A Disney-owned film company has owned up to a safety violation, which led to Harrison Ford breaking his leg on the set of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.”
Foodles Productions in London pleaded guilty to two charges of failing to protect actors and workers from the “foreseeable incident,” reported the British government on Tuesday.
Ford broke his leg on June 12, 2014, on the set of the Millennium Falcon at Pinewood Studios, according to the Health and Safety Executive, the agency that monitors workplace safety.
“During the filming of ‘Star Wars Episode Seven: The Force Awakens,’ the actor Harrison Ford was badly injured after he became trapped under a rapidly closing metal-framed door,” said the HSE in a statement. “The power of the door’s drive system was comparable to the weight of a small car.”
The Foodles case has been transferred to Aylesbury Crown Court, where a judge will decide on a fine, according to an HSE spokeswoman.
“Foodles Ltd. has provided full cooperation throughout HSE’s investigation into the on-set accident that occurred in June 2014,” said a Foodles spokesperson in an email to CNNMoney. “The safety of our cast and crew was always a top priority throughout the production.”
Disney, which owns the “Star Wars” franchise, was not immediately available for comment.
Ford, 74, has played Han Solo in four of the seven movies of the “Star Wars” franchise, including the original trilogy from the 1970s and 1980s.
He is not expected to be in the next “Star Wars” spin-off “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” according to the IMDB cast listing. But he is expected to be in the fifth Indiana Jones movie in 2019.
Ford is one of the biggest stars in Hollywood, with an estimated net worth of $230 million. “Star Wars” made him a celebrity in 1977. “Raiders of the Lost Ark” made him an even bigger star in 1981, followed by “Blade Runner” in 1982. Since then, he has appeared in at least 40 more movies.
Source: CNN WIRE
