‘Indiana Jones 5’ crew member found dead on location of troubled production
By Andrew Court - New York Post
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The much-hyped “Indiana Jones” sequel’s trouble-plagued production just took a darker turn — as a crew member has reportedly died on location in Morocco.
“Indiana Jones 5” camera department pro Nic Cupac was found dead in his hotel room in the city of Fes, Walt Disney Studios confirmed to The Post on Thursday.
“Our hearts go out to the family and friends of Nic Cupac, an incredibly talented colleague and member of the film community who will be greatly missed,” a rep for the production told The Post. “His sudden passing was not production related. Nic was a grip on 2nd unit.”
The 54-year-old’s cause of death has not been publicly disclosed, but “he is thought to have died of natural causes,” The Sun reported.
Cupac — an industry veteran who also worked on films in the “Jurassic Park,” “Harry Potter” and “Star Wars” franchises — only recently jetted to Morocco to help film the big-budget blockbuster.
More than 100 crew members had reportedly assembled in the city to prepare for the filming of a major stunt scene using a rickshaw. Cupac’s work as a grip involved helping build and maintain rigging equipment that supports cameras.
Meanwhile, the seemingly cursed project — a Disney co-production with Amblin Entertainment, LucasFilm and Paramount Pictures — has been plagued by problems from the outset of filming over the summer.
In June, residents of the Hackney, East London, filming location revealed that the production was making life “a living hell” for them. While the production paid one neighbor $75,000 to film in their home, the entire street was blocked off for days, causing major headaches, according to local reports.
Just last week, filming of the flick was thrown into turmoil when Morocco banned flights to and from the UK due to rising COVID cases. Lead star Harrison Ford, 79, was allegedly set to fly into the country just before the ban was announced. It is unclear where he is currently.
Meanwhile, production of the movie was halted for three months after Ford suffered a severe shoulder injury in June. He only returned to set in Italy two weeks ago.
“Indiana Jones 5” has also suffered other lengthy delays in production due to the COVID pandemic.
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Harrison Ford is pictured on the set of “Indiana Jones 5” in Sicily.
The movie was originally slated to hit theaters on July 9, 2021, but was pushed back to July 29, 2022, due to the pandemic. Last month, Disney announced it is now scheduled for release in summer 2023.
It’s unclear whether Cupac’s death will prompt further delays.
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