'Bond 25' Set Accident Injures Crew Member, Damages Studio
The production of the upcoming 25th James Bond film has once again been shaken and and stirred, this time by an on-set accident that injured a crew member and damaged London's legendary Pinewood Studios.
According to the official "Bond 25" Twitter account, the incident occurred on Tuesday at the studios (which have housed numerous iconic productions, including the "Star Wars" and "Harry Potter" films). The film team's statement said that the accident happened while shooting "a controlled explosion," which damaged the exterior of the sound stage.
"There were no injuries on set, however one crew member outside the stage has sustained a minor injury," the production's statement continued.
No other information from the "Bond 25" team was released, though UK tabloid The Sun reported that the set was rocked by "three huge explosions" that put Pinewood into "total lockdown."
Here's what sources told The Sun about the incident:
It’s thought one was "seriously hurt" after the explosions, which took part of the roof off and a number of wall panels of the multi-million pound complex.
The member of staff was left crushed by part of the set which fell on him as he stood on a ramp outside the studios.
Crew on the film, which has plagued with issues since the beginning of filming, were testing a stunt involving a fireball in a laboratory when the incident took place.
A Bond source said: "It was utter chaos. ... [S]omething has gone horribly wrong."
There's no word on the current condition of the crew member, though producers described his injuries as "minor." It's unclear how long the studio will be shut down, or if filming will be delayed further.
This is just the latest setback for the troubled "Bond 25" production, which had already seen a shooting delay thanks to an injury that Bond himself, Daniel Craig, suffered while filming a scene a few weeks ago. Craig hurt his ankle while running along a beach in Jamaica, and had to be flown to the U.S. for emergency treatment; it was later reported that he needed surgery to repair the damage.
At the time, Bond producers said that the film was still on track to meet its April 2020 release date. We'll see if this most recent incident changes things.
[via: Bond 25/Twitter, The Sun]