’ll change someday. So many films SMASHED it this year… Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd and Chaplin were stunt performers as well as filmmakers. Telling stories with their entire bodies.”
Tough nut Statham was much blunter, calling out “poncy actors pretending” and going on to say, “…you have some guy standing in front of a fucking green screen screwing his face up pretending like he’s doing the stunt. To me, it’s like a farce.”
In recent years, the Vulture Stunt Awards, driven by critic and avowed action fan Brandon Streussnig, have highlighted the invaluable contribution action performers make to the world of film. Founded in 2023, the Vulture Stunt Awards have rapidly drawn a lot of industry attention, both to the work itself and the fact that these awards were filling an increasingly noticeable gap in the Oscar roster.
As an aside, Australia did very well at the Vultures this year, with both the epic Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga and the raw-knuckle indie Life After Fighting taking home gongs, while Aussie performer Hayley Wright won Best Achievement in Stunts Overall. It’s not a stretch to draw a straight line from the Vulture Stunt Awards’ rising prominence and the Academy‘s announcement today.
But why quibble? Stunties are finally getting their due, albeit a couple of years down the track. One thing’s for sure: we won’t see much category fraud in the competition for the stunt statue. We can’t think of too many actors who’d risk ticking off their stunt team…
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