Fast & Furious is one of the most profitable film franchises in the history of cinema. Most of its installments have earned massive bucks at the box office, and a number of fans continue to faithfull follow the high-octane adventures of Dominic Toretto and his crew. Universal Pictures’ big-screen property has seen its share of peaks and valleys and just recently experienced one of the latter. F9 was recently hit with a fine worth over a million dollars, and the situation involves one of the stunt performers who worked on the production. Apparently, the individual in question suffered “life-changing” injuries and, now, we have more details on the matter.
A U.K. court handed Universal subsidiary FF9 Productions the over $1 million fine after the company pleaded guilty to violating the country’s Health and Safety at Work Act. According to Variety, the plaintiff – seasoned stuntman Joe Watts – experienced trauma to his brain as well as a skull fracture while working on the 2021 blockbuster. This apparently happened after a failed stunt resulted in him being thrown 25 feet onto a concrete floor. It was ultimately discovered that his stunt vest had become unattached. And per the Health and Safety Executive, the company didn’t make note of a “rope snap or link failure” amid the risk assessment. Roxanne Baker, an inspector for the HSE, also said the following:
Mr Watts’ injuries were life-changing and he could have easily been killed. In stunt work, it is not about preventing a fall but minimising the risk of an injury.
Per the HSA, the crew also didn’t take other safety measures into account while prepping for the on-set sequence. One of those reported infractions was that Joe Watts’ harness had supposedly not been inspected within the required six-month time span. It’s said that crash matting had also not been utilized for the stunt. Watts, for his part, has also filed a personal injury suit against FF9 that’s worth $1.2 million. Additionally, the company also had to pick up the tab for other costs, which were valued at $18,600.
This isn’t the first time the Fast & Furious franchise has been embroiled in some kind of legal situation. The spinoff film Hobbs & Shaw was hit with a suit in 2018 and, at that time, Neal Mortiz took legal action after being removed as the film’s lead producer. He also wanted to receive “tens of millions of dollars in damages in lost compensation.” Ultimately, the suit over The Rock’s franchise offshoot ended. It was reported that both Moritz and Universal managed to resolve the matter “amicably.”
As it stands, the lucrative IP seems to have one more installment left within its main series of flicks. Not much is known about FF 11 at this point, but one would imagine that the cast and crew want the story to go out with a bang. Vin Diesel and co. also seem ready to conclude the car-centric franchise. That last flick will probably involve a number of intricate action sequences, which would require the team to proceed with caution.
In regard to the situation with Joe Watts, the stunt performer, who has Ready Player One and Star Wars: The Last Jedi on his resume among other titles, is still seeking what he believes he’s owed. Per his suit, he “will not be able to return to his pre-accident employment” and will “suffer a permanent handicap on the labour market” if he is able. Time will tell how this situation will be patched up.
The Fast & Furious films are available to stream, and that includes the latest installment, Fast X, which is on the schedule of 2023 new movie releases.
