Gladiator 2 Filming Hit by Setback due to Crew Injury
The filming of the highly-anticipated sequel, Gladiator 2, which started earlier this summer, has suffered a minor setback after several crew members were injured while filming a stunt sequence for the movie. The incident occurred on June 7 at the set in Morocco, where filming is currently taking place. A spokesperson for Paramount Pictures, the studio behind the movie, confirmed that the crew members had sustained “non-life-threatening injuries.”
Crew Members Injured and Under Treatment
According to the spokesperson’s statement to Variety, six people received treatment in the hospital, with four still in hospital. The crew members were treated for burn injuries, and the incident happened towards the end of the shooting day.
The spokesperson said the following: “While filming a planned stunt sequence on the set of the ‘Gladiator’ sequel, an accident occurred during which several crew members experienced non-life-threatening injuries. The safety and full medical services teams on-site were able to act quickly so that those who were impacted immediately received necessary care. They are all in stable condition and continue to receive treatment.”
Strict Safety Measures for Hollywood Set
The studio spokesperson further stated that the safety and well-being of the cast and crew are of utmost importance, and strict health and safety procedures are in place on all productions. The studio is also monitoring the situation closely and taking all necessary precautions more since the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic. The crew injury would certainly prompt prompt production houses to put more strict safety measures and have a reality check on the safety of the sets.
Philosophical Issues on Movie Stunts Performance
It is crucial to evaluate the consequences of physical risk to the actors/actresses and professionals involved in filming in creating a form of art, spectacle, and entertainment. The age-long anxiety of achieving a sense of authenticity in films has consistently led to agonizing personal risk assessments by individuals – either willingly or enforced. Hollywood, an industry built on the back of fantastical performances, has continually embraced a culture of accepting voluntary and involuntary risk-taking by actors in delivering world-class productions.
The philosophical question one will ask is, at what point should the filmmaker reconsider the risk to perform a stunt within the movie context? While the crash by Hollywood stuntwoman Joi Harris in the movie ‘Deadpool 2’ led to her death and raised the debate of utmost safety concerns around making movies, there’s no silver bullet that can answer the philosophical question. Nevertheless, as the demand for realistic and immersive cinema continues to increase, filmmakers must continue to put the safety of the cast and crew at the forefront of their productions.
Advice for Studios and Professionals
For filming studios, there’s a need to institute tougher and holistic checks on their sets to identify potential hazards and determine reasonable measures to mitigate such risks. Furthermore, engagement with competent safety experts or consultants in executing any production phase that involves physical and logical hazards and risks is standard practice that production houses need to adopt.
For professionals involved in the film process, there is a need for better and early knowledge of the scope of the stunts, predictable damage, and the risk assessments involved in performing these stunts. It’s essential to maintain the balance between artistic freedom and safety while reducing the risks to the barest minimum.
The hope is that complete safety will always be practicable in casting and in creating movies that tell unique stories while minimizing the health and safety risks to film and television professionals.
<< photo by Alena Shekhovtcova >>
