On July 26, 2016, a Disney subsidiary responsible for the filming of the new Star Wars trilogy pleaded guilty to two criminal charges in British Court. The company claimed responsibility for “failing to ensure safety and failing to keep Ford and other actors away from hazardous situations.” Foodles Productions, named to avoid fan attention during filming of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”, plead guilty for the workplace safety breaches at Pinewood Studio two years after the injury of an actor on set.
In June 2014, Harrison Ford, the seventy-one year old American actor who played Hans Solo, was seriously injured on set. While walking through the Millennium Falcon (Solo’s legendary starship), a metal-hydraulic door began to shut unexpectedly and Ford got stuck in the middle. According to Britain’s Health and Safety Executive, the door hit Ford with a force “comparable to the weight of a small car.” Ford broke two bones in his leg and dislocating his ankle. He needed to be airlifted to a hospital nearby.
The prosecutors claim this accident was foreseeable, and potentially deadly. As for penalties, the company will most likely be a fine. The hearing is set for August 22, 2016. While the company did plead guilty, it plans to challenge the portrayal of the level danger Ford and other actors were actually exposed to.
Disney acquired Lucasfilm for approximately $4 billion dollars after months of negotiations in October 2012. George Lucas, the creator of Star Wars and founder of Lucasfilm, was looking to retire, but still b stay involved in the production of the newest trilogy of Star Wars movies. “The Force Awakens” was released in 2016, and grossed over $2 billion in worldwide box office sales. Filming for the next moving is currently ongoing, and it is due to release in 2017.