UPDATED with more information: The stuntman injured on the set of Universal’s Fast & Furious 9 at Leavesden studios in London on Monday suffered a serious head injury in a fall during an action sequence and is reported in stable condition at a London hospital.
Joe Watts’ fiancée Tilly Powell said on social media that Watts was “stable and being monitored closely throughout the night,” according to MailOnline. The post has since been deleted.
Watts, whose stunt credits include Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Spider-Man: Far From Home, Game of Thrones and The Hitman’s Bodyguard and its upcoming sequel, was working with the film’s second unit when he fell off an elevated set about 20 feet to the ground, according to sources close to the production. He was airlifted to Royal London Hospital and placed in an induced coma.
“We had an injury on the set of Fast 9 today in Leavesden with one of our stuntmen,” Universal said Monday. “We have halted production for the day to focus on this situation.”
Main unit production resumed Tuesday according to sources.
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Hertfordshire Police said they were called to Leavesden shortly before noon Monday. A spokesman for East of England Ambulance Service told MailOnline: “An ambulance, three ambulance officer vehicles and Essex and Herts Air Ambulance were called to Leavesden Studios shortly before midday today, following reports of a man injured in a fall. One patient with a serious head injury was transported to the Royal London Hospital by air ambulance.”
The accident comes after a fire broke out earlier this month at the historic Leavesden studios just outside London. The blaze took 15 hours to extinguish and damaged the set of HBO’s Avenue 5, the space comedy from Veep creator Armando Iannucci.
Justin Lin has returned to direct the latest installment in the franchise. Dan Casey wrote the screenplay from a story by Lin and Alfredo Botello. Vin Diesel returns for the latest sequel along with The Fate of the Furious‘ Charlize Theron and Helen Mirren, as well as franchise newcomer John Cena.
Fast & Furious 9 opens on May 22. The franchise has grossed more than $5.1 billion at the global box office, and the series’ first spinoff — Hobbs & Shaw, starring Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham — opens August 2.
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