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Academy Considers Adding Oscar Category for Stunts: Is The Fall Guy to Thank?
Colt Seavers improving Hollywood, one blockbuster at a time.
Let's face it, if there was an Academy Award for stunts, The Fall Guy (streaming now on Peacock), would be a surefire frontrunner. Alas, at this point, that's not a thing. But could it be?
Starting with the 2026 Oscars ceremony, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will introduce a brand-new category: Achievement in Casting, the first addition to the proceedings in over two decades. And yet, stunt performers remain unrecognized, even though they continue to risk their lives for the sake of making an actor look cool as heck on the big screen. That may change soon, according to Empire.
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“We’re talking to members of the stunt community who are Academy members about the possibility of that,” Academy CEO Bill Kramer told the outlet. “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,” added Academy President Janet Yang. "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.”
Is The Fall Guy speeding up the creation of a stunt Oscar?
One of the biggest proponents of adding a stunt category is stuntman-turned-director David Leitch (John Wick, Deadpool 2), whose most recent project, The Fall Guy, was crafted as a loving ode to the death-defying professionals on film sets the world over.
In addition to hyping up lead cast members Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt, the film's marketing campaign also shined a spotlight on the movie's veteran crew of stuntmen, including Logan Holladay, who broke a world record during production. It even led to the creation of a new Hollywood title, Stunt Designer, for seasoned stunt coordinator Chris O'Hara.
"We don't do this for the recognition. But making this film has brought a lot of light to our business that I think has been needed," The Fall Guy's parkour specialist, Ben Jenkin, told Empire. "The first interview I did was me and Logan sat on a couch with David, Ryan, and Emily. I remember looking around and thinking, 'What the hell am I doing here?' I told Chris afterwards, 'I'd rather get hit by a car than do this!'"
"It was non-stop, but it's been worth it," echoed Holladay. "This whole team has been pushing for us to be recognized, in that Oscar conversation, in a way that's really letting us fly."
Where is The Fall Guy streaming?
Both the theatrical and extended cut of The Fall Guy are currently streaming exclusively on Peacock!
