BREAKING NEWS: Harrison Ford airlifted to hospital from set of Star Wars after ‘breaking ankle and suffering chest injuries’ while playing Han Solo
- Actor, 71, was filming at Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire
- It is thought he fractured ankle after a hydraulic garage door fell and hit him
- Was treated by medics on the ground and airlifted to hospital in Oxford
- Star is undergoing tests to see if he has injured his chest at specialist unit
- Incident being probed by Health and Safety Executive
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Flying Solo: Harrison Ford, pictured in London yesterday, has been airlifted to hospital after injuring himself on the set of the latest Star Wars film
Harrison Ford was airlifted to hospital today after injuring himself on the set of the latest Star Wars film.
The actor, 71, was filming at Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire when a hydraulic garage door fell and hit him.
Ford – who is reprising his role as the buccaneering Han Solo in Star Wars: Episode VII – was treated by medics after he fell to the ground and was stretchered onto a helicopter.
The air ambulance took him to the John Radcliffe hospital in Oxford, which has a trauma unit that specialises in fractures.
It is thought he fractured his ankle and is awaiting results of further tests to see if he suffered injuries to his chest.
It is not yet known how long the star will take to recover, although producers insisted shooting would continue as planned.
A spokesman for Thames Valley Police said officers were called to the scene of the accident. He said: ‘We were called to Pinewood studios at 5.05pm after reports of a 71-year-old man being injured by a garage door.’
The Health and Safety Executive has launched an investigation into the incident. A spokesperson said: ‘We have been made aware of an incident at Pinewood studios and are making initial enquiries.’
Ford could be entitled to claim money on the film’s insurance if the door was found to be at fault.
A spokesman for the film’s producers Disney said: ‘Harrison Ford sustained an ankle injury during filming today on the set of Star Wars: Episode VII. He was taken to a local hospital and is receiving care. Shooting will continue as planned while he recuperates.’
It is nearly 40 years since Ford starred in the first Star Wars film in 1977.
Star Wars: Episode VII, which is being directed by JJ Abrams, began filming in Abu Dhabi in mid-May.
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Scene: The actor, 71, was filming at Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire (pictured) when a hydraulic garage door fell and hit him
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To the rescue: The air ambulance took him to the John Radcliffe hospital in Oxford, which has a trauma unit that specialises in fractures
The action is set 35 years after the last film they all appeared in together – 1983’s Return of the Jedi.
It will be the first Star Wars title released by Disney, after creator George Lucas sold the rights to the franchise in 2024.
Mark Hamill, 62, who played the original Luke Skywalker, and Carrie Fisher, 57, who played Princess Leia, will also be reprising their roles.
When it was rumoured that Ford may take part in a fifth Indiana Jones film last year, the American actor shrugged of accusations he is too old to take on the action role.
He said: ‘I don’t think there is any barrier to Indiana Jones being an old fart. I’m old enough that we don’t need [Sean] Connery anymore – I’m old enough to play my own father.’
Star Wars: Episode VII is scheduled for release in December next year.
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Reprisal: Ford with his fellow Star Wars cast mates during a read-through. The actor is pictured next to R2D2, speaking to director JJ Abrams
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Original: Ford as Han Solo with Chewbacca in the 1977 original movie