Here’s How ‘Divergent’ Series Filming Could Have Killed a Bunch of Kids
If you thought the Lord of the Flies' child-gore was nauseating, be glad you were spared of the real-life equivalent via the set of the latest Divergent film.
According to Deadline, filming for the series' latest installment, Allegiant, turned potentially deadly when, during the shooting of a battle scene on June 17, more than 100 untrained adult extras were equipped with *real* metal clubs, axes, machetes, scythes and heavy farm tools. The armed extras were instructed to go to battle while 30 kids, who were as young as four, were directed to run and weave through the chaos.
The site says movie productions typically turn to prop rubber instruments when there's a potential for danger. When a witness noticed the looming hazard of small kids getting sliced and diced, he contacted SAG-AFTRA's safety hotline and local authorities in Atlanta—where the flick's shooting—to share his concerns.
"Everyone seemed to know it was wrong, but no one was willing to speak up,” the witness told Deadline. “To me, it seems that saving money—the expense of rubber props—took priority over safety...I personally saw four people trip and fall just because of the footing on the set, and several people were given medical care for heat exhaustion, which can cause fainting—and falling on these weapons is just as dangerous as swinging them into someone else during the chaotic scene."
Finally, a local precinct intervened, and the production was instructed to move forward with rubber weapons, instead. Now, the producers are investigating the incident, Deadline reported.
Surprised by the news? Share your thoughts on what could have been a very bloody battlefield.
Look back at celebs who almost died on set: