Netflix has halted production of a new series filming in Mexico following a fatal automobile accident, via Deadline. Thursday, June 16 reports surfaced that actors and crew members of the series, The Chosen One, were involved in a car accident that left two dead and several injured. The van, which was headed toward an airport near the city of Santa Rosalía, crashed and flipped along a desert road near Mulege located in the Baja California Sur peninsula.
According to Deadline, early reports did not reveal the names of the deceased. Today, officials announced the two actors that perished were Raymundo Garduño Cruz (Here Comes the Devil) and Juan Francisco González Aguilar (El Porvenir, People From Another Planet). On Thursday, the Secretary of Culture of Baja California posted tributes to both actors via their Twitter account.
According to Deadline, the other six injured crew members are in stable condition.
Since the incident, SAG-AFTRA has issued a statement as they begin to review what caused the accident.
“SAG-AFTRA has been in contact with Netflix and with the Mexican actors union ANDA about this incident and we are investigating the circumstances with local production,” a spokesperson said according to Deadline. “On set safety is always our top priority. We will continue to take all necessary steps to ensure that our members and others are safe in their workplace.”
The Chosen One is based on a comic book by Mark Millar (Kick-Ass, Civil War) and Peter Gross (American Jesus, The Dollhouse Family) that centers on a 12-year-old boy who learns he is the second coming of Jesus Christ. With his newfound identity, he has been tasked with saving all mankind. According to Deadline, Redrum was the production company filming the series in Santa Rosalía.
Millar has several other projects at Netflix based on his comics. The now-canceled Jupiter’s Legacy traded its second season for an anthology series focused on the origin stories of its villains. And Millar is also working on The Magic Order for the streamer.