The Oscars' New Stunt Category Explained: Who It Recognizes & Why It Took So Long To Happen

Award season might be over for now, but the Oscars are giving viewers an exciting reason to tune in later in the decade, with a new category for stunt work finally happening. Movies like The Fall Guy, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, and the sensation surrounding Tom Cruise’s stunt work have brought the immense talent behind stunts to the forefront of fan attention in recent years. Many of the best action movies of all time include the tireless work of industry professionals who are rarely credited for their contributions, and the Academy Awards look to begin rectifying that.

Due to multiple factors, the 2025 Academy Awards were considered among the best in recent years, possibly revitalizing a program that outlets have accused of being dated. Awards shows like the Oscars and Golden Globes were prominent during a time when the life force of the industry was its movie stars. Now, with an IP-driven industry, award shows’ focus on less popular тιтles has left a wedge between the Academy and broader audiences. In rare cases, like Wicked and Barbie, box office and Oscar acclaim can align, but the show still needs to take steps toward appealing to the mᴀsses.

The Oscars Are Finally Adding A Best Stunt Design Category In 2027

The Category Will Be Implemented For The 100th Academy Awards

Ryan Gosling looking surprised as Colt Seavers in The Fall Guy

In 2027, the Academy Awards will be adding a stunt category, which will officially be тιтled Best Stunt Design. Given the integral role stunts play in some of the most well-known movies ever made, it’s shocking that the category hadn’t been added to a show that honors the artisans behind sound design, costumes, and more. Stunt creation is an equally valuable aspect of the industry, and it will be exciting to see тιтles in the ilk of John Wick, Mission: Impossible, and Mad Max receive due award acclaim.

To clarify, this won’t take effect until the 2028 Academy Awards ceremony, which films being released in 2027 can contend for. While these films’ release dates are subject to change, 2027 currently includes action-heavy тιтles like Avengers: Secret Wars and The Batman Part II. The development of this category could also allow more stunt-oriented movies to be made outside major franchises, with studios looking to capitalize on the new category. We could possibly see something in the vein of Police Story or something like Ip Man, with a focus on action choreography.

Major Figures In Hollywood Pushed For A Stunt Category At The Oscars In Recent Years

David Leitch & Ryan Gosling Advocated For The New Category

David Leitch has become a big name in Hollywood blockbusters in recent years, beginning with his directorial debut with 2017’s Atomic Blonde. He’s been working in the industry far longer than that, however, with stunt work dating back to the 1990s. David Leitch’s best movies include тιтles like The Fall Guy and Bullet Train, and he’s also worked as a producer on the John Wick films. He’s been a mᴀssive proponent in the development of the Oscar category, leading the charge for those who work on movie stunts.

David Leitch was Brad Pitt’s stunt double on Fight Club.

Ryan Gosling collaborated with David Leitch on The Fall Guy, playing the lead character, a stuntman. Rather than flaunt his own role in the film, Gosling used his press tour as an opportunity to praise stunt workers for their monumental work on some of our favorite movies. Eva Mendes, Gosling’s wife, took the opportunity following the Academy Awards announcement to highlight his role in the development, sharing a pH๏τo of him on the set of The Fall Guy, holding up a sign saying, “Give Stunts An Oscar.”

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It’s hard to discuss Hollywood stunts without Tom Cruise being brought up. While he hasn’t explicitly advocated for the Oscar category, Cruise’s work in highlighting the integral value of stunts as an aspect of filmmaking has helped guide millions to notice the artistry in this craft. Cruise does his own stunts because he believes the audience deserves a more authentic experience, believing in a more traditional movie star mentality. It’s important to note, though, that Cruise is an actor, which is not precisely the work the Oscars will be looking at.

Who Will Be Nominated For The Stunts Oscar? Will Actors?

Actors Might Not Have The Opportunity To Be Nominated

Tom Cruise screaming as Ethan Hunt in Mission Impossible The Final Reckoning

Following the Academy Awards announcement, many fans of Tom Cruise called for him to receive an honorary award for his stunt work. As mentioned, however, actors who do their own stunts, like Tom Cruise, might not be qualified for the category. Stunt performers, coordinators, and action designers are among the film production roles cited by the Oscars as being worthy of these awards, and they may stick to their guns in awarding the unsung heroes of the industry rather than celebrating actors for additional showmanship.

For now, it seems safe to ᴀssume it won’t be movie-star-oriented.

Sure, actors like Tom Cruise, Keanu Reeves, and Donnie Yen are worthy of praise for their physical involvement in their film roles, but this category is intended to go to the artists behind the work. It could vary case by case regarding actors. To continue using Cruise as an example, since he works as a producer on the Mission: Impossible films, he might also be involved enough in the stunt development to be considered, but the Academy will have to release more information on the subject. For now, it seems safe to ᴀssume it won’t be movie-star-oriented.

Why It Took So Long For The Academy To Add A Best Stunts Category

The Oscars Rarely Make Category Changes

An edited image of Adrien Brody in The Brutalist and Cillian Murphy in Oppenheimer with an Oscars statue in the background. — Custom Image by Max Ruscinski

The 100th Anniversary of the Academy Awards will be the first to add a stunts category, as stunts have been an invaluable part of the industry for that entire duration of time. That raises obvious questions. Why now, and why has it taken so long? Well, this could be for a number of reasons, including the efforts of industry stars like Gosling, who’ve brought this matter to public attention. The Oscars have been successful for a long time, and with that comes a likely hesitation to make changes.

This choice will allow the Academy Awards to continue modernizing, allowing different categories to be honored. They also recently added a category centered around casting last year, so the development of one change could have eased the path for this one. Some other concerns that caused the Academy to resist this change were the fear of stunts being taken too far, with professionals risking their lives in pursuit of the award.