Amazon has denied allegations of unsafe stunt conditions on the set of their upcoming Lord of the Rings series. J. R. R. Tolkien's Lord of The Rings was first published in 1954 and has since become one of the bestselling books in history. The beloved fantasy series was adapted into a film trilogy by Peter Jackson, followed by another 3-film adaption of Tolkien's The Hobbit. Several years ago, Amazon announced a new adaption of the classic story with their upcoming Lord of the Rings television series.
Many details of the series have been kept under wraps, but that hasn't kept the show from facing scrutiny. Amazon's $465 million budget for Lord of the Rings will make it one of the most expensive series of all time. In alignment with its budget, the scope of the show is purported to be massive and involves extensive stunt work. So far, two stuntwomen, Elissa Cadwell and Dayna Grant, were injured on the set of the show. Grant suffered a concussion while Cadwell suffered a "serious injury," raising safety concerns.
As reported by The Wrap, Amazon has responded to and denied claims of unsafe stunt conditions on the Lord of the Rings set. The allegations arose when four sources on the set claimed Amazon had not reported incidents of serious injury to WorkSafe. Amazon clapped back with a statement that reiterated how seriously they take the health and safety of their cast and crew. They claimed to have been in full compliance with all WorkSafe mandates. Check out their statement below:
Amazon Studios takes the health, physical and emotional welfare of our cast and crew extremely seriously. As a top priority, the production team continues to be in full compliance with the mandated Worksafe New Zealand Safety and Security government regulations. Any allegation or report that activities on set are unsafe or outside of regulations are completely inaccurate.
Amazon's statement is supported by the fact that the two known injuries of Cadwell and Grant appear to have been reported accurately. An insider explained that Grant's concussion did not meet the criteria to be mandatorily reported to WorkSafe. Meanwhile, Cadwell's incident, which was more serious and required admittance to a hospital, was quickly reported to WorkSafe by Amazon. Cadwell also received a $500,000 payout from Amazon to support her in her recovery. Meanwhile, the Lord of the Rings set has boasted an injury rate of only 0.068% and, in addition to WorkSafe, also follows Amazon Studios' own safety protocols and regulations.
Ultimately, it seems the claims of Amazon's disregard of safety mandates may be inaccurate. The incidents that occurred on the Lord of the Rings set are very serious and unfortunate, but it is not uncommon for such injuries to arise in the acting industry. Some injuries can be minor such as Sebastian Stan's ankle sprain during The Falcon and the Winter Soldier filming. Others can be serious and life-changing, such as when Dylan O'Brien suffered brain trauma, facial fractures, and a concussion after being hit by a car while filming The Death Cure. Some injuries are simply misfortunate events, while others are indicative of serious negligence.
What's most important is that all injuries are thoroughly reported, examined, and analyzed to avoid any further incident and that victims are offered support and compensation. In this case, it seems Amazon has taken necessary measures to aid Cadwell and to prevent further injury on the Lord of the Rings set. The scrutiny and claims they have faced, though, serves as a warning for them and others in the industry that the safety of their workers should not be taken lightly.
Source: The Wrap