Nic Cupac, a crew member on the long-awaited Indiana Jones 5, has been found dead while on location in Morocco.
As reported by the New York Post, the 54-year-old camera department pro was found dead in his hotel room in the city of Fez.
Cupac’s cause of death has not yet been publicly revealed, but but “he is thought to have died of natural causes,” The Sun reported.
“Our hearts go out to the family and friends of Nic Cupac, an incredibly talented colleague and member of the film community who will be greatly missed,” a spokesperson for the production told The New York Post.
“His sudden passing was not production-related. Nic was a grip on 2nd unit.”
Cupac was a much-respected industry veteran who had worked on franchises including Stars Wars, Harry Potter and Jurassic Park.
A number of problems have arisen during the filming of the movie, with residents of East London complaining in June that the production was making life “a living hell” for them while on location.
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Although the production reportedly paid one neighbour USD $100,000 to film in their home, the entire street was blocked off for days, leading to repeated complaints
Meanwhile, last week Morocco banned flights to and from the UK due to increasing COVID-19 cases, leaving lead actor Harrison Ford stranded in London.
On top of that, production of Indiana Jones 5 was paused for three months after Ford suffered a severe shoulder injury back in June.
While the movie was originally set to hit cinemas in July, it has been repeatedly pushed back due to the pandemic and is now scheduled for release in 2023.
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