Just over a week after crew members walked off the South Carolina set of Jonathan Majors’ upcoming action film, new information paints a picture of a production that says the crew has gone from disorganized to downright unsafe.
As previously reported, IATSE called a strike on March 26 after failing to secure a contract to cover health and pension funds. But according to many party members, the labor dispute quickly escalated to a more pressing matter: safety.
The tipping point seems to have come when Majors and his partner JC Kilcoyne fell about six feet out of the window when the incident went wrong. The glass – which had to be shattered later – was reportedly replaced as a sheet of hot glass.
Kilcoyne needed stitches “all over his hands,” according to sources. One member of the group said the result was as shocking as the fall itself: “When I got there, no one said anything about people falling through the window…
Kilcoyne’s lawyers maintained the actor was “doing well” and “didn’t feel unsafe on set.”
But workers who eventually walked off the job say the incident was just the latest in a series of red flags. Crews described props falling unexpectedly – including a solid tree branch touching a dried tree – and a lack of basic production structure. One of the veteran workers said that there were no regular security meetings before the use of firearms continued, and he said that it was almost impossible to identify who was in charge.
“You didn’t find anyone.
The concern extended beyond the set itself. The team reportedly postponed filming on location after it was found to have black mold, after producers were said to have considered going ahead despite warnings about asbestos exposure.
“They didn’t really care about the long-term effects on the workers,” said one worker.
The show has also come under the scrutiny of special effects manager Chris Bailey, who previously pleaded guilty to possessing explosives on film. Bailey dismissed the incident as “an act of paperwork,” insisting that “no pyro was mishandled.”
During the strike, more than 60% of the workers had signed union cards in support of IATSE representation. However, the producers – including Dallas Sonnier – have made it clear that they are not interested in negotiations.
“The whole industry is at risk…We are not negotiating with the communists,” Sonnier said in one statement, doubling down after an earlier speech dismissing the selectors as “four asshats with signs.”
Although there is an ongoing strike, it seems that the filming of the film is still going on as it is reported that the producers are looking for others to fill their positions as the union leaders are urging the workers not to cross the line.
The film – believed to be an “anthology sequel” to the 2020s Run Hide Fight – still shrouded in secrecy. But behind the scenes, it’s the off-camera drama that steals the spotlight.
