The Resident Evil film franchise came to an end in 2016 with the fittingly titled The Final Chapter. However, the story did not end there for one unfortunate stunt woman. Olivia Jackson suffered serious injuries on the set of the film as Milla Jovovich's stuntwoman. A motorcycle accident led to Jackson ending up in a medically induced coma and having to have her arm amputated. Now, the injured woman is suing the film production.
The lawsuit filed in California argues that the film production cared more for financial concerns than safety, which led to the accident.
Olivia Jackson's complaint states that she was asked at the last minute to perform the dangerous stunt, which had her racing a motorcycle toward the camera at high speed. The camera, on a crane, was supposed to be lifted out of the way as she approached it, but it didn't move fast enough, causing her to collide with it. Jackson wasn't wearing any sort of head protection and the camera equipment sliced thorough her face and arm.
Further, the complaint alleges that the production told Olivia Jackson that the film's insurance would cover everything, but it did not. Jackson claims in the lawsuit that, had she known the extent of the insurance, she would have either refused the stunt, or, at the very least, added supplemental insurance of her own.
The suit names Bolt Pictures, Tannhauser Gate, Jeremy Bolt and Paul W.S. Anderson as defendants. THR, who uncovered the lawsuit, reached out to the defendants for comment, but as of yet, they have not responded. There, almost certainly is "another side" to this, otherwise it would not have resulted in a lawsuit.
There's certainly no denying that the injuries Olivia Jackson sustained were horrible. It was a tragic and terrible accident. Milla Jovovich spoke about the accident at the time and how it shook the production so badly that the movie almost shut down.
Of course, Olivia Jackson's accident wasn't the only tragedy on the set of Resident Evil: The Final Chapter. A crew member named Ricardo Cornelius was crushed by a vehicle that was not properly secured and he died as a result. That event is also referenced in Jackson's lawsuit as evidence of the safety problems on the set.
No specific number is listed as far as what Olivia Jackson's lawsuit is asking for in damages. It simply says the amounts will be proven at trial. Considering that Olivia Jackson's injuries have caused her to lose her ability to work in her chosen field, and that the medical bills were likely significant, the total requested probably will be as well.
While the Milla Jovovich movies are now over, there is already interest in rebooting the Resident Evil film franchise. The game series that it is based on has never fallen too far out of favor, with both new entries and remakes having seen positive reception in recent years, so there's no shortage of material to adapt or to be inspired by.
