Martin Scorsese finally started production on Silence this week, but there was a tragedy on the set in Taiwan on Wednesday. An accident left one dead and two injured.
The film, an adaptation of the novel by Shusaku Endo, is being photographed at CMPC Studios in Taiwan. According to a statement from a rep for the film to Deadline, there was an existing structure at the studios that needed to be reinforced before filming could really begin.
During that process, the ceiling collapsed, the rep stated, leaving a contractor’s employee dead. Two others were injured.
“Everyone is in shock and sorrow and expresses their deepest concern and sympathy to the families of the individual who died and those who were injured,” the statement read.
Scorsese spokeswoman Leslie Dart told USA Today that it was an “unfortunate accident.”
The Departed director has been working on adapting Silence into a film for the past two decades and finally secured funding last week. It is set in 17th Century Japan and will star Andrew Garfield, Adam Driver and Liam Neeson.
Image courtesy of Zak Hussein/INFphoto.com