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Contractor killed in Taiwan during pre-production of Scorsese film 'Silence'

Scorsese is "shocked and saddened," says spokesman.

By Matt Bradwell
Director Martin Scorsese. (UPI Photo/Alexis C. Glenn)
Director Martin Scorsese. (UPI Photo/Alexis C. Glenn) | License Photo

TAIPEI, Taiwan, Jan. 29 (UPI) -- Two people are injured and one person is dead after a roof on the set of the upcoming Martin Scorsese film Silence collapsed onto a group of contractors attempting to reinforce it.

The incident occurred at the Central Motion Picture Corp's Chinese Culture and Movie Center in Taipei during pre-production for the film, a period piece set in 17th century Japan starring Liam Neeson as a Jesuit missionary.

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"Today there was an unfortunate accident at CMPC Studios in Taiwan, where the Martin Scorsese film, Silence, is in pre-production," Leslee Dart, a spokeswoman for Scorsese, said in a statement.

"An existing structure on the CMPC backlot had been deemed unsafe by the production, and accordingly a 3rd-party contractor was hired to reinforce and make it safe prior to any production-related work commencing in this building. Sadly, during this process, the ceiling collapsed, resulting in the death of one of the contractor's employees and injuries to two others. 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."

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"The director is shocked and saddened that one worker was fatally wounded, he regrets that this incident happened," added Dave Lee, a Taiwanese spokesman for the film.

Lee added he does not expect the accident to affect filming, which is scheduled to begin on Friday.

Silence has a long history of trouble for Scorsese, as it took the famed director 20 years to secure funding for the ambitious project, despite his decades of success in Hollywood.

In addition to Neeson, Silence also stars Andrew Garfield and Adam Driver. It is set to be released in 2016.

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