A special effects assistant was critically injured Thursday after a simulated stinger missile exploded on the set of the upcoming Tom Hanks movie, Charlie Wilson’s War, reports The Associated Press. Stars of the film, including Hanks and Julia Roberts, were not on set at the time.
A group of special effects specialists were testing the handheld device when it exploded at Downey Studios, a former aerospace factory 10 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles.
The assistant was in critical condition while undergoing surgery Thursday evening at St. Francis Medical Center. The assistant’s name was not immediately released.
The cause of the explosion was under investigation. The device had been scheduled to be launched from a helicopter during filming Friday.
The film is based on George Crile’s book about the CIA’s largest and most successful covert CIA operation, the arming of the Mujahedeen in Afghanistan.
