Explosion on Hobbit Set—How Bad Was It?

Two crew members are taken to the hospital as a precautionary measure following an incident in a production workshop

By Peter Gicas May 24, 2011 6:56 PMTags
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A minor mishap in Middle-earth.

Just two months after cameras finally began rolling on The Hobbit, production on the highly anticipated two-part Lord of the Rings prequel was hit with a slight setback today when an "explosion" took place on the film's set in New Zealand.

As a result, two crew members were treated on the scene and taken to the hospital.

While a spokesman for the local fire department told the Sydney Morning Herald that it had responded to a call of an "explosion" at Stone Street Studios in Miramar, the movie's publicist, Ceris Price, insisted that labeling the incident an explosion was a "slight overstatement."

Price clarified to the Herald that "a couple of the guys" were drilling on a statue in a production workshop when they sustained "mild burns but nothing serious" and the trip to the hospital was nothing more than a precautionary measure.

"One of them had some burnt nostril hairs and, apparently if that's the case, there is always the risk of inhalation so they get checked out," Price said.

Of course, this is nothing when you consider all the delays—from threats of union strikes to perforated ulcers—that initially postponed production prior to its March 21 start date.

Sounds like director Peter Jackson and Co. can breathe easy. With or without nostril hairs.