Harrison Ford 'breaks ankle' during Star Wars 7 filming
71-year-old airlifted to hospital after a hydraulic door fell on him
Your support helps us to tell the story
As your White House correspondent, I ask the tough questions and seek the answers that matter.
Your support enables me to be in the room, pressing for transparency and accountability. Without your contributions, we wouldn't have the resources to challenge those in power.
Your donation makes it possible for us to keep doing this important work, keeping you informed every step of the way to the November election
Andrew Feinberg
White House Correspondent
Harrison Ford has been airlifted to hospital after a hydraulic door fell on him while he was filming the new Star Wars movie at Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire.
The 71-year-old suffered a suspected broken ankle in the accident, which happened on the M Stage at the studios, close to his character Han Solo's spaceship the Millennium Falcon. He was helicoptered to Oxford's John Radcliffe Hospital, which has a trauma unit specialising in fractures.
A Thames Valley Police spokesman said: “We were called to Pinewood studios at 5.05pm after reports of a 71-year-old man being injured by a door.”
It is unclear how long it will take Mr Ford to recover, but a spokesman for the movie, Star Wars: Episode VII, insisted that the accident would not delay the release of the film.
The spokesman said: “Harrison Ford sustained an ankle injury during filming today on the set of Star Wars: Episode VII. He was taken to a local hospital and is receiving care. Shooting will continue as planned while he recuperates.”
The Health And Safety Executive was tonight making preliminary enquiries into the accident, and it is believed that the Pinewood set will also be re-checked for safety issues.
It is not the first time that injuries have disrupted Ford's filming plans. He suffered a back injury while shooting the 1984 movie Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, and required an operation. The director Steven Spielberg continued filming, getting Vic Armstrong, a British-born stuntman who looked so like Mr Ford that members of the crew constantly confused the two, to be a stand-in for some scenes.
Star Wars Episode VII will be the first Star Wars title released by Disney, after creator George Lucas sold the rights to the franchise in 2012. Due to reach cinemas in December 2015, it is understood that the film will be set 30 years after the events in the 1983 film Return of the Jedi, the third Star Wars film to be released.
Episode VII will also see the return of the three principal characters from the original trilogy, reuniting Ford with Mark Hamill, playing Luke Skywalker, and Carrie Fisher, playing Princess Leia.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments