A crewmember died on the set of Marvel’s Wonder Man today in a tragic accident at Radford Studios in Los Angeles. The crew member was a rigger (someone who rigs scaffolding and/or camera rigs) who fell from the rafters.
Marvel frequently employs on-set riggers and specialized wire riggers, who control the harnesses, wires, and pulleys used to “fly” actors. While Wonder Man wasn’t filming today, crew members were still working on the set. Marvel Studios released a statement, saying “Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with his family and friends, and our support is behind the investigation into the circumstances of this accident.”
The series began filming last year but was forced to stop during the WGA/SAG-AFTRA strikes that brought the industry to a standstill. Much of the filming had already been completed pre-strikes.
Wonder Man stars Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (The Watchmen, Aquaman) as Simon Williams, the son of a wealthy weapons industrialist who inherits the family business. Simon finds himself outpaced by Stark Industries and is convinced to embezzle money by his brother Eric. He is arrested but is rescued by Baron Zemo (Daniel Brühl) who gives him ionic powers. While Simon starts as a villain, he eventually switches sides and joins the West Coast Avengers. Wonder Man also shares a romance with Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen). Eventually, Simon ends up working as an actor and stuntman in Hollywood.
The series was created by Destin Daniel Cretton (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings) and Andrew Guest (Hawkeye). In addition to Abdul-Mateen, the show stars Ben Kingsley as Trevor Slattery, Demetrius Grosse as Eric Williams/Grim Reaper, and Ed Harris as Neal Saroyan, Simon’s agent.
(featured image: Marvel Comics)
