"Thoughts are with those who are recovering”: MGM Studios issue statement after several crew members injured on Eddie Murphy movie ‘The Pickup'

An accident, on the sets of Eddie Murphy's The Pickup on Saturday, April 20, 2024, left several crew members injured. The accident took place while the crew was filming an action scene on the set in Atlanta, Georgia. Amazon MGM, the studio behind the film, released a statement about the incident. According to Entertainment Weekly, the studio noted that the accident took place while the crew was filming a "rehearsed 2nd unit action scene."

"On April 20, an accident occurred on the set of The Pickup during a rehearsed 2nd unit action sequence. Unfortunately, the sequence did not go as planned and several members of the crew were injured as a result. We are still in the process of gathering facts on what happened and why, but first and foremost our thoughts are with those who are recovering," the statement read.

The production house told the Associated Press that the accident involved a car and a truck collision and that they had taken "all safety precautions." The injuries include bumps and bruises along with broken bones and two people being taken to the hospital. As of Tuesday, one person remained in the hospital, and everyone was expected to make a full recovery.

"The well-being of the entire crew and cast is our first priority, and we will continue to insist on the highest industry standards of safety while filming. All safety precautions were reviewed prior to and monitored during the shoot," Amazon MGM's statement conluded.

The film stars Eddie Murphy, Keke Palmer, and Pete Davidson, among others. According to Variety, neither Murphy, Palmer, nor Davidson were present on set when the accident occurred.

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Accident on Eddie Murphy's The Pickup set was a "freak accident"

The accident on Eddie Murphy's The Pickup occurred on Saturday, and it is unclear who was injured. However, it was reported that the film's key stars including Murphy, Keke Palmer, and Pete Davidson weren't present on set at the time. The accident involved a second unit production, which generally does less important scenes in a movie.

According to AP, a person on set, who requested anonymity stated that the accident took place after a truck locked up and collided with a car.

"It was a completely freak accident. It wasn’t even a complicated or dangerous stunt," they stated.

The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) spoke to the Associated Press about it. The union, which represents multiple crew members on the sets, said that they were aware of the incident and had begun an inquiry.

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The Pickup is an action comedy film directed by Tim Story, whose resumé includes films like Barbershop (2002), Fantastic Four (2005), and Ride Along (2014). The film is written by Matt Mider and Kevin Burrows. It stars Eddie Murphy, Pete Davidson, Keke Palmer, Andrew Dice Clay, and Eva Longoria, among others.

While details about the plot remain under wraps, the film has been under production since February 2024. Deadline reported in March 2023 that Eddie Murphy plays the role of a "guy who becomes smitten with a woman and finds himself mixed up in a heist attempt."

The report detailed that John Davis and John Fox (under the Davis Entertainment banner), Murphy and Charisse Hewitt-Webster (under Eddie Murphy Productions), and Story (The Story Company) are producing the movie.

A release date for The Pickup is yet to be announced. Per reports, there are no delays in production due to the accident. No other statements were released at the time of writing this article.