Producer Jerry Bruckheimer will receive the VES Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2026 VES Awards, the Visual Effects Society announced on Tuesday.
Wētā Workshop co-founder Sir Richard Taylor will be honored with the VES Visionary Award at the gala that will take place on Feb. 25 at The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California. Actor-comedians Randy and Jason Sklar, also known as the Sklar Brothers, will host the gala again this year.
“I have been a filmmaker for over fifty years and have seen firsthand how the evolution of the VFX industry has unlocked amazing new types of storytelling time and time again. From Armageddon, to the Pirates of the Caribbean series, to F1: The Movie, and dozens of other films and television series, some of the most memorable collaborations of my career have been on projects where the VFX artists and technologists bring their magic to the screen. I am in awe of your talent, and am very grateful to the VES for this tremendous recognition,” Jerry Bruckheimer says in a statement.
Taylor adds: “I’m honoured by this recognition from the Visual Effects Society, a community of artists and practitioners that I feel blessed to have been a part of since its inception. I accept this award on behalf of all of our crew at Wētā Workshop, whose work has always been in creative service – using practical effects, design, and physical craftsmanship to help expand what’s possible in collaboration with VFX and film-making teams around the world. For me this award reflects the dedication, ingenuity, and generosity of spirit by so many of our artists that have joined me on this journey over the past 38 years. I’m incredibly grateful to the VES for celebrating the creative and collaborative journey that I have been on (with my colleagues) in our efforts to bring imagined worlds to life.”
The VES Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes “significant and lasting contributions to the art and science of the VFX industry by way of vision, artistry, invention and innovation,” according to the society. Bruckheimer fits the bill, having credits to his name like Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, F1: The Movie, Top Gun, Flashdance, Beverly Hills Cop, Remember the Titans, the CSI: Crime Scene Investigation franchise, the Amazing Race franchise and Top Gun: Maverick.
Previous recipients of the honor include George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, Kathleen Kennedy & Frank Marshall, James Cameron, Sir Ridley Scott and Martin Scorsese.
The VES Visionary Award “recognizes an individual who has uniquely and consistently employed the art and science of VFX to foster imagination and ignite future discoveries by way of artistry, invention, and groundbreaking work.” Apart from co-founding Wētā, he has also won five Academy Awards across special effects makeup, VFX and costume design, we well as four BAFTAs and other international awards. Wētā has provided effects work to more than 160 films, including The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit and Avatar trilogies, as well as Chronicles of Narnia, King Kong, District 9, the Thor series, Black Panther and Alien: Romulus.
Previous recipients include Christopher Nolan, Ang Lee, Alfonso Cuaron, J.J. Abrams, Syd Mead, Victoria Alonso, Jonathan Nolan and Roland Emmerich. The 2025 VES Visionary Award recipient was Academy Award-winning filmmaker Takashi Yamazaki (Godzilla Minus One).
“The VES Awards are our marquee event, honoring exceptional creative achievement and recognized as one of the entertainment industry’s most prestigious celebrations. We’re immensely appreciative of the respective and sustained industry contributions of Jerry Bruckheimer and Sir Richard Taylor, and look forward to celebrating their remarkable achievements at this year’s awards ceremony,” VES Board Chair Kim Davidson says in a statement. “We’re also thrilled to welcome back the Sklar Brothers, who bring a healthy dose of levity while honoring the talent and craft of visual effects.”
Nominees for the 2026 VES Awards will be announced later this month.
