Fast & Furious 9 Stops Production After Stuntman’s Serious Injury

Filming is temporarily halted on the set of Fast & Furious 9 after an accident involving a crew member resulted in a serious injury. Fast & Furious 9 officially started production in June, with many of the series’ cast returning for the ninth installment of the popular action film franchise.

Those stars who have come back for the ride include Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Charlize Theron, Helen Mirren and Tyrese Gibson. Several new cast members will also join the team of fast-driving characters, including professional wrestler John Cena. The movies, which are known for their over-the-top action and explosions, have always involved death-defying stunts. As of yet, though, there have been no serious accidents on set for the franchise’s cast or crew members. Unfortunately, that doesn’t apply to off-set; in 2013, franchise star Paul Walker died in a car accident, almost in a case of life imitating art.

Now, though, an accident has halted production on the set of Fast & Furious 9. According to THR, police and paramedics were called to Leavesden Studios in the U.K. to treat a stuntman after a fall that resulted in a “serious head injury.” The injured man was rushed to Royal London Hospital by air ambulance. At the time, his condition remains unknown. It is also unknown if any of the main cast members were present when the accident happened. Universal Studios issued the following statement:

“We had an injury on the set of Fast 9 today in Leavesden with one of our stuntmen. We have halted production for the day to focus on this situation.”

Leavesden Studios is where the entire series of Harry Potter movies were filmed. It is also the location for the filming of Wonder Woman 1984 and Cats. Leavesden also serves as the location for the Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter tourist attraction. Although Warner Bros. owns the studio, it often rents it out to other companies, including Universal, who owns the rights to Fast & Furious 9. Leavesden is no stranger to accidents, though. It was only several weeks ago when a fire broke out on one of the soundstages, with firefighters taking nearly 15 hours to put it out. Fortunately, that incident did not result in any injuries.

Although movie studios have safety protocols in place for cast and crew, sometimes people still get hurt. This incident follows a similar one that happened recently during production of Titans season 2 that resulted in the death of a special effects coordinator. Fast & Furious fans can only hope that the injured stuntman in this accident has a quick recovery and that the cast and crew can get back to filming soon.