Tom Hanks film Mr Rogers shut down after sound mixer dies from balcony fall
'He may have suffered a medical emergency resulting in his fall'
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Your support makes all the difference.An Emmy-winning sound mixer has died on the set of a new Tom Hanks film after falling from a two-storey building.
James Emswiller, 61, was taking a smoke break on a balcony in between filming Fred Rogers biopic You Are My Friend when bystanders “heard a noise” before discovering he had fallen.
Police confirmed that Emswiller passed away after being taken to Pittsburgh's UPMC Mercy hospital in a serious condition.
According to AP, shooting on the film has been shut down while authorities investigate. Sony released a statement, calling the incident a “devastating tragedy.”
“The studio is investigating the matter,” it reads. “Our thoughts and prayers are with Jim’s loved ones, friends, and colleagues.”
Reports based on witness accounts say that Emswiller was “alone on the balcony taking a cigarette break when he may have suffered a medical emergency resulting in his fall from the balcony.”
Emswiller has a prolific career in sound mixing. He won an Emmy in 2015 for his work on Queen Latifah series Bessie and has worked on high-profile titles including Avengers Assemble, The Fault in Our Stars and Foxcatcher. His next credit was on Richard Linklater film Where'd You Go, Bernadette starring Cate Blanchett.
Hanks stars as US TV personality Fred Rogers in the new biopic opposite The Americans star Matthew Rhys and Chris Cooper. Diary of a Teenage Girl director Marielle Heller is overseeing its production.
The film is currently set to be released in the UK on 1 November 2019.
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