There could soon be a stunts category at the Oscars

Chad Stahelski, director of the John Wick movies and the upcoming Ghost of Tsushima adaptation, says that he thinks a stunts category at the Oscars could be coming fairly soon.

Speaking with Comic Book Movie, Stahelski spoke about John Wick: Chapter 4, when he was asked about how action films have levelled up their game over the past few years, and whether he though that was worthy of getting a stunts category at the Oscars. In response he said:

"It's all like urban legend of why there's not a category or anything like that. In truth, from what research I've done, is that the conversation hasn't happened. No one from the Academy has sat down at a big table with a contingent from the stunt world and sorted it out. I mean, we're not just talking about an American stunt team, we're talking about a global network of stunt performers, and international films from all over the world. That's a lot of people. I don't know, if you or anyone is really familiar with how big the Academy really is, but it's hundreds of members. It's a lot of mechanisms to get these things done, and I just don't think anyone's ever sat down at the table and figured it out.

"So, in the last couple of months, we've been meeting with members of the Academy and actually having these conversations, and, to be honest, it's been nothing but incredibly positive, incredibly instructional. I think, for the first time, we've made real movement forward to making this happen. I think it's something that can happen as soon as, you know, the next Oscars, or at least the one after that, at the latest, the next three or four years. I think there's a lot of working parts, but there's also, when you say that, I ask you a question back. - 'Okay, so I'm the Academy, you've come to me and said we should have stunts in the Oscars, and I go, I agree with you. Great. How do we do it? How do we select the best stunt? Who do we give it to? Quick, what are your answers?"

It seems that progress has indeed been made behind the scenes. A stunts category at the Oscars is certainly deserved, with stunt performers often throwing their bodies on the line for the sake of a cool shot.