Following years of impassioned calls, the Academy Awards announced it will be introducing the Best Stunt Design category at the Oscars.
The category will spotlight the designers of movie stunts at the 100th annual ceremony, which will recognise films released in 2027.
"Since the early days of cinema, stunt design has been an integral part of filmmaking," the Academy's CEO, Bill Kramer, and president, Janet Yang, said in a joint statement.
"We are proud to honour the innovative work of these technical and creative artists, and we congratulate them for their commitment and dedication in reaching this momentous occasion."
The news follows last year's announcement that the Best Casting category will be introduced in the 2026 ceremony.
The campaign to have the stunt community recognised was led by David Leitch, who began his career as a stunt double for Brad Pitt before transitioning into making stunt-heavy films such as John Wick.
Leitch went on to direct Bullet Train and The Fall Guy, which was a tribute to stunt performers.
He and stunt coordinator and designer Chris O'Hara made several presentations to the Academy's board of governors advocating for the addition of a new category.
In a statement, Leitch thanked the academy noting, "This has been a long journey for so many of us".
"Chris O'Hara and I have spent years working to bring this moment to life, standing on the shoulders of the stunt professionals who've fought tirelessly for recognition over the decades."
More than 100 stunt professionals are members of the Academy's production and technology branch.
Only two stunt performers have been celebrated with honorary awards at the Oscars: Yakima Canutt, in 1966, and Hal Needham, in 2012.
There are plenty more stunt teams with incredible talent, but here are just five films who could have won the award years ago.
The Dark Knight (2008)
The explosive hospital scene starring late Australian actor Heath Ledger as the Joker is one of the most memorable moments in The Dark Knight.
Director Christopher Nolan was famously allowed to blow up an actual building for the scene, but this also meant that his team had only one shot at getting it right.
Ledger won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 2009 for his role in The Dark Knight, making him only the second actor in Oscars history to win a posthumous Academy Award.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 (2010)
Harry, Ron and Hermione found themselves in plenty of thrilling chase scenes across the eight Harry Potter films, but the escape from Gringott's bank in the final movie might just be the most exhilarating.
In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, the trio breaks into the goblin-guarded bank in search of a Horcrux, then makes a dramatic getaway by freeing a captive dragon and riding it out from the depths of the vaults.
The film's stunt scenes earned it the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) award for Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture, beating out The Adjustment Bureau, Cowboys & Aliens, Transformers: Dark of the Moon and X-Men: First Class.
Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
The Mad Max franchise is renowned for its breathtaking stunts, and one of the most unforgettable comes near the climax of Mad Max: Fury Road.
As Immortan Joe and his forces chase Max, Furiosa, and the rest of the crew into a narrow canyon, the heroes commandeer Joe’s massive War Rig in a desperate escape.
Everyone except Nux manages to climb aboard, and in a final act of sacrifice, Nux flips the War Rig, blocking the canyon and halting the pursuing enemies in spectacular fashion.
The behind-the-scenes footage of the dramatic barrel roll highlights the sheer scale and danger of the stunt.
Top Gun: Maverick (2022)
Top Gun: Maverick starring Tom Cruise stunned audiences with its jaw-dropping aerial sequences, most of which were captured using practical effects rather than CGI.
To prepare for the long-awaited sequel, aerial coordinator and stunt pilot Kevin LaRosa II told the New York Times that he developed a custom black jet equipped with high-speed cameras capable of withstanding up to 3 Gs, a feat never attempted before.
The Fall Guy (2024)
The Fall Guy is a tribute to stunt professionals, with Ryan Gosling's character enduring one wild and dangerous feat after another.
Behind the action was a team of seasoned stuntmen, including Logan Holladay who set a Guinness World Record with 8.5 cannon rolls in car, Ben Jenkin who was set on fire and hit by a car, and Troy Brown, who executed an epic 45-metre fall.
The team even temporarily shut down Sydney Harbour Bridge to film a high-speed chase, featuring Gosling clinging to a shovel on the back of a truck as it barrels across the monument.
