Amazon Says Reports About Unsafe Lord Of The Rings Sets Are "Completely Inaccurate"

Amazon Studios has responded to reports about the working conditions on the sets of its big-budget The Lord of the Rings TV series. In the wake of a report from The New Zealand Herald regarding the safety of cast and crew for stuntwork, Amazon Studios said that allegations about unsafe conditions are "completely inaccurate."

"Amazon Studios takes the health, physical and emotional welfare of our cast and crew extremely seriously," a spokesperson told the Herald and Variety. "As a top priority, the production team continues to be in full compliance with the mandated WorkSafe New Zealand Safety and Security government regulations. Any allegation or report that activities on set are unsafe or outside of regulations are completely inaccurate."

It's reported that acclaimed stunt performer Dayna Grant--whose previous credits included Wonder Woman 1984 and Mad Max: Fury Road--suffered a serious injury on set in March. She has subsequently launched a crowdfunding campaign to help raise money for emergency brain surgery. A source told Variety that Grant's head injury was classified as a "mild concussion." As such, this was not a "notifiable event" based on WorkSafe's criteria.

"The source also claims that Grant was not diagnosed with the brain aneurysm until June, and had previously been cleared to return to work on several other projects after suffering the concussion," Variety reported.

Another Lord of the Rings stunt performer, Elissa Cadwell, received a payment of $500,000 NZD following her injury, according to the Herald. Variety said this money was provided to help pay for her care and for her to travel home.

Variety's source added that the Lord of the Rings series has an "extremely large mount of stunts." The source added that the production team compiles a risk analysis at every stunt site. And all "near misses and accidents" are logged. According to the source, the injury rate on the TV series is .068%, and this is mainly made up of sprains, bruises, and muscle and soft tissue strains.

Go to the Herald and Variety to learn more about this story.