War Injury on Tom-Julia Film Set
A special-effects assistant working on the Los Angeles-area set of the Mike Nichols-directed drama Charlie Wilson's War was critically injured when a simulated missile exploded during preproduction testing Thursday afternoon.
"They were testing a simulated stinger missile that was supposed to have been shot from a helicopter," Downey Fire Captain Darren Moon said, adding that the special-effects team was testing it instead on a portable, handheld device. "It failed, critically injuring one assistant."
The assistant, whose name has not yet been released, was taken from the Downey movie set to the St. Francis Medical Center in nearby Lynwood shortly after 2:30 p.m. He underwent surgery Thursday night and remains in critical condition.
The prestige war flick stars the Oscar-baiting trifecta of Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts and Philip Seymour Hoffman, though none of the actors was on the set at the time of the explosion.
Moon said that the missile was being tested for a scene scheduled to be shot Friday, when it was due to be set off from a helicopter located inside a 50,000-square-foot building. Fire officials, however, have since shut down production for the day.
It also remains unclear what caused the malfunction to occur in the first place, although the incident is being investigated by state fire marshals as well as Downey's police and fire brigades.
Universal Studios, which is producing the flick, has not commented on the accident aside from saying that the studio and filmmakers are fully cooperating with the investigation.
Charlie Wilson's War is based on the true story of former Texas congressman Charlie Wilson, played by Hanks, and his covert dealings to help fund the CIA's secret war against Soviets in Afghanistan during the 1980s.
It's schedule for a Christmas release.
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