Crew Member From 'Indiana Jones 5' Reportedly Dies On Location Months After Already Troubled Film's Lead Actor Harrison Ford Was Injured
The film from hell! Filming for the next Indiana Jones sequel has had its fair share of ups and downs, and it just got even worse.
A crew member has reportedly been found dead on location for the upcoming Disney film Indiana Jones 5.
Crew member Nic Cupac was found dead in his hotel room in the city of Fes, Morocco at the age of 54, per reports from The Sun.
While Cupac’s cause of death has not yet been revealed, “he is thought to have died of natural causes,” according to the outlet.
Cupac was known to have worked on major blockbusters in the industry, including the Jurassic Park, Harry Potter, and Star Wars franchises.
Cupac was one of over 100 crew members who had assembled in the Moroccan city to prepare for a big stunt scene involving a rickshaw.
It is unclear whether or not Cupac’s death will mean filming for the highly anticipated film is delayed, but it wouldn’t be the first time production has been halted.
Last week, production hit a bump in the road after Morocco banned flights to and from the UK as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to The New York Post, the movie’s lead actor, Harrison Ford was set to fly into Morocco prior to the ban, and it is unclear where he is currently.
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The film was also forced to stop production over the summer after Ford endured a shoulder injury back in June. Filming was halted for three months, and the Star Wars actor only returned back to the film’s set a couple of weeks ago.
The movie was officially scheduled to hit the big screen in July 2021, until it was pushed back to July 29, 2022 because of the pandemic. However, it was announced by Disney last month that the film is now projected to be released in summer 2023 due to the numerous setbacks.
In February 2020, the film’s director Steven Spielberg announced that he would be stepping down from the position, claiming that he wanted to pass the opportunity “to a new generation,” per The Independent.
James Mangold, the director of Logan and Walk the Line was later announced as Spielberg’s replacement.
As OK! previously reported, the switch in directors made things more complicated for the already-troubled production.
“The movie’s been plagued with problems from the start, and it didn’t help when Steven Spielberg quit as director for the first time in franchise history,” a source reported at the time.
However, it was clear that Ford would be compensated for the role no matter what, even if the film was cancelled for good.
“The studio secured Harrison in 2016, and they have to pay him no matter what,” the source said, noting that people at the time were “nervous that the whole project could be shelved. Well, everyone except Harrison, who'll still be $25 million richer."
