Star Wars producers are facing criminal charges after that Harrison Ford accident.
Do you remember when production for Star Wars: Episode VII was postponed after Harrison Ford broke his leg? Well, British health authorities announced on Thursday they have issued criminal charges against the producers of Star Wars: The Force Awakens over that particular accident.
Harrison Ford was hit by a hydraulic door on set of the Millennium Falcon at Pinewood Studios near London in June 2014. He was airlifted to a hospital where he underwent surgery.
Production on the movie was suspended for two weeks after the injury to Ford, who was 71 at the time.
The Health and Safety Executive said that it had charged Foodles Production – a subsidiary of Walt Disney Co. – with four breaches of workplace health and safety laws. It said “by law, employers must take reasonable steps to protect workers — this is as true on a film set as a factory floor.”
The first court hearing is scheduled for May in London.
The Force Awakens is the seventh movie in the Star Wars franchise and has made more than $2 billion at the worldwide box office since its release two months ago. Filming is currently underway on Star Wars: Episode VIII with casting directors looking for background extras.
Foodles Production said the safety of cast and crew was “a top priority” and it was disappointed by the decision to prosecute.
