Yahya Abdul-Mateen II’s Wonder Man Faces Unwanted Controversy, Disney Refuses to Accept $36,000 Fine After Crew Member Dies on Set Because of a Rotten Catwalk
- A crew member died on set of 'Wonder Man' after falling due to a deteriorated catwalk at Radford Studios.
- Disney has been fined $36,000 for safety violations, but the studio plans to appeal the citations.
- Osorio’s family have filed a lawsuit claiming the studio’s negligence led to the accident.
Marvel’s upcoming series Wonder Man is again in the news, but not for the reasons that fans might expect. The show was already facing problems and delays in its production due to the writers’ strike. However, it resumed filming in January.
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II will be seen as Wonder Man, and the show is directed by Destin Daniel Cretton. The cast includes Ed Harris, Lauren Glazier, and Ben Kingsley, who will be seen as Trevor Slattery once again. But among all these positives, one unfortunate incident has raised questions about the safety of the studio of the film.
Crew Member’s Death on Set of Wonder Man
On February 6, 2024, an unfortunate accident happened on the set of Wonder Man. A crew member named Juan Carlos Osorio aka Spike, died while working at Radford Studios in Studio City. He was a rigger and a member of IATSE Local 728.
Osorio was working on Stage 3 as usual, and was collecting and removing lighting cable equipment from high catwalks from where he fell. According to the CAL/OSHA investigation report (via Variety), Osorio was standing on a section of the catwalk before he fell to his death.
Suddenly, and without warning, the ledger supporting the floorboard broke apart and collapsed as the employee was standing on this section of the catwalk. The employee fell 41 feet and forcefully impacted the ground below.
According to the report, that particular catwalk section was supported by a deteriorated ledger and was “weakened likely due to age, environmental conditions, and repeated stress loads over many decades.” The investigation states that the ledger was not properly nailed to the roof support.
IATSE Local 728 didn’t hold back from defending their member and released a statement after the tragedy, which said,
The loss of Spike was and is needless as everyone should go home safely after a day’s work. While we recognize and appreciate the work that all the major studios have done in retrofitting their soundstages since this tragedy, there are many non-Union facilities that lack the resources and oversight to make this possible.
The union also promised further to provide support to Osorio’s family and safety to its members. Variety reported that two IATSE officials and a witness first confirmed Osorio’s fall and lack of safety measures being the reason, which has prompted many studio facilities to upgrade their catwalks.
Disney to Appeal Against $36,000 Fine
CAL/OSHA has hit Disney with two citations, and each of them is a penalty of $18,000. It might appear that the total of $36,000 is not a big amount for Disney, but the studio is not giving up the case easily.
According to Variety, Disney has 15 business days to appeal the citations to the Occupational Safety and Health Appeals Board, and it is expected that the studio will appeal since it has not given any comment on the incident yet.
Along with Disney, Radford Studio Center also faces two separate citations of $45,000. So, the combined penalty for both companies is $81,000, which is not nearly enough for the loss of a life.
But the legal battle has another side as well. As per Variety, Osorio’s widow and mother have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Radford Studio Center. Their suit alleged the studio knew, or should have known, that their catwalks “were in a dilapidated condition and in desperate need of repair.”
Their family lawyer Erika Contreras also stated that “Mr. Osorio’s death was 100% preventable.” But Radford’s lawyers have fired back, saying that the accident might also have been caused by Osorio’s own negligence or due to some other factors too.
The interesting thing is Hackman Capital Partners bought that facility in 2021 already and have even proposed a $1 billion plan for its improvement, as they have previously stated that the facility was not in a good condition due to under-investment.
