Hours after a tragic accident took place on the set of “Deadpool 2“, star Ryan Reynolds has released a statement, sharing that he and the production are “heartbroken, shocked and devastated”.
This morning (Tuesday, 15th August), a female stunt rider lost control of her bike and crashed through a glass-enclosed building at Shaw Tower in Vancouver. She was reportedly pronounced dead on the scene.
“Today, we tragically lost a member of the crew while filming ‘Deadpool’. We’re heartbroken, shocked, and devastated… but recognise nothing can come close to the grief and inexplicable pain her family and loved ones must feel in this moment. My heart pours out to them — along with each and every person she touched in this world,” Reynolds tweeted.
Director David Leitch also expressed his condolence, saying, “No words can express how I and the rest of the ‘Deadpool 2’ crew feel about this tragedy. Our thoughts are with her family, friends, and loved ones in this difficult time”. This was echoed by film studio 20th Century Fox’s statement, “Our hearts and prayers are with the family, friends and colleagues of our crew member during this difficult time.”
— Ryan Reynolds (@VancityReynolds) August 14, 2017
Witness of Deadpool 2 crash: motorbike picked up speed, missed pedestrians https://t.co/W237VlDggr pic.twitter.com/cyDhCZSmvP
— The Star Vancouver (@starvancouver) August 14, 2017
According to Daily Mail, the aforementioned stuntwoman has been identified as professional motorcycle racer Joi ‘SJ’ Harris. It is believed that Harris was a double for Zazie Beetz’s character, Domino. TMZ also reported that she was the first African-American woman to be licensed in the sport of professional road racing.
Word on the street has it that Harris had performed the bike scene 4 times in practice. Unfortunately on the 5th attempt, her vehicle lost control after turning a corner on a Vancouver street. Shooting for “Deadpool 2” started in late June and is expected to hit theatres on 1st June 2018. No word yet if this incident will affect the production schedule.
This is truly heartbreaking 🙁
Sources: The Hollywood Reporter, Daily Mail, LA Times, Deadline/ Featured image: LADbible/
