The Academy Might Finally Add a Stunt Category to the Oscars

Earlier this year, the Oscars announced a new category will be awarded in 2026, honoring movies made in 2025, for Best Achievement in Casting. Now comes word that another well-deserving and essential group that’s long been part of the moviemaking process may be next in line: stunt professionals.

Nothing is official yet, but in a recent chat with Empire, Academy CEO Bill Kramer told the magazine that adding a stunt award is actively being considered. “We’re talking to members of the stunt community who are Academy members about the possibility of that,” he said; nodding to that new category for casting directors, he noted “we’re always open to those discussions.”

Academy President Janet Yang added that the organization behind the Oscars is “like a living, breathing organism. 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… it does evolve, and it evolves with the changing industry.”

After this year’s Oscar broadcast in March, Entertainment Weekly suggested that the segment featuring The Fall Guy co-stars Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt—and a video that paid tribute to Hollywood’s most dazzling stunts over the past hundred-plus years—might offer hope that the Academy might be moving, however slowly, toward finally adding a stunt category. The magazine pointed out that the Oscars are dragging behind both the SAG Awards (which honors stunt ensembles in both film and TV) and the Emmys (which has two categories as part of its TV awards, for stunt coordination and stunt performance). And it goes without saying that without the talents of stunt people—many of whom take extreme risks as part of their jobs—movies would be a lot less exciting.

Would you like to see a stunt category added to the Oscars? Let us know in the comments below.

Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.