14 DAY TRIAL // Last week, Harrison Ford, one of the original actors in the iconic Star Wars movie, was injured on set while filming for the latest production in the franchise, “Star Wars: Episode VII.” Reports from Disney, the parent company of Lucasfilm, said that Harrison's ankle was hurt when a hydraulic door fell on it.
Today, we're getting further information about the actor's state of health, and it seems that it's a bit more complicated than it was originally thought. The 71-year-old movie star, who plays Han Solo in the movie, was airlifted to a nearby hospital shortly after the accident and it now seems that he is going to need special assistance.
His son has confirmed that Ford may need a plate and screws put into his ankle in order to repair the damage done by the falling door. As you can imagine, this is not the kind of surgery from which you get better in a week, so, the filming crew is forced to come up with a solution to make sure the shooting schedule isn't delayed too much by this unexpected occurrence.
Lucasfilm originally said that “shooting will continue as planned as he recuperates,” but now The Telegraph quotes son Ben Ford, who admits they might end up shooting him from the waist up, in an effort to have him return to the set as soon as it's physically possible.
Meanwhile, the actor's wife, Calista Flockhart, has been reported to fly out of America and to the UK in order to be close to her husband during his convalescence. The accident took place in London's Pinewood Studios and, immediately after, Harrison was flown by helicopter to a hospital in Oxford.
Other reports are now claiming that the aging actor might also have injured his pelvis in the accident, in which case, his time off-camera could be significantly longer than the six to eight weeks initially forecasted by the studio.
So far, it's all speculation, but many insiders have indicated that even with a longer absence from the set, Harrison won't be able to set back the shooting schedule, since the movie has been given a generous time frame.
And, if push comes to shove, director J.J. Abrams can always resort to the option of shooting him only above the waist, as it has been suggested.
Fans meanwhile are more concerned these days not with Harrison's well-being but with whether or not he has grown a beard for his role as Han Solo. Mark Hamill, the man who plays Luke Skywalker, has also been spotted with facial hair, a clear sign, fans think, of the fact that he is now a mentor, like Obi Wan.