Accident with Millennium Falcon door could see Ford sidelined for two months, though producers say schedule not affected
Harrison Ford could miss up to eight weeks of filming after injuring his ankle on the set of Star Wars: Episode VII.
The Daily Mirror reports that Ford, who reprises his iconic role as space smuggler Han Solo in the new instalment of the classic space opera saga, is expected to leave hospital soon. He was reportedly hurt by a door of the Millennium Falcon during an on-set accident on Thursday at Pinewood Studios near London.
A publicist for the film told Sky News they were "hoping to announce some good news soon", while a spokesman for Ford's wife Calista Flockhart told the Daily Telegraph she was flying out to the UK to be with her husband. In the meantime, producers are said to be rescheduling as much of JJ Abrams' film as possible to allow the 71-year-old actor time to recuperate.
A source told the Mirror: "The initial day or two after the accident it was hard to move things around but now we have had more time we can juggle things, bring some scenes forward and push others back. There are lots of other actors in the movie so it is not a disaster. We are still confident the film can stay on schedule.
"At the moment it looks like Harrison is going to be off set for 6-8 weeks but the main priority is making sure he is OK."
Episode VII will also feature Solo's right-hand wookie Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew), along with Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker), Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia) and a swath of newcomers. Twelve Years a Slave's Lupita Nyong'o and Game of Thrones' Gwendoline Christie officially joined the cast last month, and the film will also feature Attack the Block's John Boyega, Ingmar Bergman-regular Max von Sydow and Harry Potter's Domhnall Gleeson.
Abrams' film is expected to hit cinemas in December 2015.
• Full coverage of Star Wars Episode VII
guardian.co.uk © Guardian News and Media 2014