The crew of Deadpool 2 resumes filming in downtown Vancouver on Aug. 16, 2017.Ben Nelms/The Globe and Mail
Filming has resumed on the set of the feature film Deadpool 2, only two days after a stuntperson was killed in a horrific crash and the union representing actors in the province is expressing concern that it might be too soon.
On Wednesday, cast and crew were filming underneath the Granville Street Bridge in downtown Vancouver amidst a staged fiery tangle of wreckage, toppled cars and a truck as scores of bystanders looked on.
The film's star, Vancouver-born Ryan Reynolds was visible, but he was not available for comment. Video footage obtained and posted by the Hollywood website TMZ showed Mr. Reynolds, who is also a producer on Deadpool 2, leading crew in a moment of silence.
On Monday, pioneering American motorcycle racer SJ Harris, 40, died after crashing her motorcycle into the base of a downtown skyscraper while filming the sequel to the 2016 critical and commercial hit, Deadpool. Ms. Harris dubbed herself the first African-American woman to become a professional road racer, beginning her career in racing in 2014.
Witnesses said Ms. Harris appeared to lose control of her vehicle while filming outside the Vancouver Convention Centre, and crashed through a ground-floor window of the complex.
Jason Cameron, a business agent for the Union of British Columbia Performers/ACTRA, said the union was "surprised" that work had resumed on the film so quickly.
"When something tragic like this happens on set, the decision to restart production is ultimately made by the producers," Mr. Cameron said in the statement. "We don't know what factors guided their decision but we hope that they took into account the human factor and not just the bottom line."
Ms. Harris' death was the first stunt-related fatality in B.C.'s booming film and TV production sector since 1996. The recent death of a stunt performer on the set of the TV series, The Walking Dead, is the first such stunt-related fatality in the United States in 17 years.
After Ms. Harris' death, Mr. Reynolds said in a statement that members of the production were "heartbroken, shocked and devastated" by the accident. Deadpool 2 studio 20th Century Fox did not respond to requests for comment on the resumption of production.
Ms. Harris' death is under investigation by the provincial coroners' service as well as WorkSafeBC, the occupational health and safety agency for the province.
On Wednesday, a WorkSafeBC spokesperson said that after workplace accidents, work can often resume in areas of the business unrelated to the incident or incident location. "The movie production team has made it clear that they have no intention of resuming production of any motorcycle scenes," Trish Knight Chernecki said in a statement. "The employer is resuming work on alternate aspects of the production."
The filming of the original Deadpool in 2015 required the intermittent closing of the downtown Georgia Viaduct for two weeks to film iconic scenes featuring stunts and gun play for what turned out to be a critical and commercial hit. The city touted the economic spinoffs of the production, including an expected 1,100 jobs, as well as $37.5-million in direct spending in Metro Vancouver.
Shooting on the sequel has been under way for several weeks and has involved massive stunts in the city core. The production recently used several closed blocks of downtown West Hastings Street for the filming of a major vehicle chase involving a massive truck crashing into vehicles, as well as motorcycle, scooter and wire-work stunts.
The film is being directed by former stuntman and stunt co-ordinator David Leitch, who transitioned into film direction with work on the 2014 action film John Wick starring Keanu Reeves and also directed the recently released Atomic Blonde, starring Charlize Theron.
Ian Bailey