Filming on Deadpool 2 is back underway just two days after the fatal accident involving motorcyclist racer, Joi “SJ” Harris.
ComicBook.com captured a brief video of Ryan Reynolds and various members of the crew staging what looks to be a minute’s silence to honor Harris, who was tragically killed on Monday afternoon when a motorcycle stunt went awry on location in Vancouver. The 40-year-old professional rider, who hailed from New York City, was no stranger to the intense world of motorcycle riding, and became one of the country’s first and indeed most successful black, female bikers, as evidenced by her popular social media feeds.
But new allegations presented to The Hollywood Reporter insist that the accident itself “absolutely could have been prevented,” as Hollywood’s stunt community begins to raise some very pertinent questions regarding the death of Joi “SJ” Harris, and why she was put in control of a 900cc motorcycle in the first place.
As veteran stunt coordinator Conrad Palmisano told THR:
She was a highly qualified motorcyclist racer but not an experienced stunt person. It is my understanding that she is reported to be a pro racer. But she rode 300cc cycles. The one she crashed on was 900cc motorcycle — much bigger, more powerful.
As previously reported, the Deadpool 2 gig was Joi “SJ” Harris’ first job on a film set, with some critics asserting that Harris was brought on board because of her resemblance to Zazie Beetz (Domino), the actress for whom she was standing in for at the time of the accident.
20th Century Fox is yet to address these allegations and is, frankly, unlikely to do so anytime soon. In response to her death, Deadpool 2 co-writer and producer Rhett Reese wrote:
[We] feel what our entire crew feels: shock and sadness. Our hearts break for SJ’s family and friends and all she touched.
Not unlike Mission: Impossible 6, which has been placed on ice following Tom Cruise’s on-set injury, Deadpool 2 has retained its June 1st, 2018 release date despite this tragic incident.
